Cheap The Children's Hour (DVD) (Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine) (William Wyler) Price

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Customer Reviews of The Children's Hour

AHEAD OF ITS TIME
Lillian Hellman's play is brought to the screen a second time here. (The first time in a retitled "These Three," which did not even approach the real subject matter of the play. Hays office intimidation, I presume.) Hepburn and MacLaine play beautifully off one another, and Miriam Hopkins is simply amazing. James Garner is wooden, as he often tends to be, but this does not diminish the impact of the film. Groundbreaking in its sympathetic portrayal of a gay character, it explores the damage people can do to one another and to themselves when a simple child's lie is told, and layer after layer of human decency is peeled back, exposing something raw and dreadful. It's uncomfortable to watch, and devastatingly sad; but if only for the three astounding performances (MacLaine, Hepburn and Hopkins) it's worth seeing. Shirley MacLaine has since remarked that she and Hepburn never even really discussed the gay angle of the script, which seems incredible, considering how straightforwardly (for its time) it is handled here.

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Incredible Film, FIVE STARS
Whenever one hears the name Audrey Hepburn, they often think of Sabrina, My Fair Lady, or Breakfast At Tiffany's. THIS film is one of Hepburn's greatest, and even as one of her biggest fans, I never heard of this movie...until I saw it at blockbuster.

At first, my mom didn't want me to see it. She claimed that the themes were too mature and about "women loving women." About a month or two later, I saw The Hours. I think I was ready for this 1961 movie.

I began The Children's Hour automatically thinking that Audrey Hepburn would be my favorite character. I was wrong. I'd never seen Shirley MacLaine in a film before, and now, not only do I suspect that she's Renee Zellweger's mother, but I believe she is an amazing actress of the screen.

I was also quite impressed with the performance of Veronica Cartwright, who played Rosalie (is she the sister of Nancy Cartwright, who played Brigita or someone in the Sound of Music?? they look exactly alike!!). The girl who played Mary was also a good little actress, I was just bugged by her "confused" and "scared" looks. They cracked me up, because they were so bad.

Sure, it's kinda cheesy that since they can't say the word "lesbian" on screen they have to whisper it, or say it behind a door or something. But that's what you have to respect. Nowadays, you can just SAY something in a movie, and everyone knows what you're talking about. Back then, there were certain words that couldn't be said. Words that you had to express through acting. And Shirley MacLaine did an unbelievable job at it.

Fay Bainter was nominated for her role as the evil grandma (not really evil; mary is, but whatever). What I want to know is why Shirley MacLaine didn't get nominated!! She was excellent!! Amazing!! Her performance blew me away and had me sobbing SO hard at the end of the movie!! (WAAAAAAAH!!!)

Shocking, twisted, captivating and an unbelievable achievement for one of Hollywood's very first movies about lesbians, The Children's Hour is something you really don't want to miss.

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Lukewarm and a bit hokey
As someone who directed the play this movie was based on, I feel qualified to say that this film is lukewarm at best.

Now, the Hellman play had enough dated, corny moments to make any decent director tear her hair out (especially if the said director was slaving away directing for a two-bit, small-town, scuzzy, exploitative, unappreciative, social-climbing, pitiful, political, snotty, piddly community theatre in Alliance, OH which shall remain nameless, but that you can identity by following the rank, desperate, consumed-by-envy smell of the backstabbing, wannabe artist Board of Directors "Director").

So, you would think that the film, being funded and Holywood and all, would streamline the story and cut out all cheesy bits.

However, instead, the film adds bizarre moments that never existed in the film, kicks up the camp, and changes the ending so that the basic narrative is unrecognizable.

I would say, skip this film and read the play yourself. That way you'll be able to see what Hellman was truly trying to convey.