The Children's Hour (1961)

Apart from their notorious personal relationship, the literary intersection of longtime lovers Lillian Hellman and Dashiell Hammett was a fascinating one. Just as Hammett's bright but brief career was coming to a close, Hellman's was beginning. Interestingly, it was Hammett who gave Hellman the original topic for her first play, 1934's The Children's Hour, and coached her through the many rewrites. The work dealt with an accusation of lesbianism in a private school for girls, and while controversial for the times, the play brought her to the forefront of American playwrights. Though denied consideration for a Pulitzer Prize due to the subject matter, Hellman would work with director William Wyler to bring the story to the screen two years later as These Three. Due to the play's notoriety, the title, the lesbian element and one of the main character's suicides had to be altered to meet the standards of the Hollywood Production Code. The movie turned out quite well regardless of the changes, but a full quarter of a century later, Wyler decided to remake These Three true to its original text. Even in 1962, acknowledging lesbianism as a sexual identity in a movie was hardly commonplace -- only a scant few had, including the excellent German film Mädchen in Uniform and 1950's Caged. Wyler and his two female leads, Shirley MacLaine and Audrey Hepburn, do an admirable job of staying true to the material without diminishing its impact. ~ Brendon Hanley, All Movie Guide