The Killing of Sister George (1968)

George lives with her lover, Childie and plays a cheerful district nurse in a BBC soap opera. However, her character is to be killed off, and George realises that the only other job she can... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Aldrich

Writers:

Lukas Heller, Frank Marcus (play)

Stars:

Beryl Reid, Susannah York, Coral Browne

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Beryl Reid	...	June Buckridge
Susannah York	...	Alice 'Childie' McNaught
Coral Browne	...	Mercy Croft
Ronald Fraser	...	Leo Lockhart
Patricia Medina	...	Betty Thaxter
Hugh Paddick	...	Freddie
Cyril Delevanti	...	Ted Baker
Sivi Aberg	...	Diana
William Beckley	...	Floor Manager
Elaine Church	...	Marelen
Brendan Dillon	...	Bert Turner
Mike Freeman	...	Noel
Maggie Paige	...	Maid
Jack Raine	...	Deputy Commissioner
Dolly Taylor	...	Tea Lady

Storyline

George lives with her lover, Childie and plays a cheerful district nurse in a BBC soap opera. However, her character is to be killed off, and George realises that the only other job she can get is the voice of a cow in a children's tv programme. Her life begins to fall apart as Childie has an affair with a predatory tv producer.

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Plot Keywords:

soap opera | dolls | actress | lesbian | lesbianism | 

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Taglines:

The story of three consenting adults in the privacy of their own home.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

X

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 December 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

3 gynaikes me diko tous erota

Filming Locations:

BBC Television Centre, Wood Lane, Shepherd's Bush, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Broadcasting Company (ABC), Associates & Aldrich Company, The, Palomar Pictures (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

138 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The word "lesbian" is only uttered once, 100 minutes into the film.

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Quotes

Alice: I use half a level teaspoon of bicarbonated soda.
Mercy Croft: Now you're giving away trade secrets.
Alice: And one level teaspoon of cream of tartar.
George: Shut up.
Alice: And one egg.
George: Shut up!
Alice: Some people prefer two eggs but I think one's enough.
George: SHUT UP!
Mercy Croft: Now then girls! Girls...

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Crazy Credits

During the opening credits, the picture distractingly flips from left to right as the main character travels through claustrophobia-inducing alleyways.

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Connections

Featured in A Bit of Scarlet (1997)

User Reviews

Still powerful, relevant, and sensuous

This movie is a heck of a lot more relevant than more recent films dealing with lesbianism -- the shallow, lame DESERT HEARTS comes to mind. Though over two hours long, TKOSG held me with little effort. The action moved freely from the studio to the apartment to the pub. And the seduction scene was totally erotic and ... well ... never mind. Was this particular scene overly long? Only to a generation raised on sex scenes which rarely last as long as it takes to cook a three-minute egg. Explicit? Grow up!

And the performances ... wow! I had no problem with the hold George had over Childie, with Beryl Reid's superior portrayal complemented perfectly by Susannah York's fragile and, at the same time, forceful Childie. I must admit, York was a bit over the top in the beginning, but I wouldn't say that if I didn't count her as one of my all-time favorite actresses. And how about Coral Browne -- she was sensational! Sublty menacing, eerily sensuous -- and when I realized this was the same woman from AUNTIE MAME and LYLA CLARE, well, I nearly fell off my chair. I love this lady!