The Killing of Sister George (1968) on Netflix
June Buckridge plays Sister George, a district nurse, in the BBC serial Applehurst. Other characters have been killed off, and the worry weighs on her relationship with Alice, called Childie.
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- Netflix3.4/5
- IMDb7.0/102,799 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes67%
Trailer
Plot summary
June Buckridge has played Sister George, a motor scooter-riding district nurse, in the BBC serial Applehurst for four years, and is so closely identified with the part that people call her George. Off screen she is outspoken, cigar-smoking and often drunk, nothing like the kindly character she portrays. She lives with Alice, a younger woman she calls Childie, who writes poetry, plays with dolls and holds a minor job in fashion while depending on June for money and emotional support. June is affectionate with Alice one moment and abusive the next, and grows jealous if Alice goes out with other women or men. Alice talks back and refuses to kneel and eat a cigar butt when June demands it. Applehurst has recently killed off a number of characters, and June worries that Sister George will be next.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Killing of Sister George (1968)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The film's graphic sex scene between Alice and Mrs Croft earned it an X rating, which limited US screenings and its ability to be advertised in mainstream newspapers; director Robert Aldrich spent $75,000 fighting the rating, his lawsuit was dismissed, and the film died at the box office.
- Bette Davis and Angela Lansbury were both offered the role of June "George" Buckridge, but the filmmakers cast Beryl Reid, who had played the part in the original stage production.
- The nightclub party sequence was shot at the Gateways Club, a real-life lesbian nightclub then in Chelsea, and the film was the first to show the interior of a lesbian nightclub.
- BBFC chief John Trevelyan demanded dialogue changes and complete removal of the sex scene, creating a standoff with Aldrich; the Greater London Council and 11 other councils allowed the film with lesser cuts, and a cut version passed for UK-wide release in 1970.
- The week of June 4, 1969, the film was the number one box office grosser in the United States, taking $628,500, which made it the first X-rated movie to top the weekly US box office.
- Along with What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? and Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte, the film cemented director Robert Aldrich's status as a cult-favorite director with queer audiences.
