MovieChat Forums > The Children's Hour (1961) Discussion > Is the film really that dated?

Is the film really that dated?

posted 17 years ago by puzzow
8 replies | jump to latest

Okay-- so homesexuality isn't currently a horrific taboo that can lead to the ruination lives, but it was at some point. Hellman is reported as saying that she made homosexuality the center of the play, because, it was at the time "the worst thing someone could possibly be accused of." What if the scandal in the film were replaced by something that would actually be that scandalous in current day? Like, what if Karen and Martha were sisters? Would the film work then? Seems to me the point isn't about the damage done by false accusations of a homosexual affair, but rather how people react to any sort of scandal.

[–] DryToast 17 years ago

They'd have to be molesting the students for it to be as horrific as the drama requires.

But what is dated isn't so much the circumstances, but the dramaturgy itself. The play is 70 years old, the relationships are artificial and the writing is not very deep.

When Hellman had to rewrite the central scandal for the first film version, These Three, in the confrontation between Joe and Karen she simply took Karen's lines and gave them to Joe and gave Joe's lines to Karen. Now how specific could the characterizations be if the writer can do something like that?

Maybe a film about the actual Scottish case the story is derived from would have a better chance of shaking off the mustiness of the vehicle.

"While putting my pants on, I yodel a chanson."

[–] gaelicguy 17 years ago

Did Hellman adapt this story from a 'real life' case, DT? I never knew that!

I saw this as a teen, one dreary November Sunday, on television. The day fit the mood of the film. I liked it very much, but one of the most desolate endings I've ever encountered in film (and not only for the obvious). So, on a day, dark and drear, I had to take a walk around the land of Cupcake -- my way of working through shock and profound grief whenever I see a film which upsets me greatly.

Thanks for the 411, DT - fascinating, as always!

If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything.

[–] DryToast 17 years ago

<<Did Hellman adapt this story from a 'real life' case, DT?>>

Yes, and I believe it was Dashiell Hammett who brought the story to Hellman's attention.

"While putting my pants on, I yodel a chanson."

[–] ChubbyCheeks 17 years ago

I don't think it's dated at all. I think the themes are very relevant to present day.

"Those things that nature denied to human sight, she revealed to the eyes of the soul."-Ovid

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] nisa5759 17 years ago

I don't think it's dated at all. Even today you could easily find parents who are not willing to have their girls at a boarding school run by lesbians. That's not difficult to fathom at all.

In the early 60's we're still working with the "My Three Sons", "Leave it to Beaver", "Ozzie and Harriet" crowd where couples were still in separate beds on tv. There is no way that parents would have stood for their child staying in that atmosphere. I seriously don't think the word lesbian was even used yet.

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] filmbuff87 13 years ago

While the drama of the play is a bit lost due to its age, I think the play and film have other note worthy qualities. Hellman is a great writer, and her plays are dynamic. There are other things going on in this work than the taboo nature of homosexuality. For example: the roles of women at work and home, the effects/repercussions of lying, the conflict between young and old, etc. If you closely examine the play, you'll see that a lot can be discovered.

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