ST TRINIAN’S: The Legend of Fritton’s Gold

UK, 2009, 106 minutes, Colour.
Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, David Tennant, Gemma Arterton, Talulah Riley, Tamsin Egerton, Sarah Harding, Celia Imrie, Jodie Whittaker, Toby Jones.
Directed by Oliver Parker and Barnaby Thompson.

When St Trinians appeared in 2007, it was meant to be a throwback to the British comedies of the 1950s, especially the classic The Belles of St Trinians from 1954 (which led to some lower brow sequels). The 21st century version seemed too knowing, too much innuendo and only spasmodically funny. So, it is a surprise to find the sequel so entertaining.

This time the girls are more cartoonish caricatures, much more like Ronald Searle's original sketches. And the dialogue is particularly PGish which makes it more like the original as well.

There are quite a few laughs and smiles, especially in some of the incidental dialogue and one-liners, often at the expense of the pretty but dumb girl. There are far fewer girls as pupils and, apart from Celia Imrie and Toby Jones, no staff except for Rupert Everett's Miss Fritton, the headmistress, can be sighted. While there are some shenanigans in the school, the action takes place outside.

It is all set up by an amusing prologue where Rupert Everett appears as a 1589 pirate confronting the prim and pedantic Lord Pomfret (Dr Who/David Tennant) who feels that women should be subservient and has no time for Elizabeth 1st. Cut to the present and the current Pomfret (photographed with the Queen, President Obama and Simon Cowell) has plans to recover the Fritton treasure by finding the two parts of a ring which give the latitude and longitude. With debts to such films as National Treasure, the hunt by the girls (via computers, digging up a grave and the head girl being possessed a la Exorcist, a visit in disguise to a boys' college, a song and dance routine at Liverpool St Station), leads to the ring and then to the Globe Theatre for the treasure.

In the meantime, a sexist secret society, presided over by Pomfret (with debts to Dan Brown) is infiltrated by the inspector of schools from the previous film, Colin Firth, who shows he is still a good sport and allows himself some scenes of buffoonery.

The climax is funny as Miss Fritton and the inspector improvise scenes and pseudo Shakespearian dialogue from Romeo and Juliet on the Globe stage until the treasure is found.

Probably, the screenwriters are more indebted to Shakespeare in Love and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter, as the final twist will raise eyebrows and give a chuckle or two, or three.

1.The popularity of the original St Trinian’s films? Ronald Searle’s cartoons? Caricature and cartoon humour? The 21st century remakes? Popularity?

2.A different United Kingdom, schools, London, Liverpool Street, the sights of London, the Globe Theatre? The animation inserts? The score and the songs?

3.Audience knowledge of the girls, the cartoons? The opening and the speeding and the police car chase? Arrivals at the school, chaos, settling in? The identification of the range of groups of mean girls? The professor and his tripping over the luggage? The introduction to Miss Fritton? To Matron? Establishing the mood?

4.Indebtedness to Pirates of the Caribbean, The Exorcist, Shakespeare in Love, Henry V, Romeo and Juliet?

5.The caricatures? Annabelle as the head girl? The geeks and their computers? The Gothics? The dumb blondes? The West Indian?

6.The action of the film not taking place in the school, therefore funnier and more cartoonish?

7.The opening, the 16th century pirates, the pirate Fritton, Pomfrey and his command of the ship, his prejudice against women, Queen Elizabeth? The attack, tying Pomfrey up? His outbursts? Wanting vengeance? The 420 years passing?

8.Pomfrey and the 21st century? The associations, the queen, Gordon Brown, Simon Cowell, playing tennis with Sting? Dapper, his slow-witted assistant? The visits and the confrontations?

9.The AD1 Association, its anti-women stances, sexist philosophy, sexist outbursts, Geoffrey and his drinking, his proclamation of the ideals?

10.The archives, the girls searching for the ring? Pomfrey and his offer of money, Annabelle wanting one hundred thousand pounds? Miss Fritton and her reaction? The research, the girls and the computers, the documents and the clues, the cards and the verses? Digging up the corpse – and the shrill scream because Chelsea’s nails had been broken? The Gothic girl and her fear? Annabelle in charge? Her contacting Kelly Jones for advice (and Kelly Jones and her espionage activities)? The disguise as boys and going to the boys’ school, talking to the boys, the choir and getting them to sing reggae tunes? The headmaster and the chase? The portrait with the ring? Their escape?

11.The search to find the treasure, in the train, the exotic dance in Liverpool Street and the crowds? Getting to the Globe?

12.Backstage at the Globe, the actors for Romeo and Juliet, Geoffrey and his arrival, his seeming to betray them, his actually getting the ring? His posing as drunk? Miss Fritton reconciled? The swordfight with Romeo? Miss Fritton and Geoffrey on stage, Romeo and Juliet, improvising, the audience enjoying it? The professor and his having to improvise?

13.Below the stage, the search, the wall, it opening up, the chest, discovering the manuscript of the play? Pomfrey and his pursuit, waiting in the theatre, downstairs, the confrontation with the girls?

14.The revelation of what Pomfrey was wanting to do, the revelation that Shakespeare was a woman? The revelation that Fritton was a woman pirate? AD1 wanting to destroy all this evidence?

15.AD1, the ceremonies, the overtones of The Da Vinci Code? Geoffrey and his inserting himself, drunk, substituting the ring?

16.The Thames, the boat, the explosion? The manuscript? Pomfrey coming out of the water? The interviews? The amusing variation on feminist themes?