On K List of Movie Reviews

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The Killing of Sister George (1968)

Rate: 8
Viewed: 6/25

KillSis
6/25: Despite being totally forgotten, The Killing of Sister George has a reputation.

I was curious about it and, afterwards, can see why. What a total surprise that Beryl Reid, Susannah York (who's way, way better than Julie Christie), and Coral Browne weren't Oscar-nominated. That has to be the best performance of their careers. Is it because of the controversial content? For 1968, the lesbianism must have been shocking to see on screen.

I've struggled in whether to give the movie a '7' or an '8' before settling on the latter because of two reasons. The writing is 85% fresh and 15% old. It's either hard to understand or windy at times. The other is the running length. Two hours and twenty minutes is too much, especially when putting up with the odious Sister George. At least thirty minutes should be cut out.

When it comes to celebrities, especially who they really are behind the scenes, The Killing of Sister George is quite accurate based on these tell-all books and unauthorized biographies I've read. They can be mean, petty, vindictive, abusive, and extremely weird. It would've been unthinkable in 1968 because of how they came across in public and movies, but everything changed when the book Mommie Dearest came out in 1978, exposing the real Joan Crawford.

All in all, Robert Aldrich has scored another winner in The Killing of Sister George that's much better than What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?