I don't have very many original things to say about this movie that haven't been said before by others. Alastair Sim delivers a truly extraordinary performance as Miss Fritton, and it is such a remarkable performance not because he's very funny (which he is, of course . . . come on, this is Alastair Sim we're talking about here!), but because he pulls the whole thing off! Flawlessly! You sincerely forget that this character is being played by a man! It's a tour-de-force. But Sim is not the only thing to love about this movie, far from it. George Cole delivers what should have been an instant classic performance as "Flash" Harry; he's really one of the most underrated actors I know of. Joyce Grenfell and the rest of the cast are all commendable as well. I am in no way familiar with the original "Trinian's" cartoons by Ronald Searle, so I cannot contest as to how faithful the movie is to the original source material, but the writing for this film is so clever and funny I often felt it necessary to pause the film while I allowed myself time to finish laughing.

I have not seen the rest of the St. Trinian's films, but I have heard their quality is exponentially decreased with each installment (like most franchises). Honestly, it's hard to comprehend a follow-up without Sim involved.

My MAIN reason for writing this review was to inform everyone that this DVD advertised on amazon.com is NOT an official studio release; it is done by an independent company. The quality IS very good, and I had no problems with it whatsoever (aside from the disc art, which was so thick with ink it smeared a bit on my fingers whenever I touched it, and the disc itself positively reeked, I kid you not, but just print your own label on top of it and problem solved). The picture and audio are most serviceable. I just wish it had been made more clear to me that this was not an official studio release when I was looking to purchase it.

SO, unless you have a Region 2 DVD player, this seems to be the best way to get ahold of this classic British comedy on this side of the Atlantic. Hopefully the future will change that; there are a great many Alastair Sim films that are in dire need of some attention here in the U.S.! But for now, this is a very good buy!

The opening section of this film is very funny. After the school holidays end the St Trinians girls return to their school. This causes panic in the local town. Shops are being boarded up, the local Policeman starts taking tablets and in the end the town is deserted. This is the best section of the film and you wouldn't expect it to maintain such a high standard. However it nearly does and laughs are to be had throughout the whole film.

The cast are a joy. The inimitable Alistair Sim stars as both Head-Mistress Millicent Fritton and her bookie brother Clarence. A young George Cole is Flash Harry. Amazingly Cole's character is very Arthur Daley like. I wonder if this was the original inspiration for Minder? With Joyce Grenfell, Irene Handl and Joan Sims as well the cast alone should have you watching.

The plot revolves around a race-horse owned by the father of one of the pupils. Naturally it is stolen and various factions of the St Trinians girls are involved. If you haven't seen the film for many years, this a great reminder of a classic period for British films. Wonderful comedy from a different era.

TTHERE IS NOTHING LIKE THE ENGLISH COMEDIES PRIOR TO THE 21ST CENTRUY. LOVE THOSE DOUBLE ENTREDRES.THIS IS ANOTHER FILM THAT I SAW AS A YOUNG PERSON AND THE FIRST TIME I SAW A DRAG PERFORMANCE. HILARIOUS.

I better add one, this is after all an essential movie, a total scream, with good old Alistair playing the usual multiple parts as a brother (a tout) and his sister, the headmistress (or ringleader) of a girl's school full of delinquents, but really professional ones, all wound up in scheming against each other. This hangs right in there with the great British comedy classics, as does the follow up "Blue Murder", with Terry Thomas leading the bill. The third installment has several returning cast members and a similar look and feel, but gets rather convoluted beyond the first reel.

I saw these when I was a kid at the one "art house" theater in town, and we became real Trinian fans, we use to go around singing the school song. It hasn't had much notice in modern times, maybe the series got a bad rep from the follow ons, I don't know. In any case, grab the first two and you'll be well rewarded.