The Children’s Hour (1961) Film Review C

DIRECTOR: William Wyler

BOTTOM LINE: When William Wyler and Sam Goldwyn adapted Lillian Hellman’s play “The Children’s Hour” back in 1936, they changed the lesbian story to a straight triangle with Merle Oberon, Miriam Hopkins, and Joel McCrea and a wonderfully nasty Bonita Granville as the little brat who spreads the false rumor. And it worked beautifully. Moreover, the Queer subtext was there. Released as “These Three,” it was a considerable success, paving the way for a series of classic movies Wyler made under the Godwyn banner.

Cut to 1961, fresh from his triumph with “Ben Hur,” Wyler decides to remake it, keeping Hellman’s original same-sex theme. He casts two of the greatest actresses in Hollywood, Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine, as the school mistresses whose lives and careers are destroyed by a rumor spread by one of their vindictive students. This time, MacLaine plays the gay character Martha, who secretly loves her friend and colleague Karen (Hepburn) but can never reveal her true feelings. Meanwhile, Karen is in a stable heterosexual relationship with Joe (James Garner).

Unfortunately, Wyler was stuck between two periods. In 1961, he was unprepared for an all-out gay film, so he had to be discreet. Lacking the courage of his convictions, what started as bravery ended as cowardice. This time, it’s all text and no subtext! If he had waited another decade, he might have had a triumph. There are moments, particularly from MacLaine, but they are not enough. The result is for die-hard Wyler fans only.

Playing the grandmother, whose reaction to her granddaughter’s lie sets the plot in motion, Fay Bainter was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. It was her final screen role.

Cinematography: Franz Planer

STREAMING: Amazon Prime and Apple TV+

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