Thanks for the memories!

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

This was on TCM (Turner Classic Movies) a few days ago, and after all the great comments I saw about this movie, I didn't hesitate to tape it on DVD. It wasn't what I had expected in the least, and until Dirk Bogarde turns up, it's quite an average movie. But it definitely does improve after that.The general gist of the film is that seven children who fear the orphanage bury their mother in the garden after she dies of illness, so that no one will find out. For the next 30 minutes, the film revolves around how the children survive on their own, and how they support each other (one of these methods being 'mothertime', where they have séances in the garden as they try to contact their dead mother). Then Dirk Bogarde turns up, and he claims to be their father. Most of the children take to him immediately, but the eldest doesn't, and this leads to all sorts of complications for the family, leading up to the climax (which is actually the best thing about this film).The film, when you look at it closely, is, in fact, quite good. It's got a good storyline, good acting, and great scenery. If you're looking for a horror flick, look elsewhere, but if you're looking for a subtle, well acted melodrama, then look no further!Definitely worth a viewing!

Not many people know that Our Mother's house is owned by TCM. If you go to there web site you can vote to have it released on DVD. You can also ask them to show it on television. They will forward it to their programming department. You can vote on many movies on TCM to be released on to DVD. When they get enough votes they forward this to their distributors.You can even vote for films not owned by TCM because they work with the AFI. The American Film Institute. You can also vote for The Third Secret or other movies to be released. Please take the time to vote for Our Mother's House to be released on DVD. They will only allow one vote per computer!

The always watchable Dirk Bogarde is in top form as a nasty piece of fatherhood here. But the children match him for acting ability, I must say. Even the youngest girl, who is Phoebe Nicholls of Brideshead Revisited (TV) fame some years later. Everyone in this quietly creepy film does a good job with their characters. This is just the sort of intelligent story the British do so well. It captures its period skillfully, and I found myself wanting to "enter" the story to help the characters out! One really feels for the children's plight. Yet, they ARE capable creatures. (They put one in mind of English books such as E. Nesbit's The Wouldbegoods, not that the story is nearly as pleasant, but because the children are so good at looking after themselves independently.) I have always found these atmospheric English films far superior to slam-bang American entertainment. Not to everyone's taste, perhaps, but that makes it more fun, too. Whistle Down the Wind comes to mind as a similarly enjoyable essay on quirky childhood experiences.

From the first scene of the film one can already tell that there is fine cinematography. We see a girl walking the street of a suburban part of London and immediately one knows that this is a film different to many others – it's slow, it's silent, and still it's intriguing and exciting. Accompanied by an equally great musical score by Georges Delerue, Jack Claytons direction is outstanding. He presents eight children whose sick mother passes away one morning. Upon their close relationship on the one and their fear of being torn apart from each other at the other side, the children decide to keep on living `normally', as if their mother was still alive. They manage to keep up a cover story for teachers and neighbors while their relationship gets even closer. As expectable with children these age (ranging from, I'd guess, ages 3 to 12), they create their rituals (the German translation of the title is `Every evening at 9 o'clock') and manage to find a way to keep in touch with their world `before' – when the beloved mother was still live. They achieve that aim by mixing up religious belief with their childrenlike, yet never naïve `rationality'. But of course, their secret cannot be kept forever… or can it? Dirk Bogarde is great in his role because he convincingly shows the two sides of his character: Loving at one part, but altogether selfish. But credits must go to the incredible cast of children whose performances draw the viewer into the story and force him to stay there. It is one of those rare films were the audience develops real sympathy for the figures. The ending, though probably not all too surprising, is the highlight of the picture and contains a great deal of melancholy. One wonders how the story would continue – but on the other hand, everything that needs to be said is said. As other comments already stated, not a film for children, but one of the best film about children ever made; it's goal was to achieve an insight into the world of a childs mind, and it succeeds brilliantly.