The Children’s Hour *** (1961, Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine, James Garner, Miriam Hopkins, Fay Bainter, Karen Balkin) – Classic Movie Review 5683

Director William Wyler’s 1961 drama is a grittier re-filming of Lillian Hellman’s infamous play The Children’s Hour, first made also by Wyler in 1936 as These Three. Hellman is credited for the adaptation, but this time John Michael Hayes writes the screenplay.

There were five Oscar nominations, including Fay Bainter as Best Supporting Actress, Franz Planer for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White, Fernando Carrere and Edward G. Boyle for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White, Dorothy Jeakins for Best Costume Design, Black-and-White, and Gordon Sawyer for Best Sound. But there were no wins and no Golden Globes or Baftas either.

The story hinges on a vindictive, lying schoolgirl (Karen Balkin) who disseminates her malicious lie that two of her school teachers at her small girls’ boarding school are lesbian lovers.

It is an intriguing movie, and fascinatingly cast and interestingly played by Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine as Karen Wright and Martha Dobie, the two school mistresses in question. But it is also a dour and glum experience and ultimately seems rather pointless (since it is not at all shocking, as it seems to think it is). And it is not as impressive as the original (even if that did not dare speak the name of lesbian love and told an alternate tale of a heterosexual love triangle).

Miriam Hopkins is in both films, now cast as the aunt Mrs Lily Mortar, Fay Bainter plays the vindictive girl’s influential grandma, Mrs Amelia Tilford, and James Garner is the token man, Dr Joe Cardin, Mrs  Tilford’s nephew, who is engaged to Karen.

Franz Planer’s handsome black and white cinematography and Bainter’s striking performance were unlucky not to be honoured with Oscars.

Also in the cast are Veronica Cartwright, Mimi Gibson, Debbie Moldow, Diane Mountford, William Mims, Sally Brophy and Hope Summers.

Hellman keeps the character names from the first film.

MacLaine later talked about the film in the documentary feature The Celluloid Closet (1995), and complained that she and Hepburn never discussed the subject of lesbian love during the filming.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5683

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