The Belles of St. Trinian's

St. Trinians School For Young Ladies.

The Belles of St. Trinians is directed by Frank Launder and co-written by Launder, Sidney Gilliat and Val Valentine. It stars Alastair Sim, Joyce Grenfell, George Cole, Hermione Baddeley and Betty Ann Davis. Music is by Malcolm Arnold and cinematography by Stanley Pavey.

Inspired by the cartoon drawings of Ronald Searle, The Belles of St. Trinians is the first part of a franchise that still thrives even today. With 7 films currently under the Trinians banner, the roguish behaviour of the girls and their manner of dress sense passed into pop culture and is still going strong today. Either for sexual titillation (the St Trinians look has always been popular at fancy dress parties) or as a tag for un...

Alastair Sim was always an excellent comedy actor - his timing and facial expressions always managed to raise a smile for me. Here is has the dual role of the headmistress "Millicent" and of her scheming bookmaker brother "Clarence" as both, in their own way, try to make a killing on an horse owned by the wealthy father of her newest pupil "Princess Fatima". The local village - and constabulary - live in terror of her establishment and of it's rowdy and lawless student body, so they decide to send the plucky and enthusiastic "Sgt. Gates" (Joyce Grenfell) in to masquerade as the games mistress and to gather intelligence as to the dodgy goings on at "St. Trinian's" enabling the law to shut it all down... A solid supporting cast of British act...