The Children's Hour (1961) 7.7
A troublemaking student at a girls' school accuses two teachers of being lesbians. Director:William Wyler |
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The Children's Hour (1961) 7.7
A troublemaking student at a girls' school accuses two teachers of being lesbians. Director:William Wyler |
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| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Audrey Hepburn | ... | ||
| Shirley MacLaine | ... | ||
| James Garner | ... | ||
| Miriam Hopkins | ... | ||
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Fay Bainter | ... | |
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Karen Balkin | ... | |
| Veronica Cartwright | ... | ||
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Mimi Gibson | ... | |
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Debbie Moldow |
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Diane Mountford |
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William Mims | ... |
Mr. Burton
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Sally Brophy | ... |
Rosalie's Mother
(as Sallie Brophy)
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| Hope Summers | ... | ||
Karen Wright and Martha Dobie are best friends since college and they own the boarding school Wright and Dobie School for Girls with twenty students. They are working hard as headmistresses and teachers to grow the school and make it profitable. Karen is engaged with the local doctor Joe Cardin, who is the nephew of the powerful and influent Mrs. Amelia Tilford. While the spiteful and liar Mary, who is Amelia's granddaughter and a bad influence to the other girls, is punished by Karen after telling a lie, Martha has an argument with her snoopy aunt Lily Mortar in another room. Lily accuses Martha of being jealous and having an unnatural relationship with Karen. Mary's roommate Rosalie Wells and a friend overhear the shouting and tells Mary what Mrs. Mortar had said about her niece. The malicious Mary accuses Karen and Martha of being lesbians to her grandmother and Amelia spreads the gossip to the parents of the students that withdraw them from the school. Karen and Martha lose a ... Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
In this remarkable film, a child's malicious lie destroys the lives of two young teachers. The child lies to avoid school because "everyone there hates me." The lie is believed because it is compounded by idle ramblings. Then it is upheld by a girl who is lying only to protect herself. This piece plays remarkably well today as it shows that children do lie even when they don't really know what they are talking about. Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine are remarkable in this work as they show the emotional upheaval that a simple lie can cause.