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An unsettling ‘Children’s Hour’
Film pushed boundaries of sexuality
By Melissa Campbell
People who say that old movies are archaic and are out of touch with modern ideas have never seen such subversive classics as “The Man with the Golden Arm” and “The Children’s Hour” (the subject of this column). Filmmakers have always worked against oppressive motion picture standards with challenging films. This film, based on the play by Lillian Hellman, addresses the still-taboo topic of homosexuality.
William Wyler’s “The Children’s Hour” (1961) opens with an ordinary enough scene. Parents watch a children’s recital at an all-girls school, the Wright-Dobie School, a converted country house. We are slowly introduced to the main players: headmistresses Martha (Shirley MacLaine) and Karen (Audrey Hepburn); Dr. Joe Cardin (James Gardner), whose heart is set on marrying Karen; and a scheming troublemaker named Mary.
As we watch how Martha and Karen interact, we get a strange feeling that something is not quite right. Martha is clearly fond of Karen, and seems at times jealous of the relationship she has with Joe.
At first, it seems as if Martha is jealous of Karen, but as the events unfold, we learn that her feelings are much more complex than plain jealousy.
After Mary hears about an argument between Martha and her aunt during which her mother calls her jealousy of Karen “unnatural,” she crafts a devilish story as a way of getting her grandmother to take her out of school and to get back at her teachers. This lie sets in motion the demise of the school.
Mary’s story convinces her grandmother Amelia to remove her from the school. Amelia goes back to the school to talk to Karen and Martha. While she is waiting, Martha’s disgruntled aunt convinces Amelia that Mary’s story is true. The story spreads to other parents and soon the school is empty.
Karen confronts Amelia with the story. “She said that…” Karen glances down, trying to gain her composure. She continues, “Martha and I have been lovers.”
Yes, a movie that is over 40 years old is talking about homosexuality. While it may be more subtle than, say, “The L Word,” this film nonetheless examines the complexity of relationships (hetero and homosexual) in a way that is both clever and compelling.
“The Children’s Hour” is unique because its antagonist is not a murderer or extortionist, but a young girl. It is amazing that one little girl can do so much damage, and that she is so remorseless about the ramifications.
Hepburn and MacLaine play their respective characters well. The chemistry is complicated, loving and delicate, yet jealous and suspicious.
It becomes apparent that the women have very different feelings for one another. Martha attempts to hide her emotions, but she clearly becomes more and more guilt-ridden as the pair falls from social grace.
The pacing is tight, and the film pulls you quickly. Lies build quickly and soon the girls find themselves in deep holes, digging their nails into the soil trying to escape. But the children are believed, and no one returns to the Wright-Dobie School.
The women are tired of trying to prove themselves to the community and become social lepers. Wyler paints the bleak picture of the lives of homosexuals in America, and it’s not a very pretty one.
As Karen runs toward the film’s conclusion at a sprint that seems to go on for eternity, “The Children’s Hour” tells us simply and eloquently: Sometimes a lie may be shrouded in the truth, and sometimes the truth is just too much for one person to bare. For a lie is never completely false, just as the truth is never wholly true.
> Comments
Faja Klaus on Feb 11, 2008 at 09:25 PM:
This is one of my favorite movies! Bully for you for printing a review of it