This Happy Breed (1944)

100% of critics liked it
(7 reviews)
77% of users liked it
(475 ratings)

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 55 min.
Directed By: David Lean
Written By: David Lean, Anthony Havelock-Allan, Ronald Neame
Genres: Drama, Classics

In Theaters: Jun 1, 1944 Wide

Critic Reviews

Sean Axmaker, Turner Classic Movies Online
It's quite the study in domesticity and acceptance, and it even presents socialist activism and union strikes as some sort of idealistic fling...
Matt Brunson, Creative Loafing
This Happy Breed ranks with 1949's One Woman's Story and 1950's Madeleine as the most obscure title in David Lean's canon. That's a shame, because it's a wonderful motion picture.
James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk
not a particularly deep film, but it gets the details of human interaction and growth just right, providing a moving portrait of one family's durability in the midst of massive historical upheaval
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
If it doesn't bore you to death with its contrived melodramatics then maybe its decorative historical background might catch your interest.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
This is an immensely charming movie, with many tears and many moments of warmth.
, Film4
A toff propagandist's England, of course. But once you've got over its peculiar patrician tones and bitty structure, there's much to enjoy.
, Time Out
Though Lean and Coward are less happy here than in the brittle, refined atmosphere of Brief Encounter, their adventurous excursion into suburban Clapham remains endlessly fascinating.

Read all 7 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Luke B

The film is really about the evolution of a country between times of war, set against a families own personal ups and downs. The most dramatic events happen off screen. All deaths happen either off screen and many between different time periods, as do marriages and other… More
The film is really about the evolution of a country between times of war, set against a families own personal ups and downs. The most dramatic events happen off screen. All deaths happen either off screen and many between different time periods, as do marriages and other "main" events other films would exploit. It captures the constant momentum of life in a very slow and thoughtful manner. Lean and Coward once again make a brilliant team with Lean's direction being the most ingenious counterpart to Coward's words. It sometimes feels not adapted enough from its stage play origins, and sometimes feels a bit too patriotic though it certainly offers up different views from different characters. It shows the constant worries of parents in a supposedly less dangerous time. It works as a very English drama and is powerful in that repressed kind of way. Lean's first use of colour is a triumph and there are some amazingly beautiful moments that will be forever eclipsed by his more obvious epics. The parents wondering back into a room in silence at some tragic news is wonderful cinema.
David S

This is a bit of a difficult creature from the other Lean/Coward film 'Brief Encounter' as it focuses on a whole family and is more of an ensemble piece. In many ways it's a precursor to the soaps we see on TV today like Eastenders and Coronation Street in that the main… More
This is a bit of a difficult creature from the other Lean/Coward film 'Brief Encounter' as it focuses on a whole family and is more of an ensemble piece. In many ways it's a precursor to the soaps we see on TV today like Eastenders and Coronation Street in that the main drama are family based and although the film is set between the two wars we don't deal with international affairs. I suppose it's more of a film of its time and seems a bit stilted now but the performances are all good and it's nice seeing Celia Johnson in a different type of role after 'Brief Encounter'. A cosy Sunday afternoon film.