The Children’s Hour was one of the few sympathetic depictions of a lesbian character at a time when same-sex relationships were illegal. That being said, the film doesn’t really focus on forming a couple. It’s also about how destructive the rumor mill can be, but really, the film is  mostly an indictment of how terrible society treated queerness back then, ending people’s livelihoods, reputations, safety, and yes, even their lives all in the name of propriety. Director William Wyler adapts this play with the gravity it deserves, through shots that frame the dynamics between every performance and a camera that scrutinizes its casts’ faces. Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine delivered their anguish through excellent performances.