The Killing of Sister George (1968)

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:

When first submitted in 1969 UK censor John Trevelyan refused to grant a certificate unless the seduction scene was toned down and urged all 600 local authorities to boycott the film. 12 councils, including the GLC, overrode him and showed the film with their own X certificate. After heated discussions with the distributor the kissing scene was slightly reduced and Trevelyan eventually passed the movie. All video/DVD versions of the film are the original uncut one.

Quotes:

Mercy Croft: Are those bathroom scales accurate?
George: Yes, I think so.
Mercy Croft: Oh good!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In: (#2.25)" (1969)

Scathing indictment of show biz

Beryl Reid gives a no-holds-barred performance as an aging lesbian actress who's already teetering on the edge when she gets word that her character in a TV soap opera is to be killed off. She takes out her frustrations on her childlike lover (Susannah York) and a production head (Coral Browne), the two of whom eventually become intimate on their own. The script-reading sequence had me howling with laughter, and Reid's non-stop barrage of put-downs, insults, wisecracks and other hateful remarks are acidly hilarious. A surprisingly realistic sex scene near the end is pretty graphic for its time (I almost felt like looking away) and we never learn much about Browne's icy character, but the final scene is gut-wrenching, as is the final line of dialogue. *** from ****