Watch These Three For Free

hyped garbage

Admirable film.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

Karen Wright (Merle Oberon) and Martha Dobie (Miriam Hopkins) are best friends since college. When they graduate, they decide to move to Lancet to the farm that Karen has inherited from her grandmother to build a boarding school for girls. On the arrival, they meet Dr. Joseph Cardin (Joel McCrea) and he helps them to restore the farmhouse working hard. One day Karen meets the influent Mrs. Amelia Tilford (Alma Kruger) that helps them to get students including her spoiled granddaughter Mary Tilford (Bonita Granville). Out of the blue, Martha's arrogant aunt Lily Mortar (Catharine Doucet) arrives at the school and offers to give classes. Meanwhile Joseph proposes Karen and they are engaged to each other.When the spiteful and compulsive liar Mary, who is a bad influence to the other girls, is punished by Karen after telling a lie, Martha has an argument with her snoopy aunt Lily in another room. Lily accuses Martha of being in love with Joseph and having encountered him in her room. Mary's roommate Rosalie Wells (Marcia Mae Jones) overhears the argument and tells Mary what Mrs. Mortar had said about her niece. The malicious Mary accuses Martha of being the lover of Joseph to her grandmother and Amelia spreads the gossip to the parents of the students that withdraw them from the school. Karen and Martha lose a lawsuit against Amelia and have their lives disrupted with the scandal. Further, Karen calls off her engagement with Joe since she is not sure that he is telling the truth. "These Three" is a cruel and heartbreaking story that shows how destructive the power of a lie may be. William Wyler is among my favorite directors and this film is a little gem with a magnificent screenplay. In 1961, he remade this movie changing the title to "The Children's Hour" and using the theme of lesbianism instead of a triangle of love, and a tragic ending. Both movies are worthwhile watching and it is hard to pointy out which version is the better. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "Infâmia 1936" ("Infamy 1936")

The "these three" of the title is a pretty mundane triangle with only Miriam Hopkins excelling as the sensitive Martha, caught up in a love affair between her dear friend Karen (Merle Oberon) and husky he-man, Dr. Cardin (Joel McCrea). What this film is remembered for are the spellbinding performances of the two young girls. Psychotic Mary Tilford was played by Bonita Granville who had been around since the early 30s, playing in films like "Silver Dollar" and "Cavalcade" (1933). Nothing prepared anyone for her knockout performance as Mary Tilford, a school yard bully supreme, who rules the weaker Rosalie (Marcia Mae Jones) through fear and intimidation. If anything Jones' portrayal is even more dynamic, as her Rosalie is pushed to the breaking point by being forced to betray a teacher she loves.Karen and Martha, friends and graduates of the same class, plan to set up a school in an old farm house that Karen has inherited. On their first day they meet charming Dr. Cardin and he is instantly attracted to Karen - shy Martha is also drawn to him. They also meet Mrs. Tilford, the most influential woman in the village - she is bringing her grand- daughter, Mary home from school (has she been expelled???) and suggests her as a pupil for their school. Mary becomes the school cheat and bully, singling out sweet Rosalie for her vicious attacks. Mary is fed up with what she feels is unfair treatment and runs away. She concocts a lie about the two teachers and Dr. Cardin and she tells her grandmother so she won't have to go back. The lie gets out of hand as Mrs Tilford is horrified and spreads the news around the town - suddenly parents are withdrawing their children from school and Karen and Martha don't know why!!! To clear their name they issue Mrs Tilford with a libel suit but, unfortunately, Mary is blackmailing Rosalie over the alleged theft of a missing bracelet, so she backs Mary's story and the teachers lose their case!!The power of both the children's performances is extraordinary. Marcia Mae Jones' Rosalie more than matches Bonita Granvilles' Mary in intensity and passion. By the end of the thirties Granville's roles were a far cry from Mary Tilford and she is remembered today for starring in a series built around that all American girl detective Nancy Drew. Marcia Mae Jones, who had been acting since she was a baby (her first role was as a baby in Dolores Costello's "Mannequin"(1926)) played memorable parts in 2 Shirley Temple movies (Klara in "Heidi" (1938) and a particularly horrible schoolgirl in "The Little Princess" (1939)) but nothing else of note. I think Miriam Hopkins portrayal of inhibited Martha is streets ahead of Merle Oberon' bland Karen but when the film was released they both received equal praise. Samuel Goldwyn, who thought this film would provide Miriam with the breakout role she needed, lost interest in her after this.Highly Recommended.

I have a tendency ,unlike the other users,to like the remake best (made by Wyler too) .Probably because Lilian Hellman's play included hints at lesbianism,a subject which could not be treated in the thirties ,when Wyler was one of the specialists of the female melodrama.That's why I think that the 1963 movie was more exciting ,and still is ,still in 2007.I'm not sure that all the parents would accept a gay teacher ,but a ménage à trois has lost its scandalous side.However "these three" is another Wyler's must,well acted by Merle Oberon ,Joel McCrea and Miriam Hopkins ,the latter being my favorite .Wyler is a master when it comes to tell a story.His depiction of the tiny school,of the manor are lovely.Maybe the horrid child overplays a bit -she is more convincing in the remake- but her young pal ,being blackmailed and afraid of being sent to a reform school ,is a good young actress.The scene when the two women meet McCrea for the first time is charming.

For a film that opened in 1936, "These Three" manages to hold the attention seventy years later. True, Lillian Helmann's heterosexual adaptation may seem a bit over-baked now; still, there are some compelling scenes which are touching.Working with a top-notch cast and crew, Director William Wyler managed to coax some pretty heartfelt performances from his ensemble. The whole thing looks like it may have been an extremely difficult shoot, especially for its principals. Word has it that Miriam Hopkins was very difficult to work with, and that Merle Oberon's normally meager talent was stretched beyond its capacity by the demanding director. Yet, through probably endless retakes, the final result from the editing room is impressive. The child actors are quite good, without which the drama's effectiveness would have been considerably lessened. All the adult performers are strong, rendering commendable work.Judging from the viewer's and critic's evaluation on IMDb, "These Three" is still very much appreciated.