Review: The Children’s Hour


Hateful little monster Karen Balkin spreads a rumour that teachers Shirley MacLaine (well-cast) and Audrey Hepburn, who live together and run a boarding school that Balkin attends, are in fact lovers (Oooh!). James Garner is the man Hepburn is currently seeing, who wants to marry her, but she seems somewhat hesitant. Meanwhile, MacLaine’s meddling Aunt Miriam Hopkins might have inadvertently started the rumour when some of the students hear her arguing with MacLaine and saying that she is supremely jealous of any man Hepburn dates and will never be happy. Y’know, Balkin might be a little turd, but gee, this all sounds like it might have the faintest whiff of truth to it, doesn’t it? Fay Bainter is Balkin’s gullible and ignorant rich grandmother who gets involved in the mess, and Veronica Cartwright plays a young kleptomaniac Balkin attempts to blackmail.



Quite well-made 1962 William Wyler (“Wuthering Heights”, “The Little Foxes”, “The Best Years of Our Lives”) version of the Lillian Hellman (“The Little Foxes”) play of the same name (and it also serves as a remake of “These  Three”, from the same director back in 1936, in which Hopkins also appeared in one of the lead roles) isn’t as offensive or dated as you might expect given its vintage (or the vintage of its inspiration, for that matter). It’s also rather interesting to see Hepburn (really very good, if a bit miscast) and Garner (charming as ever) in something like this, they’re usually seen in much more lightweight fare. Balkin is extraordinary and Bainter really does wonders in a somewhat poorly written role. A young Cartwright is also quite amusing in a smallish (but important) part. A bit over-the-top at times (chiefly whenever Hopkins is on screen in a superfluous role), but I think even the supposedly downbeat, homophobic ending is a little more open to interpretation than many give it credit for. At least, I saw more in it than I was expecting, which is how I felt about the whole film.



Scripted by John Michael Hayes (“Rear Window”, “The Carpetbaggers”, “The Trouble With Harry”), from Hellman’s play, I was expecting to really hate this one and was surprisingly moved by it. Definitely a curio, but worthy of more praise than that if you ask me and not quite as dated as you might expect.



Rating: B-

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