Watch The Belles of St. Trinian's For Free

Simply Perfect

Better Late Then Never

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

The Belles Of St. Trinian's are raising all kinds of mayhem once again with headmistress Alastair Sim in drag oblivious to all. It seems as though headmistress Sim and her brother the bookmaker are at odds over what to do about a racehorse.Sim the bookmaker gets his daughter who was kicked out in the previous St. Trinian's film reinstated to buddy it up with a new girl whose father is an Arab sheik. The sheik played by Eric Pohlman has a racing stable with a new 3 year old that's greased lightning on the track. Naturally inside information about the horse is of big concern to the bookmaker. As the story unfolds brother and sister are at odds over what to do with information and then with the horse itself when it's kidnapped by the St. Trinian's girls foiling a kidnapping plot engineered by the bookmaker's friends.As in the first St. Trinian's film this is an Alastair Sim show. Alec Guinness has nothing on Sim in playing a part in drag. I liked Sim in drag as the absolutely clueless headmistress who is oblivious to all around her. English Music Hall entertainer Sid James is always a treat as one of bookmaker Sims enforcers.Of course there is a horse race at the climax of the film, You could do worse than see this very funny British comedy and find out what happens.

Alistair Simms inspired portrayal of Miss Fritton transcends drag. It is one of the great comedy characters in film. Equally wonderful is Joyce Grenfell's character - Ruby Gates.This is a movie you should curl up on the sofa with on a wet Sunday's afternoon and be transported to a time long ago when terrifying, rampaging school girls only gained our respect - not our ire! I hear that a remake is in the offing with Rupert Everett as Miss Fritton? He will have a hard job competing with the master - or should that be mistress? - Alistair Simms.Go and rent it - it beats so much of what today goes for comedy.

For those of you unfamiliar with Alisdair Sims, he is of course THE definitive Scrooge of all them Christmas Carol movies. (Me? I guess I'm REALLY bad.. I haven't actually seen the darn thing). I guess those who HAVE seen Christmas Carol and so used to his character might find The Bells of St. Trinians rather surprising. You see, in this movie, Sims has two roles. One, he plays a heavy better, and in the other, he's in drag as a headmistress for a private girl's school! So once you get that through your thick skull, this movie offers plenty of delights. The plot is deals with the way the school tries to make some desperately needed money through a horse race. It's actually a little more complicated for the small kids to handle, but I think they would be preoccupied with their antics, and with the horses to really notice. The adults too might get tripped over all the thick accents being thrown around as well. But again, the story is reasonably light, the action crazy and frenetic, for one to really notice. PS, the kids all look like they come from the Eloise school of cuteness.

I first saw this film in the late fifties or early sixties on tv. If I recall correctly there were a few other films in the story of the St. Trinian's Belles. I don't remember the others quite well, but the first one is without question one of the funniest films out of Britain I have ever seen. For that matter, out of anywhere. The sight gags are fast and furious, the dialogue is to die for and almost all the characters are brilliantly drawn and just plain funny. Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves immensely. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who appreciates good old fashioned comedy (not rated R) and I think even children will love it. This is one of those movies (and its sequels) that I would pay almost anything to own. Enjoy it if you ever get a chance to see it.