These Three

Today, it's hard to understand the public furor that arose over Lillian Hellman's 1934 Broadway smash The Children's Hour, a play about two women—owners of a private girls' school—whose lives were destroyed by the lies of a malicious student. The problem was the nature of the accusation—namely, that the pair were in a lesbian relationship. At the time, even a veiled reference to homosexuality was deemed morally unacceptable and the play was banned in Boston and Chicago. When it was filmed in 1936 as These Three, the plot underwent major surgery: now, the claim was that one of the women was having an affair with the fiancé of the other, the handsome town doctor. Nonetheless, this refurbished adaptation is still a beautifully-made melodrama, thanks to sensitive direction from William Wyler, excellent performances by Miriam Hopkins, Merle Oberon, and Joel McCrea (along with a sterling supporting cast, including Bonita Granville, who is frighteningly fierce as the malevolent child), and exceptional cinematography by the legendary Gregg Toland. In 1962, Wyler directed The Children's Hour—a remake of the play with the lesbian theme restored—but it was done so timidly that it can't hold a candle These Three, which remains a powerful cinematic work. Highly recommended. (F. Swietek)