The Children's Hour

1961 • 108 minutes

About this movie

A child's lie has life-shattering consequences in this Oscar®-nominated daring adaptation of Lillian Hellman's celebrated play from legendary director William Wyler. Starring Academy Award® winners Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine and co-starring James Garner, Miriam Hopkins and Fay Bainter, this landmark film is "one of the most finely wrought dramas in the history of the screen" (Motion Picture Herald). Karen (Hepburn) and Martha (MacLaine) are the headmistresses of an exclusive school for girls. When they discipline a malicious little girl, the vindictive child twists an overheard comment into slander and accuses her teachers of questionable behavior. Soon the scandalous gossip engulfs the school's community, with repercussions that are swift, crushing and tragic.