The Killing of Sister George (1968)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Robert Aldrich

Writers:

Lukas Heller (writer)
Frank Marcus (play)

Release Date:

12 December 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The story of three consenting adults in the privacy of their own home.

Plot:

George lives with her lover, Childie and plays a cheerful district nurse in a BBC soap opera. However...

Plot Keywords:

Actress | Lesbian | Female Nudity | Lesbianism | Lesbian Scene

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe.

Cast

Beryl Reid	...	June 'George' Buckridge
Susannah York	...	Alice 'Childie' McNaught
Coral Browne	...	Mercy Croft
Ronald Fraser	...	Leo Lockhart
Patricia Medina	...	Betty Thaxter
Hugh Paddick	...	Freddie
Cyril Delevanti	...	Ted Baker
Sivi Aberg	...	Diana
William Beckley	...	Floor Manager
Elaine Church	...	Marelen
Brendan Dillon	...	Bert Turner
Mike Freeman	...	Noel
Maggie Paige	...	Maid
Jack Raine	...	Deputy Commissioner
Dolly Taylor	...	Tea Lady

Runtime:

138 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:14A (Manitoba) (2005) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Iceland:12 | Australia:R | West Germany:18 (f) | Singapore:R21 (cut) | Norway:16 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:11 | UK:X | USA:R (re-rating) (1972) | USA:X (original rating)

Filming Locations:

BBC Television Centre, Wood Lane, Shepherd's Bush, London, England, UK

Company:

American Broadcasting Company (ABC)

Trivia:

It received an X rating in 1968, but was downgraded to an R in 1972. Director Robert Aldrich spent $75,000 unsuccessfully battling the X rating in court.

Quotes:

George: I'm going to give the people what they really want -commercials!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Too Late the Hero (1970)

A beautiful movie in every way

I don't give many movies 10/10, but this black comedy-drama gets my vote, for fine acting, production values, and of course its place in movie history in the frank portrayal of lesbian relationships.

Others have & will comment on the latter, so I'll point out some of the other aspects of this fine film. The combination of comedy with personal tragedy poses difficult problems both for the writer & director; here they both succeed brilliantly.

The three principals' performances are riveting. I particularly liked the ambiguity of Coral Brown's portrayal of Mercy Croft; watch her carefully in the tight closeups in the gay club, and notice how the down-turned mouth at times hides a hint of a self-satisfied smile.

The cinematography deserves special mention. The use of colour is beautiful; I was reminded of "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg", but it never steps over the line into unreality. On the contrary, the alleys of London, the TV studio and above all the stairs and corridor of the flat are supremely realistic. Most unusual is the use of chiaroscuro, the interplay of light-and-shadow, seldom seen outside of black & white films. In so many colour films the light appears to come from some amorphous omnidirectional source out of science fiction; great for lighting everything and everybody evenly, but unrealistic and DULL. Look at the shadows as Beryl Reid ('George') enters the apartment building and climbs the stairs, or in some of the bedroom scenes. Apart from its other many virtues, this movie held my attention as a fine piece of film-making.

All in all, a masterpiece; my one regret is that it was shown on TV in pan-and-scan. It IS now available in DVD - in several formats & regions - so I look forward to watching it again in its original form.