2026 Blind Spot Series: The Children's Hour

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Official synopsis: A schoolgirl ruins her two headmistresses with a scandalous lie.

What I knew going in: That it was an underrated Audrey Hepburn film

This blind spot came from a reader comment, which are some of my favorites. I need people better versed in classic film than me to recommend titles, and this one came up when I expressed interest in wanting to see more Audrey Hepburn. 

Seeing her and the wonderful Shirley MacLaine together was a treat. Both play young teachers whose lives are torn apart by one child's lie. And man was that child, played by Karen Balkin the ultimate little shit. There's a reason the highest rated review on letterboxd for this film simply says "can children get the death penalty"

It's a frustrating film on multiple fronts. It shows homosexuality as something one should be "ashamed" of (you should never) but at the same time the fact that a film in 1961 was putting this much focus on it at all is pretty significant. Even in the scene where one character admits their own sexuality is handled very delicately and it broke my heart. 

I think the year this film was made is also what holds it back in being more convincing. You really have to take Mary's lie at face value, because there's not a ton she sees that's anywhere close to suggestable. I read they did cut some scenes of the two actresses being closer, which is a shame. The film could've used this.

Audrey was great like I was expecting, but this was MacLaine's show. She made me want to hug her and take her away from it all.

This is currently available to stream on Tubi 

Grade: B

Comments

  1. thevoid99March 7, 2026 at 5:11 PM

    I have never heard of this film. I'll add it to my watchlist. I think there can be a case for kids to given the death penalty. Depending on the kid.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Disgruntled Job SeekerMarch 7, 2026 at 6:32 PM

    I think the shame captures the era in which the film was set in, when there was a lot of shame wrapped around homosexuality. And yet, this film challenges that through this complicated relationship between two women.

    ReplyDelete

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