These Three (1936)

☆ ☆ ☆ ½

These Three (1936) – W. Wyler

(First) Hollywood version of Lillian Hellman’s play (The Children’s Hour) which focuses on accusations of lesbianism between teachers in a girls’ school but is here “sanitised” to heterosexual cheating (with hints of menage a trois, perhaps?).  The crux of the drama is about a girl’s lying accusations and the damage that they do to everyone involved, including the two teachers (Merle Oberon and Miriam Hopkins), their doctor friend (Joel McCrea), the girl herself (Bonita Granville), and her grandmother (Alma Kruger) who uses her social pressure to close the school.  There may be a moral in here – don’t believe kids? Or probably, don’t be quick to judge? But perhaps something has been lost when the stigma shifted from sexual orientation (still stigmatised today) to something a bit less relevant (although sure to have caused moral panic in the 1930s).  The drama itself takes its time to introduce and flesh out the characters before getting to the pivotal event.  McCrea is friendly and engaging, Oberon a bit distant, and Hopkins a bit negative but together they make a good trio and we are on their side all the way through.  The tacked on Hollywood ending (not sure if this is in the play) tries hard to undo the damage done and manages to sand off some of the film’s sharp (bitter) edges.