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The Children's Hour

Play trailer Poster for The Children's Hour 1961 1h 49m Drama LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
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78% Tomatometer 9 Reviews 84% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Longtime friends Martha (Shirley MacLaine) and Karen (Audrey Hepburn) run a boarding school for girls. When an unruly child, Mary (Karen Balkin), is punished for lying, she concocts a story that Karen and Martha are having a lesbian relationship. When the story spreads, parents withdraw their children from the school. The women's lawsuit for libel hits many snags when they lack witnesses to speak for them. All the stress adversely affects Karen's engagement to Joe Cardin (James Garner).
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The Children's Hour

Critics Reviews

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Joe Muldoon Battle Royale With Cheese 02/28/2023
The Children’s Hour is a biting (though somewhat muted) condemnation of the corrosive natures of homophobia and hatred, and its all-too-inevitable conclusion seals it as a crushing –and necessary– piece of cinema. Go to Full Review
Janet Graves Photoplay 11/18/2020
Audrey and Shirley manage to give emotional scenes shattering impact, but they're operating against handicaps. Go to Full Review
Alison Hunter ONE 05/18/2020
The beautiful black-and-white photography, the score, the impeccable acting and, above all... that master director, William Wyler -- all combine to make a film classic. And when you've seen it, you've seen a landmark in homophile history. Go to Full Review
Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 08/29/2014
C+
Heavy-handed and can't shake its languor. Go to Full Review
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 08/09/2010
B+
Though well-acted by Shirley MacLaine and Audrey Hepburn, this second version of Lillian Hellman's play about the malice of lies is not as powerful as the first, in 1936, also helmed by William Wyler. Go to Full Review
Ken Hanke Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) 08/24/2003
4/5
Closer to the play than Wyler's first effort at the story, but oddly less compelling. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Ed . Aug 29 Proof that children should be seen and not heard. Some should not even be seen. See more Kalissa H @kali_416 Jun 21 Wonderful movie, sad ending. The final scenes are great. See more Dee I May 5 Love this film, happened upon it some years ago when I was off work and by chance on TV. It is a film ahead of its time in many ways, Audrey gave an outstanding performance. One of my favourite films See more Jeff M 01/17/2024 This is a splendid, virtually flawless cinematic adaptation of Lillian Hellman's play, which was first produced 90 years ago this year. Although the specific subject matter may inevitably feel dated, one can argue if it's as dated as it should be by now. The overall theme of the destruction that can result from slander and gossip is obviously as relevant today as ever - throw in social media and, with a tweak here and there, this could have been made today. Mary Tilford is the vilest child in cinema history - she makes Rhoda from THE BAD SEED look like Shirley Temple. I won't detail the horrible thoughts I had about this child, but they weren't pretty. Both leading ladies are outstanding, and it's a bit puzzling that at least one of them were not among the five Oscar nominations this received. The only acting nomination was a richly deserved nod for Fay Bainter as Mary's grandmother who sets the wheels in motion. It's a tribute to the skills of legendary director Wyler that the drama is so intense, it almost begins to feel like a suspense film. One can sense that this was originally a play, but it doesn't feel stagy at all. The adapted screenplay couldn't be improved upon, and even the minor characters feel fleshed out and crucial to the goings-on. And what a rare treat to see a cast almost entirely female, with the exception of a never-better Garner. I could continue my praise, but I'd rather sit in a dark room and enjoy a few more evil thoughts about Mary Tilford. See more ed m 06/30/2023 Great cast, but the topic is very dated. See more Nizar N 04/03/2023 Engaging story, with a lesson behind it to be learned. The cast display the emotional elements meticulously. It's a dark movie without it being a thriller or anything of the sort, and this is mainly because it's realistic. Some criticize how some of its views are outdated, but are they really? In other words, those things in the plot still happen in the real world, and in many places around the world, but the only difference is that Hollywood doesn't portray them anymore. This is how courageous this movie was, back then and even now. The Children's Hour is a brave piece that gets the viewer poignantly captivated, especially in the ending. See more Read all reviews
The Children's Hour

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Movie Info

Synopsis Longtime friends Martha (Shirley MacLaine) and Karen (Audrey Hepburn) run a boarding school for girls. When an unruly child, Mary (Karen Balkin), is punished for lying, she concocts a story that Karen and Martha are having a lesbian relationship. When the story spreads, parents withdraw their children from the school. The women's lawsuit for libel hits many snags when they lack witnesses to speak for them. All the stress adversely affects Karen's engagement to Joe Cardin (James Garner).
Director
William Wyler
Producer
Robert Wyler, William Wyler
Screenwriter
John Michael Hayes, Lillian Hellman
Distributor
United Artists
Production Co
United Artists, Worldwide Media, Mirisch Company
Genre
Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 19, 1961, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 16, 2008
Runtime
1h 49m
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