Weekly Synthesis No. 5

Compare and Contrast: The Children's Hour Play and Movie

Both of the Children's Hour version had the same general plot. Martha loves Karen, but didn't realize it until Mary's lie, and Mary just lies to get what she wants, which, at the time was to get out of school. And, in the end, Ms. Tilford comes to apologize after finding out the truth. Near the end, Martha commits suicide.

The film version is slightly different from the original, however. Because the movie was not constricted by the stage, a cinematic effect occured. There was more foreshadowing instead of retraced steps, scenes added (such as Ms. Tilford taking Mary back to school, the kids being taken out of school by their parents, Ms. Tilford finding out the truth about Mary's lie, and the funeral), and more flesh to the story to keep viewers interested and emotionally moved. The scene after Ms. Tilford hears Mary's lie, she goes in the school with the intention of talking with Martha and Karen, instead, she comes across Aunt Lily, whose callous comments only serve to reinforce Mary's lie, save for the play where Ms. Tilford automatically assumes it as true. Moreover, after the grandmother finds out the truth of Mary's lie, she goes to reconcile, but it occurs differently: in the movie, there are no phone calls or incessant knocking on the door, only one visit and she was turned away, only appearing at the funeral after Martha's death. In the play, Martha's suicide was be gun, before Ms. Tilford came to apologize. But, in the movie, it occurred after Ms. Tilford apologized, and they had a brief meeting before she ran upstairs, moreover, it happened after Karen let her be in her room and walked down the driveway; but, in the play, Martha simply walked away to death. For the movie, the ending wa played out more for emotional effect, rather than just ending.