The Children's Hour
1961 film directed by William Wyler
The Children's Hour is a 1961 film about a troublemaking student at a girls' school who accuses two teachers of being lesbians.
- Directed by William Wyler. Written by John Michael Hayes, based on the 1934 play by Lillian Hellman.
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Dialogue
edit- Martha: There's always been something wrong. Always, just as long as I can remember. But I never knew what it was until all this happened.
- Karen: Stop it Martha! Stop this crazy talk!
- Martha: You're afraid of hearing it, but I'm more afraid that you.
- Karen: I won't listen to you!
- Martha: No! You've got to know. I've got to tell you. I can't keep it to myself any longer. I'm guilty!
- Karen: You're guilty of nothing!
- Martha: I've been telling myself that since the night I heard the child say it. I lie in bed night after night praying that it isn't true. But I know about it now. It's there. I don't know how, I don't know why. But I did love you! I do love you! I resented your plans to marry. Maybe because I wanted you. Maybe I've wanted you all these years. I couldn't call it by name before, but maybe it's been there since I first knew you.
- Karen: But it's not the truth, not a word of it is true! We've never thought of each other that way.
- Martha: No, of course you didn't. But who's to say I didn't. I'd never felt that way about anybody before you. I've never loved a man. I never knew why before, maybe it's that.
- Karen: You're tired and worn out.
- Martha: It's funny. It's all mixed up. There's something in you, and you don't know anything about it because you don't know it's there. And then suddenly, one night a little girl gets bored and tells a lie, and there, for the first time, you see it. Then you say to yourself, did she see it? Did she sense it?
- Karen: But you know it could have been any lie. She was looking for anything to...
- Martha: But why this lie? She found the lie with the ounce of truth. Don't you see? I can't stand to have you touch me! I can't stand to have you look at me! Oh, it's all my fault. I have ruined your life and I have ruined my own. I swear I didn't know it! I didn't mean it! Oh, I feel so damn sick and dirty I can't stand it anymore!
- Karen: All this isn't true. You've never said it; we'll forget it by tomorrow.
- Martha: Tomorrow? That's a funny word. Karen, we would have had to invent a new language, as children do, without words like tomorrow.
- Mrs. Lily Mortar : God will punish you.
- Martha: He's doing all right.
Cast
edit- Shirley MacLaine - Martha Dobie
- Audrey Hepburn - Karen Wright
- James Garner - Dr. Joe Cardin
- Miriam Hopkins - Lily Mortar
- Fay Bainter - Amelia Tilford
- Karen Balkin - Mary Tilford
- Veronica Cartwright - Rosalie Wells
- Mimi Gibson - Evelyn
- William Mims - Mr. Burton
- Sally Brophy - Rosalie's mother
- Hope Summers - Agatha
External links
edit- The Children's Hour quotes at the Internet Movie Database