These Three

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Audience Member "These Three" is an absorbing film that somehow manages to retain its integrity despite being different from the play, "The Children's Hour," on which it is based. Having seen the later film, "The Children's Hour," about two teachers accused of lesbianism, I wondered how the 1936 film would measure up. The answer: Brilliantly. Part of the reason for this is, as Lilliam Hellman, the playwright herself stated - the play isn't really about lesbianism, it's about a children's lie. And the vicious, destructive lie of a child is still central here, though now it concerns the supposed affair of Miriam Hopkins and Joel McCrea, who is engaged to marry Merle Oberon, Hopkins' partner in a girls school. Another reason for the film's success is the flawless direction by William Wyler, and last but not least, a sympathetic trio. Hopkins is a standout with her strong, passionate performance. Bonita Granville, the bad seed, is such an evil, blackmailing brat, that I'm sure when 1936 audiences saw Margaret Hamilton slap her, they broke into applause. I nearly did, and I was watching it alone! It's an unrelenting performance, though she's such a walking horror show, it's remarkable anyone believed her in her "earnest" moments, which were calculated, as only a monster's can be! Highly recommended. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review Audience Member A film that is very much of its time. Quite a cliched script with over-the-top characters like Aunt Lily which was common place for films of that time e.g. Top Hat. Hopkins is the best adult actor in this cast successfully displaying emotion when needed. Oberon and McCrea are fine but could be replaced by any other actor. The star of the film, by far, is Bonita Granville who steals the spotlight each time she whines, cries and demands sympathy from her character's grandmother. She triumphantly plays this schoolgirl who lies with ease to escape any trouble she may face without caring about any collateral damage. She deservedly received an Oscar nomination for her role and I believe was better than Sondergaard and therefore deserved the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress (although I have not seen the other nominated performances). It was also funny to see long-time Wyler collaborator Walter Brennan play the "Taxy" driver in this film. Wyler's direction is pretty average for this film and I would only rank it better than The Westerner, out of his movies I've seen. Overall, a fine film, just pretty outdated with a weak script, but mainly saved with Hopkins and Granville's performances. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review steve d I don't like how much is "sanitized" but it is still great and well acted. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Outstanding movie. Under appreciated today. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review s r How a child can ruin people's lives with lies. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Very good, despite the fact the movie had to be re-written (adapted from the play) due to Hollywood censorship. This has some unrealistic parts, but is better than the 1961 version where one of the women hangs herself, which is entirely unlikely. Gossip has power to do great damage to humans. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews

These Three

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