The Children's Hour

William Wyler's second pass at Lillian Hellman's once-controversial play is superbly acted, but also dated, and not as successful as his more bowdlerized 1936 film, These Three, which somehow managed to avoid the subject of lesbianism entirely. Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine star as schoolteachers whose reputations are ruined by a spiteful student's accusations of "an unnatural affair." James Garner lends solid support as Hepburn's compromised boyfriend, with Karen Balkin costarring as one of the most loathsome tykes in movie history. Made in 1961, when Hollywood felt obliged to mercifully kill off characters even suspected of being gay, this is a time capsule relic that stands as a signpost in the evolution of the portrayals of gays on screen (expertly chronicled in the eye opening documentary The Celluloid Closet [VL-11/96]). While there are no extras on this nicely-transferred disc, the film itself is well worth considering. A strong optional purchase. (K. Lee Benson)[DVD/Blu-ray Review—Aug. 26, 2014—Kino Lorber, 107 min., not rated, DVD: $19.95, Blu-ray: $29.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and Blu-ray debut, 1961's The Children's Hour features a fine transfer and a DTS-HD 2.0 soundtrack on Blu-ray. Bottom line: a key film in the history of LGBT Hollywood cinema, this looks sharp on Blu-ray.]