The Killing of Sister George (1968)

Directed by

Robert Aldrich

Genre

drama film, LGBTQ-related film, lesbian-related film

Country

United States

Runtime

2h 18m

Rated

R

Rating

6.3 of 10 from 63 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

An aging lesbian actress, known for playing a beloved character on a TV show, faces losing her job and her younger girlfriend at the same time. The film follows her unraveling personal and professional life.

melancholictensegrittycausticclaustrophobicharshemotionalcampybleak

What happens

The Killing of Sister George is a 1968 film directed by Robert Aldrich and filmed at his Aldrich Studios in Los Angeles. It is based on the 1964 play by British playwright Frank Marcus. In the film, an ageing lesbian television actress, June "George" Buckridge (Beryl Reid, reprising her role from the stage play), simultaneously faces the loss of her popular television role and the breakdown of her long-term relationship with a younger woman (Susannah York). Although Marcus's play was a black comedy, the film version was marketed as a "shocking drama"; it added explicit lesbian content that was not in the original play, and was presented as a serious treatment of lesbianism. Along with the more campy films What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? and Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte, The Killing of Sister George cemented Robert Aldrich's status as a cult-favorite director with queer audiences. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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