ST TRINIAN’S
UK, 2007, 95 minutes, Colour.
Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Lena Headey, Jodie Whittaker, Russell Brand, Stephen Fry, Gemma Arterton, Mischa Barton, Anna Chancellor, Celia Imrie, Toby Jones, Lucy Punch, Talulah Riley, Fenella Woolgar.
Directed by Oliver Parker and Barnaby Thompson.
Older reviewers often succumb to the temptation of living in the past, especially where old movies are concerned. The older film is the classic. The remake is beneath contempt. Often they have not seen the older movie for decades and might be surprised to discover how creaky in style it really is.
Audiences who have not seen the 1954 Belles of St Trinians or its rather raucous sequels may find this farce quite amusing. But for those who enjoyed the old film in its time, who can replace Alistair Sim with his characteristic doddering and fussing or even George Cole as Flash Harry? We found this film uproarious, especially as we enjoyed the cartoon books of Ronald Searle on which the film was based.
The credits for the 2007 version state that it is based on the original film and there is a debt of gratitude expressed to Ronald Searle. But, this crowd of monstrous girls at the hell school to end all schools are too 21st century knowing rather than the little school thugs of more simple times. That said, this St Trinians starts slowly, emphasis on the adults and then gradually moves to the girls and their scheme to steal Scarlett Johannson, well actually Vermeer’s The Girl with the Pearl Earrings from the National Gallery while Stephen Fry is comparing TV’s School Challenge.
This time the brother cad to the headmistress, Miss Fritton, is played by Rupert Everett – and, in the tradition, he plays Miss Fritton. He gives it his best but he does not have the befussed manner of Alistair Sim. Everett is rather calculating. Colin Firth does the minister for Education in his usual serious style and there are some Pride and Prejudice jokes as he comes out of the water as he did in the series – and Miss Fritton’s dog who keeps attacking him is Mr Darcy. The girls make a reference to him by name since he starred in The Girl with the Pearl Earrings. A number of other film and TV jokes as well. Russell Brand makes a fair fist of Flash Harry. Firth and Everett singing Love is in the Air over the final credits is nicely amusing.
Lots of farcical behaviour, noisy, silly – more, perhaps less, in the spirit of the original St Trinians. (And director Oliver Parker who made a creditable Othello and An Ideal Husband also made the execrable Importance of Being Earnest with Everett and Firth).
1.A remake of a classic? The origins in the film, Ronald Searle’s cartoons? Adapted for the 21st century? The blend of realism and farce? The girls and their 21st century knowing? The internet, sexual innuendo …?
2.How funny was the film: verbal, character drawing, situations, spoof?
3.The UK education system, the parody of schools, the rooms in the school, the rooms in the school, the girls, the uniforms, the hockey sticks as weapons, the sports fields? The contrast with London, Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery? The musical score?
4.Education, the girls, spoof, classes, sport, lack of discipline, brewing alcohol, sexual behaviour, the investigation by the Ministry of Education?
5.The cast, their comic style, Rupert Everett and his two characters? Colin Firth and his deadpan style? Lena Headey? Stephen Fry? Russell Brand? The humour of the final song with Firth and Everett?
6.The introduction with Annabelle, her father, his shady dealings, the phone calls, leaving his daughter there, not answering her calls, wanting to sell off St Trinian’s, willing to fence the art, deceived by Flash Harry?
7.Miss Fritton, Rupert Everett’s style, as headmistress over anarchy, her smooth style, the meeting with Geoffrey, ‘Love is a Many Splendoured Thing’? At the sports, the issue of selling St Trinian’s, helping to steal the painting, the final swing across the gallery, the seduction of Geoffrey?
8.Geoffrey, the Ministry of Education, his past experience in prisons, his staff, the headlines, his spin and PR experts? Targeting St Trinian’s? The visit, the infatuation with Miss Fritton, the memories of the past? His touring the building, listening in to the girls, the ants, loosening his trousers and their falling, his falling into the water, emerging like Mr Darcy from Pride and Prejudice? The challenge of the dog (Mr Darcy)? His daughter, the Cheltenham school, the press coming for the final visit, the girls having everything in order, his failure, kicking the dog, the headlines about the dead dog? The television show, his presence, seeing what was going on? The seduction by Miss Fritton? The photographers and his standing at the window?
9.Harry and his style, dumb, with the head girl, the brewing, the testing, the powerful liquor, selling things, posing as the gay art dealer, going to the exhibition, meeting Carnaby Fritton, selling the painting, deceiving him? The congratulations from the head girl?
10.Miss Dickinson, prim, at the school, fitting in, the school challenge program, encouraging the girls to win?
11.The various members of the staff, Matron, her drinking, the sports master, the turmoil in the staff room? Their watching the school challenge?
12.Annabelle, prim, skill at hockey, the sports mistress getting her in the team, her reaction to her father, his not taking her away, all the tricks played on her initially, her fitting into the school, disillusionment with her father, the visual makeover, participating in the plot?
13.The head girl, her style, her dominance of Harry, with the other girls, the plot?
14.The range of girls, young, the brewing, the sport, the brutality in the hockey game, filming things for YouTube?, their skills in surveillance, the plan for the robbery, its execution?
15.The plan, visiting the National Gallery, the preparations, the blasts, the sewers, the contact, the swing across the gallery, the rope, getting through the laser beams, taking the painting – and the solution and their finding the painting and getting the reward?
16.School challenge, Stephen Fry and his style, the range of opponents, the questions, the cheating, giving the boys a potion, the headphones, Miss Dickinson and her changing the girls’ attitudes? Their actually knowing what they were talking about – and winning?
17.The combination of farce and 21st century spoof?
