On one hand, it is a landmark American film on the subject of homosexuality.
On the other hand, it is hobbled by the production codes of it's time to address homosexuality in very muted and oblique terms towards an almost inevitable tragic end.
Today's subject is The Children's Hour, a 1961 American drama film directed by William Wyler.
Former college classmates Martha Dobie and Karen Wright open a private boarding school for girls. After putting him off for two years, Karen has finally agreed set a wedding date with her fiancé Joe Cardin.
The relationship between Martha and Karen is the subject of some discussion between the girls at the school. They can't help but notice that Martha seems extra irritable when Joe is around. One might assume that Martha is jealous of Karen for finding herself a fella. But what if Martha is jealous of the fella for finding Karen?
It's an idea given some credence when one of the girls happens to spy the two women in an embrace and kissing.
The "embrace" is a quick hug and the "kissing" is an even quicker peck on the cheek that Karen gives a stressed out Martha.
But it is from such tiny acorns the sprawling tree of scandal can grow.
Which brings us to Mary Tilford, a spoiled child who is always up to sketchy shit and bullying her classmates. As such Mary is always in trouble with Karen and Martha and it's just not fair they're always picking on her.
So Mary runs away to her wealthy, influential grandmother Amelia Tilford and convinces grandma to take her out of the school because of what's going on there between Karen and Martha.
Amelia buys Mary's bullshit and not only withdraws her from the school but is on the phone to all the other parents and grandparents who have girls in the school.
Karen and Martha are gobsmacked by the sudden and complete decimation of their student body with no clue as to why until one parent finally tells Karen why.
Karen and Martha challenge Amelia Tilford that they are not in any "unnatural" relationship. But Mary refuses to back down from her scandalous lie and Amelia refuses to back down from her belief in her granddaughter.
The upshot is the boarding school is an empty shell and the reputations of Karen and Martha are ruined.
On pondering why Mary would choose to tell THAT lie, Martha confesses to Karen that perhaps there is some truth to it and admits that she has been in love with Karen for years.
Karen offers that Martha is just confused about her feelings, but Martha tearfully insists it is love.
Then Amelia is presented with evidence that her precious granddaughter was lying and offers to be make a very public retraction of her statements about Karen and Martha as well as a large financial restitution.
But all of this is a bit too late as Martha hangs herself in her room.
The film ends with Karen attending Martha's funeral and silently walking away while Joe watches her.
Martha's fate is sadly inevitable in an American movie under the sway of the restrictive Hays code. On the subject of homosexuals, they were to be portrayed as either reprehensibly criminal and suffer accordingly for their crimes or just be sad, lonely and pathetic and suffer for the sin of being homosexual.
While Karen tries to disavow Martha's confessed feelings by saying she is confused, one can almost sense the wheels turning in Karen's mind, perhaps considering her own feelings about Martha. She did put off Joe for two years but finally acquiesces to a wedding date only because Karen was ready to have a baby.
I think the sad truth as Karen leaves Martha's funeral and walks away from Joe and the other attendees that maybe she could have loved Martha in turn. But it's too late now.
Because of production code restrictions on what could and could not be said relating to the subject matter, The Children's Hour has to rely a lot on the performances of Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine. As Karen, Hepburn's performance is sensitive and understated but still remains emotionally expressive as she copes with the scandalous accusations, the loss of the school and Martha's confession of her feelings for Karen. Shirley MacLaine's role as Martha is well played, her irritation with Joe, her affection for Karen, the anger at the false accusations and her tearful admission that the lies weren't all lies.
As much as we hate Mary Tilford, gotta give props to Karen Balkin for her portrayal of this coldly manipulative brat.
The Children's Hour is a hard movie to write about. It is a wonderfully acted drama that tackles a subject that America in 1961 was not ready to confront. But it ends in a fatal tragedy that did not need to be except for the demands of a small minded and restrictive code of "morality" that prefers death as an outcome over truth and happiness and love.
It's hard to shut off that part of the brain that in 2022 knows that with a little more understanding, Karen and Martha could've found their way to a long and happy life together.
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