8/11/12

Hello my darlings and welcome to Cinema Espiritu.
Where we explore the spirit in film 🙂

Tonight well will have a double feature tow movie versions of Screenplay by Lillian Hellman, originally entitled “There’s Three” and then re made in the 60’s with the name ” The Children’s Hour”.

The original screen play was boldly written and in fact dealt frankly with the charge of homosexuality brought against two women school teachers, who run a private boarding school, in a small town.

However when the movie was first produced – it was impossible to address this subject. So in the 1936 version -there is a charge of and inappropriate relationship between one of the teachers and the fiancee of the other. Thus the charge was that of the teachers provided an more palatable, while still unwholesome environment for the children in their care – per the movie standards of that time.

The 1963 version more boldly confronts the issues of homosexuality – but still perpetuates the movie stereo type and that is the tragic death of of one of the school teachers after she “confesses” her feelings for her friend. Tragic!

Both of these films are wonderfully written and acted – and of course Hellman’s work is so powerful it stands the test of time.

However, I wonder if she were alive today, would our two school teachers – realize their love for one another – and go off to live and love in peace? I’d like to think so…

Enjoy the movies!
Tell me what you think – what you felt…

These Three
Starring
Miriam Hopkins, Merle Oberon, Joel McCrea 1936

[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ftMG0GZMNk&feature=relmfu[/tube]

and The Children’s Hour
Starring Shirley Mac Claine and Audrey Hepburn

[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTv6bnOjE04&feature=fvwrel[/tube]

One Reply to “Cinema Espiritu A Saturday Night Movie Double Feature.”

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