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The Belles of St. Trinian's
The Belles of St Trinian's is a 1954 British comedy film, directed by Frank Launder, co-written by Launder and Sidney Gilliat, and starring Alastair Sim, Joyce Grenfell, George Cole, Hermione Baddeley. Inspired by British cartoonist Ronald Searle's St Trinian's School comic strips, the film focuses on students and teachers of the fictional school, dealing with attempts to shut it down while the headmistress faces financial troubles, which culminates in students thwarting a scheme involving a racehorse.
The film was among the most popular British films of 1954, critics praising the comedy and several of the cast, including Sim's dual role as the headmistress, Miss Millicent Fritton, and her twin brother, Clarence Fritton. The film was the first of the St. Trinian's series – three sequels were later produced: Blue Murder at St Trinian's (1957); The Pure Hell of St Trinian's (1960); and The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery (1966).
The Sultan of Makyad enrols his daughter Fatima at St. Trinian's – a girls' school in England, run by its headmistress Millicent Fritton. She discovers that Millicent prepares her students to succeed in a merciless world by fighting authoritative figures in the police and government. Many of the girls are unruly and have criminal relations; as a result, the curriculum focuses on crime and illicit schemes, all while the students thwart efforts by the local police and the Ministry of Education to shut the school. Millicent, however, faces problems as St. Trinian's is on the verge of bankruptcy, and seeks any means to clear the school's debt.
Millicent's twin, bookmaker Clarence Fritton, visits the school to check in on his sister and learns about Fatima. Knowing that her father owns a horse due to take part in a major race, Clarence enrols his daughter, Arabella, with instructions to befriend Fatima and extract information about the horse. At the same time, local police superintendent Kemp Bird assigns sergeant Ruby Gates, with whom he is in a relationship, to infiltrate the school as a games mistress, while the Ministry assigns Manton Bassett to send in a new inspector to St. Trinian's after two others disappeared – unaware that they now work at the school.
Clarence learns from Arabella that the Sultan's horse is likely to win. Arabella suggests to her father that her gang can incapacitate the stable boy and abduct the horse, hiding it until the race is over. At the same time, several girls report the horse's performance to Millicent, who places a wager via the spiv, 'Flash' Harry. When Fatima discovers Arabella leading sixth-form girls to kidnap the horse, she leads her fourth-form classmates to recover the animal and smuggle it back to the racecourse before the race. As the police and Ministry are embarrassed by failing to prevent trouble, the girls ensure the horse wins. As Millicent is berated by the girl's parents over the way she runs the school, Harry arrives to say the win has netted the school the money it needs to stay open, to her relief.
Ronald Searle appeared in a cameo role as a visiting parent. Roger Delgado plays the Sultan's aide. It was also the first film appearance of Barbara Windsor, then a teenager.
The film was based on the cartoons of Ronald Searle. He started doing sketches at the beginning of the war and continued to do them as a POW in Singapore. After the war they became very successful. By the time the film was made Searle had become tired of them.
Filming took place in April–May 1954. The opening scenes of the girls returning to school were filmed at what is now the All Nations Christian College near Ware, Hertfordshire. This includes the entrance gate of Holycross Road and the outside shots of the school. The bulk of the film was shot at Shepperton Studios near London. The film's sets were designed by the art director Joseph Bato.
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The Belles of St. Trinian's
The Belles of St Trinian's is a 1954 British comedy film, directed by Frank Launder, co-written by Launder and Sidney Gilliat, and starring Alastair Sim, Joyce Grenfell, George Cole, Hermione Baddeley. Inspired by British cartoonist Ronald Searle's St Trinian's School comic strips, the film focuses on students and teachers of the fictional school, dealing with attempts to shut it down while the headmistress faces financial troubles, which culminates in students thwarting a scheme involving a racehorse.
The film was among the most popular British films of 1954, critics praising the comedy and several of the cast, including Sim's dual role as the headmistress, Miss Millicent Fritton, and her twin brother, Clarence Fritton. The film was the first of the St. Trinian's series – three sequels were later produced: Blue Murder at St Trinian's (1957); The Pure Hell of St Trinian's (1960); and The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery (1966).
The Sultan of Makyad enrols his daughter Fatima at St. Trinian's – a girls' school in England, run by its headmistress Millicent Fritton. She discovers that Millicent prepares her students to succeed in a merciless world by fighting authoritative figures in the police and government. Many of the girls are unruly and have criminal relations; as a result, the curriculum focuses on crime and illicit schemes, all while the students thwart efforts by the local police and the Ministry of Education to shut the school. Millicent, however, faces problems as St. Trinian's is on the verge of bankruptcy, and seeks any means to clear the school's debt.
Millicent's twin, bookmaker Clarence Fritton, visits the school to check in on his sister and learns about Fatima. Knowing that her father owns a horse due to take part in a major race, Clarence enrols his daughter, Arabella, with instructions to befriend Fatima and extract information about the horse. At the same time, local police superintendent Kemp Bird assigns sergeant Ruby Gates, with whom he is in a relationship, to infiltrate the school as a games mistress, while the Ministry assigns Manton Bassett to send in a new inspector to St. Trinian's after two others disappeared – unaware that they now work at the school.
Clarence learns from Arabella that the Sultan's horse is likely to win. Arabella suggests to her father that her gang can incapacitate the stable boy and abduct the horse, hiding it until the race is over. At the same time, several girls report the horse's performance to Millicent, who places a wager via the spiv, 'Flash' Harry. When Fatima discovers Arabella leading sixth-form girls to kidnap the horse, she leads her fourth-form classmates to recover the animal and smuggle it back to the racecourse before the race. As the police and Ministry are embarrassed by failing to prevent trouble, the girls ensure the horse wins. As Millicent is berated by the girl's parents over the way she runs the school, Harry arrives to say the win has netted the school the money it needs to stay open, to her relief.
Ronald Searle appeared in a cameo role as a visiting parent. Roger Delgado plays the Sultan's aide. It was also the first film appearance of Barbara Windsor, then a teenager.
The film was based on the cartoons of Ronald Searle. He started doing sketches at the beginning of the war and continued to do them as a POW in Singapore. After the war they became very successful. By the time the film was made Searle had become tired of them.
Filming took place in April–May 1954. The opening scenes of the girls returning to school were filmed at what is now the All Nations Christian College near Ware, Hertfordshire. This includes the entrance gate of Holycross Road and the outside shots of the school. The bulk of the film was shot at Shepperton Studios near London. The film's sets were designed by the art director Joseph Bato.