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Children's Hour
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by MGM (Video & DVD)
Sales Rank: 1125
Price: $19.98
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The Children's Hour comes from an older play by Lillian Hellmann (1920,s), and it was given a bad film And it treatment in the 30,s with Miriam Hopkins and Merle Oberon. This was not the play at all, and the performances are not that good. <br /> <br />William Wyler directed the 30;s version, and so he directs this version, so much better and very very close to the play. <br /> <br />Shirley MaClaine thinks that her role was watered down, and that Lesbians do not behave this way. Ms. Hepburn thought that it was very much to the point, and considered it a personal triumph, because of MaClaine's interaction with her. Hepburn is right, and the film builds to a climactic finish not seen in films of this genre, then or now. <br /> <br />This film also opens up the whole homophobic insanity with Garner and Miriam Hopkins and Fay Bainter. It suggests that gay people will teach children the ways of gays, and therefore they(Audrey and Shirley must be stopped, school closed etc.). Dated? Can anyone imagine this happening today? The women are chareged with sexual activity by a young girl who gets others in on the accusations, not the least her powerful grand mother. Then, bad, today a disaster. Today, the school would be burned down with Audrey and Shirley in it. But this does happpen here, in a figurative sense, and it is riveting. <br /> <br />Don't miss this film..compare the current stuff..way ahead of its time, and try to ignore the presence of James Garner..awful. <br /> <br />The ending, for 1961 or 2008, is remarkable. Catch the subtle homophobia throughout, and the overt hatred as well.
Viewer Reviews
This is one of those movies I didn't expect to hit me the way that it did. I love Hepburn and MacLaine and so I was anticipating finally getting to sit down and watch this film, but I truly had no idea what to expect. Hepburn was such a wonderfully light actress, an actress who filtered in and out of breezy comedies with such effortless charisma, so I was expecting something a little less dramatic and little more entertaining. What I got instead was one of those films that socks you in the gut and leaves you pondering issues and consequences that never seem to leave your head afterward.
`The Children's Hour' is haunting.
The film tells the story of Karen Wright and Martha Dobie, two young women who run a boarding school for young girls. Little Mary Tilford is quite the troublemaker and is constantly finding herself in trouble, and this moves her to tell a little lie (or more like a major embellishment) in order to free herself of trouble. This lie spreads quickly and threatens to destroy the lives of Karen and Martha.
What is so amazing and in the end captivating about `The Children's Hour' is that it never becomes predictable but from beginning to end keeps the audience in anticipation. The relationship between Karen and Martha is a huge question mark to the audience, which helps with our understanding of the lie, and this also keeps us wondering how much validity there is to the accusation. This is a brilliant tactic used to keep the audience hooked, and it works on all levels.
Thanks to some brilliant acting as well, `The Children's Hour' skyrockets to the top of the pack, delivering a very heartfelt and moving drama about deception and regret. Audrey Hepburn floored me with her ability to retain her screen charm while attacking a character that is so unlike the darlings she usually played. Karen is deeply bothered by her predicament, and her emotional distress is brought to life by Hepburn's masterful performance. As good as Audrey was though, MacLaine was ten times better. The character of Martha is definitely the most interesting, especially in the final act, and Shirley's character development is essential to the last impression made by the film. I was blown away by her ability to create a character that was so likable and so infectious while never losing her dark secrets and guilt ridden conscience. You felt the revelations before they were revealed, yet she never gave them away too early; and that takes talent.
The supporting performances are also wonderful. James Garner is impressive as Joe, Karen's fiancé, but this movie uses him more as a prop than anything else. Fay Bainter received an Oscar nomination for her performance, and rightfully so, for her devilish mix of inhumanity and uncompromising maternal love is outstanding. Young Karen Balkin is perfect as Mary, the young child you love to hate.
In the end `The Children's Hour' is a brilliant character study on the after effects of the lie. The final twist of the knife will leave you breathless, speechless and broken, but it's that final twist that elevates the film drastically and makes it such an important masterpiece. This may very well be Hepburn's finest film and this may very well sport MacLaine's finest performance; two reasons right there to see this movie immediately.
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