The Children’s Hour (1961)

(On Cable TV, June 2020) It’s interesting to see a film resolutely take a stand against homophobia… while being unable to properly express what exactly it’s taking a stand against. But so is the curious juncture at which The Children’s Hour came about, as it describes how a girl with malevolent intentions starts a rumour about two teachers being a lesbian couple, leading to dismissal, social ostracism and everyone around them being affected as well. The lie may be debunked, but it’s too late—early 1960s America exacted its toll. That’s revolting by contemporary standards (although I bet it’s still happening in small communities), and The Children’s Hour clearly identifies its sympathies for the characters who should be able to live as they please. Still, the film is frustratingly elliptic in taking about “unnatural” relations, nor can it help itself by punishing a character in order to satisfy the requirements of the Hays Code. I watched the film because it featured Audrey Hepburn in one of her most dramatic roles and was not disappointed by her as a character in the middle of it all. But there’s quite a bit more to say about The Children’s Hour, as it touches upon issues too touchy to even mention—even if the execution falters, it did much under the constraints placed upon it in 1961.