MOVIE REVIEW: The Children's Hour (1961)

At some point or another, I like to get around to seeing filmed versions of plays I've read in the past. The Children's Hour is one of those films. Thought of as highly controversial upon it's release for being one of the first mainstream films to deal with a lesbian theme, it's no surprise that the theme's presentation is pretty tame, by today's standards. The manner in which the film deals with it in a dramatic construct, however, is amazingly potent. Much like the play, I didn't find myself carnally wondering if "so-and-so" are really lesbians, but rather fixated at the concern over what could possibly happen as a result of the dilemmas faced by either party.

Two schoolteachers, Karen and Martha, are celebrating the inaguration of their newly-opened all girls school. Karen, who is in a relationship with a local doctor, is best friends with Martha, who resents Karen's blossoming love life on the grounds that marriage would ruin her teaching career. One of the students, Mary, is the granddaughter of the school's major benefactor, and she also happens to be a bully. Incredibly spiteful towards her teachers for being overly disciplinary, she stumbles upon Martha revealing an interesting secret to Karen. By spinning the truth, Mary sets in motion a rumor that slowly destroys Karen and Martha's careers and lives.

Any film starring actresses who I've experienced in the past to be competent at their craft almost always guarantees a good film. Silver screen sirens Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine are at the top of their game here, they give what I consider, some of the most powerful performances of their careers. The rest of the cast is also very compelling, even some of the younger members surprised me at times. While I feel the film's audacity suffers slightly, due to the laws of film censorship at the time, I was very pleased with the way it turned out from a dramatic standpoint. A possible remake would do wonders to correct the implications made in the film that cover up explicit content (and I'm not talking about sexuality). But as it stands, the film we currently have is great, and a wonderful companion piece to the play.

8/10

Peace,
- Jon