49
Metascore
7 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineThe performances range from adequate (Balkin's) to exquisite (MacLaine's), and the movie broke new ground for 1961. These days the story wouldn't be all that controversial, but in 1934, when the play was first presented, it dealt with a different set of mores.
- 50Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenAustin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenDespite wonderful performances from all the actors, Wyler’s attempt to retell the story in a more forthright manner still seems to pussyfoot timidly around the issues.
- 50The New YorkerPauline KaelThe New YorkerPauline KaelToo self-conscious, though; the cinematography, by Franz Planer, may sometimes evoke Balthus, but the atmosphere is heavy and lugubrious.
- 50USA TodayMike ClarkUSA TodayMike ClarkWe never get the scenes we really want to see, like the teacher-initiated slander trial or their snotty accuser's comeuppance. Instead, we get too many strained conversations. [21 Dec 1990, p.3D]
- 50Chicago ReaderDave KehrChicago ReaderDave KehrMiriam Hopkins, of the original cast, is around to lend a sense of continuity to the remake, but Wyler still seems unable to confront the material. This is Mature, Adult drama, and hence something of a bore.
- 40The New York TimesBosley CrowtherThe New York TimesBosley CrowtherIt is hard to believe that Lillian Hellman's famous stage play, The Children's Hour, could have aged into such a cultural antique in the course of three decades as it looks in the new film version.