Infamous lies

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Movie
German title Infamous lies
Original title Thesis Three
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1936
length 93 minutes
Rod
Director William Wyler
script Lillian Hellman
production Samuel Goldwyn
music Alfred Newman
camera Gregg Toland
cut Daniel Mandell
occupation

Infamous Lies is a 1936 American film directed by William Wyler. It is based on the play Kinderstunde (The Children's Hour) by Lillian Hellman , who also wrote the screenplay. The film premiered on March 18, 1936. It did not appear in German cinemas; it was first shown on German television on September 14, 1982 on ZDF .

action

Karen Wright and Martha Dobi have successfully graduated from college. They want to convert Karen's farm in Massachusetts into a boarding school. The doctor Joseph Cardin supports them in this. Thanks to the wealthy Mrs. Tilford, the school can open soon. Mrs. Tilby sends her granddaughter Mary to this school. Karen and Joseph fall in love - to the chagrin of Martha, who is in love with the doctor herself.

When Martha's easy-going Aunt Lily shows up, the first problems arise. One evening Joseph visits Martha, who is not there. Joe falls asleep in a chair. When he leaves Martha's room after waking up, he is seen by Lily, who now becomes suspicious. A few days later, when Mary is caught telling a stupid lie, she fakes a heart attack. Joseph is called in and Martha and her aunt quarrel. Lily leaves the house, but first accuses Martha of having an affair with Joseph. Two students who were listening at the door noticed the argument. Martha catches the eavesdropper and sends them away. When she tries to close the door, she accidentally traps the arm of the student Rosalie. Martha apologizes and Rosalie vows not to say anything.

Mary discovers a bracelet from Rosalie that belongs to another student. In doing so, she blackmails Rosalie to reveal her knowledge. Mary twists the story of her grandmother, but lets Rosalie support her, who continues to blackmail her because of the bracelet. Mrs. Tilford is appalled by the allegations, so she gets all the girls out of school. Martha and Karen are puzzled. A chauffeur who is supposed to pick up one of the girls tells them about the rumors. The two women go to Mrs. Tilford and want to put things right. But Rosalie, terrified of Mary, sticks to the allegations.

Martha and Karen turn on the court and have Mrs. Tilford charged with defamation. But they lose the process, among other things because Lily does not testify. As a result of the scandal, Joseph also loses his job at the hospital. Lily returns and pretends nothing has happened. She explains her absence from court by saying that she did not consider her testimony to be important. The pressure from society is so great that Karen begins to believe the rumors and breaks up with Joseph. Martha now tells Karen that although she always loved Joseph, he knew nothing about it. Martha decides to leave town with Lily. On the train, Lily drops some remarks about the missing bracelet, which prompts Martha to see Rosalie. She can gently get the girl to tell the truth. Mrs. Tilford must realize she did wrong. She offers compensation, but Martha just wants her to tell Karen to follow Joseph. Karen and Joseph meet again in a coffee house in Vienna .

Reviews

“(The film) tries to describe the milieu and atmosphere precisely and concentrates on the complexity of childlike sophistication with impressive acting performances. In order to completely eliminate the allusions to lesbian tendencies contained in the original, the film constructs an almost unbelievable triangular relationship - the women love the same man, a doctor - to which the noble renunciation and a happy ending are actually attached. "

- Lexicon of international film

Awards

In 1937 , Bonita Granville was nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actress.

background

  • Lillian Hellman's play tells a true story from 1810 about two Scottish teachers who were mistakenly accused of having a lesbian relationship. The play was performed 691 times in New York from November 20, 1934, with Anne Revere as Martha, Katherine Emery as Karen and Robert Keith as Joseph in the leading roles.
  • The Hays Code , according to which treatment of the subject of homosexuality was forbidden, forced producer Samuel Goldwyn to have the script rewritten. Due to the popularity of the stage play, it was impossible to use the title of the play as a film title. It was not until 1961 that William Wyler was able to shoot the play with the original plot and the original title. The film was released in Germany under the title Infam , starring Audrey Hepburn , Shirley MacLaine and James Garner . Miriam Hopkins, who starred as Martha Dobi in the 1936 film, played Aunt Lily.
  • The later seven-time Oscar winner Richard Day was responsible for the equipment.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Infamous lies. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed August 24, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  2. ^ These Three (1936) Notes. In: Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved May 13, 2019 .

literature

  • Lillian Hellman : Children's Lesson. Piece in 3 acts (original title: The Children's Hour) . German by Bernd Samland . Jussenhoven & Fischer, Cologne undated [stage manuscript]

Web links