These Three (1936) **

William Wyler's film about three adults (Merle Oberon, Miriam Hopkins and Joel McCrea), whose lives are destroyed by vicious lies of a little girl (Bonita Granville). Emotionally, the film reaches the level of hysteria. It might have benefited from more complex and psychologically motivated characters, but there is an epic dimension to this primeval confrontation between innocent goodness and unredeemable viciousness - a manichaean's dream come true. The most memorable scene has Granville forcing a fellow schoolgirl into corroborating her lies. Considering that it was written by fanatical Stalinist Lilian Hellman, the story might be seen as an allegory about the Soviet Union (presented from the point of view of faithful Communists, of course): the school is Soviet Union, sexual promiscuity is political oppression, and Bonita Granville is an anti-Communist Russian accusing Stalin of unspeakable crimes.