Blue Murder at St. Trinian's

This follow-up comedy to "The Belles of St. Trinian's" is not too bad, considering that most sequels aren't usually too good. It is a good thing that Terry Thomas is given "leading man" status as he was an effective lead. Alastair Sim reprised his role of Miss Fritton from the previous film and only has a few minutes of screen time. For those who know the plot, the girls of that notorious school manage to con their way into going on an exchange trip to Italy. Once there, the usual shenanigans result. Lionel Jefferies does well as the convicted father of one of the schoolgirls. George Cole and Joyce Grenfell reprise their respective roles and it's good to see them. The laughs are a bit thin but the cast make this one worth the viewing.

This is the second installment in the St. Trinians set of films and it deals with the girls wanting to win a contest to go to Europe, specifically Rome, to meet a handsome bachelor prince. They creatively find a way to win the contest and they are on their way. The reason this film is not as immediate as the first is because it takes a while for them to finally make the trip. There is a story attached concerning stolen jewels also, which is germane to all this, but I didn't think it was all that interesting. However, there is better acting in this film. Terry Thomas is good and Joyce Grenfell returns as the sargeant, once again going undercover. So, not as good as "The Belles", but you'll want to see it because you want to see the films in the series.

By sheer accident I recently saw the worst of this generally well-regarded British series (the 1980 "Wildcats of St. Trinian's"), so I thought to be fair I'd check out the best. Well, this is A LOT better. This is a genuinely hilarious film, not just in the jokes but in the absurd situations. It starts with the notorious title girls' school under military occupation, resulting in heavy casualties (for the military). The older "sixth form" girls decide they want to travel to Rome to meet a wealthy Italian count so they work with the younger "fourth form" hellions to break into the Ministry of Education and rig the results of a UNESCO exam. But when no respectable tour bus company will take this collection of monsters and minxes to the continent, they hire a shady operator (famed British comedian Terry-Thomas). Their "chaperone" meanwhile is the fugitive diamond-thief father of one of the girl's who is disguised as the new headmistress (they "disappear" the real headmistress), which turns the whole thing into a hilarious comedy caper film.

It is a little disconcerting, as other reviewers have noted, that this film mixes the family-friendly scenes of the "fourth-form" ragamuffins with the scenes of the sexualized and sexually-predatory "sixth formers". But let's be honest--the first females most men sexually experienced or fantasized about were probably 16-18 years old, and those who claim to have no lingering attraction to girls that age are either lying or senile. Moreover, the "sixth formers" here are obviously played by somewhat older actresses, who are naturally pretty sexy. The most recognizable actress, for instance, is Italian sex bomb Lisa Gastoni. Now if you're sexually attracted to the "fourth formers", I'd say you have problems, but otherwise. . .

But I digress. These British comedies would get a lot more racy moving into the 70's, but they were rarely as funny as this one. This ranks with the best of the "Carry on" series (i.e. "Carry on Camping", "Carry on Spying") and should be a must-see for any British comedy fan.

Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Blue Murder At St Trinians. Before we get into it, here are my ratings:

Story - 1.25 Direction - 1.25 Pace - 1.50 Acting - 1.25 Enjoyment - 1.50

TOTAL - 6.75 out of 10

Though this romp isn't as satirical as previous and subsequent movies in the series, it still pulled a laugh a three from me: This was chiefly to do with the sight gags.

Blue Murder is a misleading title. There is no real outcry to speak of - not enough to warrant it being in the title, and nor is there a murder. A more apt epithet would be A Marriage At St. Trinians. As expected, the plot calls for the girls to get into loads of joyful trouble, which they do with wicked merriment. There's a Prince in Italy who is interested in some of the girls in the St Trinians Mariage Bureau. But for Flash to get them there before the deadline, the girls must win a schools contest, which they've already taken. Before the results are marked, the girls break into the Department of Education and swap out their answers for the correct ones, which leads to a terrific ongoing skit about council workers and their preference for a cuppa. Once the results are in, the girls are off to Europe, finishing in Italy. Throw into the mix a bank robber who's committed a jewellery heist and has decided to hide out at his daughter's school - St Trinians. Gilliat and Launder weave these elements into a rollicking good time.

Launder and the team even come up with some superb sequences. The best of which is the switching of the headmistress. In order for the Jewel thief to remain hidden, the girls dress him as the headmistress. When the real head arrives, the young ladies give her a resounding welcome. They sing the school song and parade her through the school and up towards her room. However, halfway up the stairs, a secret panel opens and the head is butterfly-netted away into the shadows. A couple of seconds later, the hellions responsible come from the opening and start singing as the disguised crook is escorted downstairs. The swap is complete. Next, we see the headmistress tied to a chair and hoisted upwards into the belfry. Brilliantly structured and executed. Such lovely fun.

Comedy is not always about the jokes, it's about their delivery and timing. Launder is a master at filming sight gags, while the cast proves they are just as skilled at vocal and slapstick delivery. Once again, we have a team of actors and actresses that cannot be faulted. Everyone who reprises their roles are just as crisp and fresh as in their first outing. It's also charming to see Alister Sim reprise his role as Miss Fritton, if even for a short time. Sim always makes me smile. Lionel Jefferies is awesome as the thief on the run. And Terry Thomas is Terry Thomas - hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Should you want an hour or so of fun and high-jinx then Blue Murder at St Trinians is a worthy watch. And luckily, the BBC have it on IPlayer along with The Pure Hell Of St Trinians, April-2022. I would happily recommend the original St Trinians film series. They never fail to put a smile on my face.

Please feel free to visit my Just For Laughs list to see where I ranked Blue Murder At St Trinians.

Take Care & Stay Well.

Not the strongest film in the ‘St Trinians' series, but nevertheless enjoyable for fans of mid-50s British comedy. It tends to slapstick at times, particularly the scene where the policemen are looking for the diamond thief – a straight lift from `The Pirate of Penzance'.

The caste is the cream of British comedy at the time. Two mentions: a young George Cole, who went on to make a career of playing Cockney spivs, and Joyce Grenfell as Sgt Ruby Gates. The latter is a standout performance. Joyce Grenfell must surely be on of the finest female comedians of all time and the film is worth watching for her performance alone.