The Children's Hour
by William Wyler
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Audrey Hepburn, Fay Bainter, James Garner, Miriam Hopkins, Shirley MacLaineDirector: William Wyler
Brand: Sony
Cinematographer: Franz Planer
Producer: William Wyler
Editor: Robert Swink
Producer: Robert Wyler
Producer: Walter Mirisch
Writer: John Michael Hayes
Writer: Lillian Hellman
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language); French (Dubbed)
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.66:1
Running Time: 107 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-12-03
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Movie Reviews of The Children's Hour
Movie Review: Further proof that there is no such thing as a harmless lie...
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of those movies I didn't expect to hit me the way that it did. I love Hepburn and MacLaine and so I was anticipating finally getting to sit down and watch this film, but I truly had no idea what to expect. Hepburn was such a wonderfully light actress, an actress who filtered in and out of breezy comedies with such effortless charisma, so I was expecting something a little less dramatic and little more entertaining. What I got instead was one of those films that socks you in the gut and leaves you pondering issues and consequences that never seem to leave your head afterward.
`The Children's Hour' is haunting.
The film tells the story of Karen Wright and Martha Dobie, two young women who run a boarding school for young girls. Little Mary Tilford is quite the troublemaker and is constantly finding herself in trouble, and this moves her to tell a little lie (or more like a major embellishment) in order to free herself of trouble. This lie spreads quickly and threatens to destroy the lives of Karen and Martha.
What is so amazing and in the end captivating about `The Children's Hour' is that it never becomes predictable but from beginning to end keeps the audience in anticipation. The relationship between Karen and Martha is a huge question mark to the audience, which helps with our understanding of the lie, and this also keeps us wondering how much validity there is to the accusation. This is a brilliant tactic used to keep the audience hooked, and it works on all levels.
Thanks to some brilliant acting as well, `The Children's Hour' skyrockets to the top of the pack, delivering a very heartfelt and moving drama about deception and regret. Audrey Hepburn floored me with her ability to retain her screen charm while attacking a character that is so unlike the darlings she usually played. Karen is deeply bothered by her predicament, and her emotional distress is brought to life by Hepburn's masterful performance. As good as Audrey was though, MacLaine was ten times better. The character of Martha is definitely the most interesting, especially in the final act, and Shirley's character development is essential to the last impression made by the film. I was blown away by her ability to create a character that was so likable and so infectious while never losing her dark secrets and guilt ridden conscience. You felt the revelations before they were revealed, yet she never gave them away too early; and that takes talent.
The supporting performances are also wonderful. James Garner is impressive as Joe, Karen's fiancé, but this movie uses him more as a prop than anything else. Fay Bainter received an Oscar nomination for her performance, and rightfully so, for her devilish mix of inhumanity and uncompromising maternal love is outstanding. Young Karen Balkin is perfect as Mary, the young child you love to hate.
In the end `The Children's Hour' is a brilliant character study on the after effects of the lie. The final twist of the knife will leave you breathless, speechless and broken, but it's that final twist that elevates the film drastically and makes it such an important masterpiece. This may very well be Hepburn's finest film and this may very well sport MacLaine's finest performance; two reasons right there to see this movie immediately.
Summary of The Children's Hour
A child's lie has life-shattering consequences in this OscarŽ-nominated* daring adaptation of Lillian Hellman's celebrated play from legendary director William Wyler. Starring Academy AwardŽ winners** Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine and co-starring James Garner, Miriam Hopkins and Fay Bainter, this landmark film is "one of the most finely wrought dramas in the history ofthe screen" (Motion Picture Herald). Karen (Hepburn) and Martha (MacLaine) are theheadmistresses of an exclusive school for girls. When they discipline a malicious little girl, the vindictive child twists an overheard comment into slander and accuses her teachers of questionable behavior. Soon the scandalous gossip engulfs the school's community, with repercussions that are swift, crushing and tragic. *1961: Supporting Actress (Bainter), Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume Design, Sound **Hepburn: Actress, Roman Holiday (1953); Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award (1992); MacLaine: Actress, Terms of Endearment (1983)Similar DVD Movies
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