Written by Lukas Heller
Directed by Robert Aldrich
Alice: "Not all women are raving bloody lesbians, you know."
George: "That is a misfortune I am perfectly well aware of!"
A long time ago, I watched this movie late one night and it somewhat stuck with me. Recently I tracked it down because I wanted to watch it again and yup, it still sticks.
This might one of the first movies that explicitly portrayed a lesbian couple, albeit not a very healthy one and it certainly went deeper than the source material. In spite of what's clearly depicted as a toxic union, its fascinating to see unfold.
Our protagonist of the movie was an ageing soap actress named June Buckridge (Beryl Reid), known for her role as local nurse Sister George on the soap opera, Applehurst. She lived with a younger woman named Alice McNaught (Susanna York), whom June nicknamed "Childie".
It's a fairly self explanatory nickname given Alice's penchant for dolls and often seeming childlike for a 32 year old woman with her own job and aspirations of poetry. The relationship between June and Alice certainly ain't couple goals with June belittling and abusing Alice while the latter was also secretive and seemed to delight in making June jealous at times.
Then there was June's unruly conduct outside of her work life. Frequently drunk, belligerent to her co-workers and somewhat sexually inappropriate towards real life nuns, June's future on Applehurst was about to come crashing down around her.
Serving as a thorn in June's side was network producer Mrs Croft (Coral Browne). She seemed to take great pleasure in admonishing June's unruly conduct while also setting her sights on Alice in a way that felt more calculated than concerned for the latter's well being. While June's not a sympathetic character at times, her hatred for Mrs Croft was actually justified.
By the end of this film, June's entire life had cratered off a cliff. She was killed off from her iconic role, her live in loved left for her for the woman she despised and even hopes for a back up career in commercials didn't feel like a certainty. All in all, fame's brutal and younger lovers leave you.
- The noted lesbian nightclub Gateways was used very prominently in the movie.
- Both Bette Davis and Angela Lansbury were offered the part of June before the filmmakers went with Beryl Reid, who played the character previously on stage.
- The play itself was inspired by a 1940s radio soap named Mrs Dale's Diary that also axed popular characters.
- Chronology: 1960s London. The play by Frank Marcus came out in 1964.
The Killing Of Sister George does feel like a vital piece of queer cinema and while it certainly has things that would be deemed problematic by today's standards, it's a fascinating piece. A brilliant central performance from Beryl Reid definitely anchored this film.
Rating: 7 out of 10
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