As the wheels of the divorce are set in motion, John and Barbie are faced with coming to agreement about what should happen to the children, whether all should be given to the custody of one parent, or whether they should be split up.

They decided they must stay together for the sake of the family resolving to put on a brave face and live at least partly a life of pretense.

However, a final moment when they laugh together for the first time in years about the relief and reconciliation of their children suggests that love and understanding might return to the marriage after all.

Mandy Miller as the youngest daughter is adorably natural, and to some extent outweighs the irritating convention so often found in English films of strongly 'characterising' children from the outset – boy with gun, girl who loves horses and serious child who writes stories.

"[7] Kine Weekly wrote: "Valerie Philip Friend and Norman Wooland competently handle the basic triangle theme, but it is the juvenile characters, brilliantly portrayed by Janette Scott, Jeremy Spenser and Mandy Miller, tiny heroine of Mandy, who steal the picture and ram its message home.

"[8] A contemporary review in the Glasgow Herald wrote: "A heroic effort is made to apportion the blame fairly ... yet intrinsically, one has to admit, the film has no great success.