The Children's Hour

This is a great film. The lie may have ruined their reputation but it didn’t destroy their friendship. Audrey Hepburn’s facial expression watching her Shirley MacLaine’s turmoil in the confession scene is amazing.

There is an age-old expression, dating back to God knows when, that goes: "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." How utterly untrue, when words often transform into sharp barbs that tear apart people's lives. Such is the case with "The Children's Hour." Watching this movie felt like a punch in the gut. Wait, what? Yes. "The Children's Hour," for me, was a very emotionally heavy movie that was almost painful to watch. So why the five star rating? For precisely that reason. No, I am not a masochist. There are very few movies that will probably resonate with you for the rest of your life. For me, I think this was one of them. It is a truly haunting film. Both Audrey Hepburn and Shirley Maclaine deliver performances that should have been been recognized by the Academy. Even Karen Balkin, who plays devil-incarnate little Mary, does her job: even the most non-violent person viewing this film will want to slap, if not strangle, the sociopath who destroys the lives of those around her. Watch this film. Watch this film, even if you feel you strongly prefer the movies that end with happily-ever-afters. Watch this film, even if you have a problem with black and white movies. Just watch it.

This movie is incredible. I've read the play that it was based on (by Lillian Hellman), and it stays pretty true to the play. This movie is in black and white. But it's not grainy or anything. If you look, it says it was made in 1961. Black and white saved money. Hitchcock did the same with his famous movie, Psycho. This movie captures a plethora of emotions. It's one of the few movies that can make me cry, even though I've seen it so many times. It's dramatic and it was made so the audience can defintely relate to it. ***BIG Spoiler Alert (Thoughts on the plot)*** An important thing to remember about the movie is that the characters never actually say that they are gay. Shirley Maclaine's character gets so confused about the lies of her pupil, Mary Tilford, that she forgets what is real and doubts herself. She can't stand the thought that she brought down ruin on her and Karen (Audrey) that she kills herself. This story isn't about lesbianism -- at least, not directly. They are the victims of a lie that they actually start to believe because that's what they're surrounded by. How can they really disprove it? Why isn't Martha married? Why did it take so long for Karen to decide to finally get married after a long engagement? Why do they live together at a boarding school for young girls? To them, it was all innocent. Or was it? No one knows, because the truth is relative to the situation. And that's what this movie is about. How a lie can be more real than the truth.

What's the point of this movie? It's horrible and an hour and 48 minutes that you can't get back. You will lose intelligence by the second if you watch this movie.

I can't really describe how much I love this film--extremely underrated and a must see for every Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine fan (and everyone else who loves movies about evil school girls). The acting is terrific and the theme is still very essential and heart-wrenching. One of my favorite movies of all time.

Neither the age of the film nor the casting of lead actors hint at the depth of this film's content. Based on a true story, what begins as a classic censorship-era production eventually twists into a modern tale of lies, half-truths, and their sinister consequences. While the topic of gossip features prominently in the film, it only serves as a framework on which to hang much more intricate and mature themes. A well-cast film, only occasionally does it stumble through clichéd moments. Maclain is a woman both frustrated by and afraid of her own passions, and in a scene where those feelings are confronted, she delivers and outstanding performance wrought with realism and humanity. Hepburn's splendid performance, while subtle, maintains the effervescence her fans love. While obviously a stage adaptation, this film is well-crafted and deserves to be seen.

This movie was very radical and daring for the 1960s. It is a great movie with several Hollywood heavyweights preforming in it. Personally I think this Audrey Hepburn's best movie because of how expressive she is with her voice, eyes and body. For sure a movie worth watching.

The acting is brilliant making what appeared to be an outrageous topic in the 1960s a tragic movie worth being watched.

Sensitive film from a time when delicate issues weren't handled well. Won an Oscar for Sound. Audrey became ill because she worked so hard on this film. Shirley wanted Wyler to leave more "lesbian" hints, i.e. Martha brushing Karen's hair, in the film. She felt this would have given the film strength. Unfortunately, such scenes ended up on the cutting room floor. It was difficult to make strong statements about homosexuality in a major studio production in the early sixties. How fortunate we are to have wonderful performances by Shirley MacLaine, Audrey Hepburn, Miriam Hopkins (who played Martha in the first film version in the '30s) and marvelous Fay Bainter, an often overlooked very talented actress. I recommend the move and the stage version. Hellman's treatments of both film & stage versions are good.

I love this movie.It doesn't make me cry but the story is really sad,and the plot is enough to make you never want to have children.The story is about two teachers who are under brutal scutany and gossip even though they've done nothing wrong. They go through trials,get stabbed in the back,and God knows what else.This movie shows exactly how sick and twisted people's minds are,and how auful gays were treated.I bought this movie and couldn't have enjoyed it more. LOVE, MILKSHAKE ( Buggs Buny )