The Children's Hour | | Cast : | Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine | | Director : | William Wyler | | Studio : | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | | Format : | Black & White, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | December 19, 1961 | | DVD Released Date : | January 11, 2005 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | NR (Not Rated) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | July 14, 2005 | | Summary | I hear a sympathy | Content
 | Like much of the lesbian pulp fiction of the 1950s, "The Children's Hour" comes from that era when homosexuality was considered the "worst evil of all." I'm not sure if William Wyler meant to or not, but in this film the director finds a surprising sympathy for his main character Martha. Despite its emphasis on the supposed lesbianism of the two leads, "The Children's Hour" is not really a story about being gay. Instead it focuses (or tries to) on how one bad little girl can ruin two adults's lives forever simply by opening her mouth.
With relative restraint rather than melodrama, Wyler illustrates the power of a child's words. A student at the boarding school "Karen" (Audrey Hepburn) and "Martha" (Shirley MacLaine) run, "Mary" (Karen Balkin) spreads malicious rumors (are there any other kind?). On the surface these rumors aren't true, but as things progress and Karen and Martha interact in their strong friendship and professional partnership, we see that Martha may indeed have "unnatural" feelings for her best friend.
Things reach a fevered pitch as Mary's grandmother takes action and decides Karen and Martha are not to fit to run a school for young girls. Legal action is taken, careers are destroyed and a friendship that once was fun and light-hearted is now fraught with tension.
I don't like to reveal endings to movies, so I won't do that here. All I WILL say is that Shirley MacLaine gives the performance of her life as she unravels emotionally, devastated at what is happening around and inside her. Filmed during a time when gays and lesbians were treated as criminals and freaks, "The Children's Hour" is not as harsh as it could have been. Some people would probably call Wyler's film unfashionably dated, but the sad truth is it's coming back in style now that we are slowly returning to an era that demonizes gays and lesbians and won't let them have a happy ending.
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| Rating | | | Date | June 25, 2005 | | Summary | The Children's Hour..amazed me | Content
| A movie about a litle girl who spreads a vicious rumour is amazing in every way.Writing, directing, acting. Every second held me with baited breath.I thought it was brilliant. |
| Rating | | | Date | May 13, 2005 | | Summary | Sinful sexual knowledge... | Content
| The Children's Hour was quite a daring film for its time and is based on Lillian Hellman's play of the same name, the first show on Broadway to deal with the subject of lesbianism when it was a success in the 1930s.
Karen (Audrey Hepburn) and Martha (Shirley MacLaine) are good friends and run a boarding school for girls. Karen is dating Joe (James Garner) and agrees to marry him, upsetting Martha in the process. Martha's aunt tells her that her jealousy is unnatural.
Enter super brat Mary (Karen Balkin), one of the students who has just been disciplined for not telling the truth. She lies and elaborates to her grandmother about the conversation between Martha and her aunt, telling her about late night visits and kisses between the two women and putting into motion accusations that Martha and Karen are lovers having "sinful sexual knowledge of one another."
The ending is predictable for a film about lesbians made in this era. Martha feels sick and dirty by a society that tells her she is so. The last five minutes of the film are tough to watch, since we know what's coming. It's the kind of thing that makes me sick and angry to see, but I recommend watching this film for two reasons: understanding the realities and attitudes of the time and getting a good cry over those who still might have to deal with such feelings; and MacLaine's performance.
*See Shirley MacLaine's 1995 interview in The Celluloid Closet. "We might have been forerunners, but we weren't really because we didn't do the picture right. We were in the mindset of not understanding what we were basically doing. These days there would be a tremendous outcry, as well there should be." |
| Rating | | | Date | May 08, 2005 | | Summary | Don't say you love me unless you mean it | Content
| What would you do if a spoiled child made lying assertions that threatened your business, reputation, and marriage engagement? The challenge seems all too easy to overcome -- if a clear statement of fact won't suffice then a swat in the seat of the pants should.
Unfortunately those options are not enough to offset the aim of a conniving little girl. Her fodder fuels others to reexamine their true feelings for one another. Though this seems like a good thing, you will ponder whether the eventual resolution justifies the merit after viewing "The Children's Hour." |
| Rating | | | Date | February 02, 2005 | | Summary | It's in a class by itself... | Content
| I never fully appreciated Shirley Maclaine's talent until I saw this performance. She will blow you away. Audrey Hepburn is a competent actress, but she could only play Audrey Hepburn - you seldom believe that she is anyone else. James Garner was cast for his looks, not his talent. Faye Bainter and Miriam Hopkins provide classic film acting at their finest. They are a treat to watch. The young girl was perfectly cast. You want to throttle her. William Wyler's direction is an art form. Lillian Helman's play is perfectly crafted with tension, suspense and human emotion. You will be moved.
Many films are not worth your time. This is worth every minute. Rent it and you'll eventually own it. Own it and you'll never let it go. Bravo. |
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