Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8002 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-07-05
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 104 minutes

Synopsis
Karen Wright (Audrey Hepburn) and Martha Dobie (Shirley MacLaine) are just beginning to succeed in their struggle to make the Wright-Dobie School for Girls a going concern. Karen believes she will soon be able to marry Joe Cardin (James Garner). However, Karen has to discipline Mary Tilford (Karen Balkin). Mary always wants her own way and, worse, is a congenital liar. Mary complains to her grandmother Mrs. Tilford (Fay Bainter) and to lend strength to her complaint, Mary repeats part of a conversation that she overheard, but barely understood--a conversation in which Martha's aunt Lily (Miriam Hopkins) accused Martha of having an unnatural attachment to Karen. Mrs. Tilford is horrified and spreads the word to the parents of the other girls--with disastrous results.
THE CHILDREN'S HOUR is William Wyler's second version of Lillian Hellman's controversial 1934 Broadway play. In Wyler's first version, THESE THREE, made in 1936, the lesbian theme was entirely suppressed. In contrast, THE CHILDREN'S HOUR, somewhat belatedly, allowed the theme out of Hollywood's closet. THE CHILDREN'S HOUR is clearly set in the 1960s but retains many of the 1930s attitudes toward lesbianism--the result is a movie that hovers curiously between the two.

Customer Reviews

Hepburn and McLaine at their best
William Wyler had made film version of this story in 1936, but then he had to give in to the censors in some things. In 1961, enjoying a bit more freedom he decided to keep closer to Lilian Hellman's original. Although there is an outdated prespective on homosexuality in it, there was something about this film that made me really like it and it's still a powerful testemony of how mean gossip can ruin someone's life. Two friends (Audrey Hepburn and Shirley McLaine) have a girls' school and everything seems finally to be fine, when one of the girls accuses them of being lesbians. And every parent soon starts taking their children out of the school. The two actresses are great, and so are Miriam Hopkins and Fay Bainter.

Fascinating
This is a superb film where two teachers suspected of having a lesbian relationship loose everything, made in 1961 when censorship prevented any overt reference to the subject matter.

But that is what makes the wonderfully subtle screenplay realised in the superbly understated performances by Hepburn and MacLaine so effective, the censor restraints somehow make the plot more involving, it leaves so much to the imagination of the viewer.

Another unusual aspect of the film is the casting of children in the role of villains, 12 year old Karen Balkin gives a fine child performance as the malicious Mary Tilford whose lies are responsible for all the teachers' problems.

But as in real life nothing is exactly what it seems, and the subtle plot reveals deeper layers of suppressed emotion as it unfolds.

William Wyler filmed this controversial 1934 Hellman play twice, once in 1936 as "These Three" with Miriam Hopkins (the Aunt in this version) as Martha and Merle Oberon as Karen. In 1936 the lesbian aspects had to be replaced with a heterosexual triangle.

The 1961 version is a truly fascinating film gaining strength from the constraints of its time.

one of Hollywoods' best
Audrey Hepburn and Shirly Maclaine have done it again. The film is based on the play by Lillian Hellman and the film was also made before in the thirties with Miriam Hpkins who also co-stars in this film. Titled 'these three' it did recieve more success and this film has been put down quite a lot. Halliwels onle gave it one star which is a big disapointment.

I think the story of this film was exelent and all the actors were at thier best. The story was all about how two women Karen Wright (Hepburn) and Martha Dobie(Maclaine)own an exclusive girls school which is closed after a rumour is spread of the women having a lesbian relationship. The story ends in a dramatic way and makes you think of the consoquensis of rumours.

This film is another Hollywood great in exellent condition, a defenite two thumbs up.