The Children’s Hour
– US, 1961
When Lillian Hellman’s controversial play The Children’s Hour first opened, the
world was a very different place. Homosexuality was still considered a mental
disease, sodomy laws existed all over the United States, and comedians
frequently referenced homosexuality for cheap laughs. In addition, eugenics was
still considered a possible solution for many of the world’s problems. Given
this context, it would be easy to dismiss The
Children’s Hour as a product of its time, as a reflection of society’s
fears, a visual representation of the notion that homosexuality was something
to be terrified of and hated. This is the context under which the 1961 film
version of Hellman’s play is referenced in the 1995 documentary The Celluloid Closet. The documentary even
includes a comment by Shirley MacLaine in which she seems to express regret over the film.
However, I believe the play and its 1961 screen adaptation
are often misread. Consider, for a moment, the behavior of Martha Dobie
(Shirley MacLaine) towards the beginning of the film. She comes across as
overly praising of her business partner and fellow teacher, Karen Wright (Audrey
Hepburn). She recollects the first time she saw her and remembers thinking
“what a pretty girl” Karen was. Later, when Karen’s fiancé, Joe, arrives,
Martha is cross with him and recoils when he innocently puts his hand on her
arm. And when Martha learns of Karen’s plans to finally get married, her
reaction can hardly be described as positive. In fact, she seems to be trying
to talk Karen out of it. Is it possible to interpret all of Martha’s behaviors
as signs of her love for Karen? Sure, it is.
However, look at each of them from a different angle.
Acknowledging that someone of the same sex is “pretty” is not the same as being
attracted to that person, and the way Martha says it could easily be
interpreted as her saying, “Look at how far we’ve come.” After all, her remark
follows a conversation in which Martha reveals that their school is in the
black for the first time. Martha’s behavior toward Joe is also understandable
in this context, for it was not uncommon at that time for a married woman,
especially one in the teaching profession, to quit her job after getting
married. Thus, isn’t it understandable that Martha would not be on her best
behavior with her best friend’s fiancé? Her anxious feelings would likely only
increase upon hearing of their impending marriage.
All of this is laid out very quietly and discretely in
William Wyler’s film, and in truth, the film is fairly ambiguous as to Martha‘s
true feelings towards Karen. Perhaps this is because in the long scheme of
things, they are rather irrelevant. I say this because to me The Children’s Hour is not about
homosexuality, real or imagined. It is about the damage that can be caused by powerful
innuendos or rumors suggesting behavior that society deemed unacceptable. Think
of the trouble that early factory workers could get into if their names were
even associated with unions, or the frenzy that a mob could be whipped into at
just the suggestion of an interracial relationship. Or consider the damage that
could be inflicted on someone’s livelihood at the mere mention of the word communism in the 1950’s. It mattered
little whether any of these charges were based on fact. This is the world in which The Children’s Hour takes place, one in which all that is needed for
all to be at risk is a whisper, even the whisper of someone as unreliable and
untrustworthy as Mary Tilford (Karen Balkin).
Particularly memorable throughout the film is Fay Bainter as
Mrs. Amelia Tilford. In a particularly memorable scene, we watch as she
dismisses Rosalie’s repeated attempts to disparage the reputations of Karen and
Martha, and her physical mannerisms reveal that she has grown weary of Rosalie’s
stories and has no more patience for them. However, even a character as decent
and sensible as she is susceptible to lies relating to behavior that nothing
has taught her to accept. The scene is a reminder that some notions are so
powerful that they push people to act irrationally.
William Wyler excelled at making character-driven films,
including Miss Miniver, The Best Years of our Lives, Carrie, and Roman Holiday, and with The
Children’s Hour, he crafts a story about two decent people undone by circumstances
beyond their control. His filming of the film’s climactic moment is masterfully
done, for it is every bit as ambiguous as the film’s earlier scenes. Are we to
take Martha’s “confession” as the truth? If we do, we must accept that, to her,
acknowledging it is akin to admitting that she is crazy. Would someone act any
differently under such a condition? And if her words are not the truth, we must
see them as an attempt to makes sense of the sudden loss of everything she has
worked so long to build - in essence, to make sense out of utter chaos. Is this
explanation any less plausible? The result is the same regardless of your interpretation.
The Children’s Hour remains a
powerful film, and it deserves to be reassessed. (on DVD)
4 stars
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