The Great St. Trinian's Train Robbery (1966)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Directors:

Sidney Gilliat
Frank Launder

Writers:

Frank Launder (original story) &
Sidney Gilliat (original story) ...

Release Date:

4 April 1966 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Family

Plot:

The all-girl school foil an attempt by train robbers to recover two and a half million pounds hidden in their school. |

Plot Keywords:

Train | Schoolgirl | Uniform | Sequel | Independent Film

Cast

Frankie Howerd	...	Alphonse of Monte Carlo / Alfred Askett
Dora Bryan	...	Amber Spottiswood
George Cole	...	'Flash' Harry
Reg Varney	...	Gilbert
Raymond Huntley	...	Sir Horace, the Minister
Richard Wattis	...	Manton Bassett
Portland Mason	...	Georgina
Terry Scott	...	Policeman
Eric Barker	...	Culpepper Brown
Godfrey Winn	...	Truelove
Colin Gordon	...	Noakes
Desmond Walter-Ellis	...	Leonard Edwards (as Desmond Walter Ellis)
Arthur Mullard	...	Big Jim
Norman Mitchell	...	William (Willy the Jelly-Man)
Cyril Chamberlain	...	Maxie

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Australia:G | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Longmoor military railway, Longmoor Military Camp, Hampshire, England, UK

Company:

Braywild

Trivia:

The part of Butters was first offered to Thorley Walters, who played to role in The Pure Hell of St. Trinian's (1960)

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Harry is in the signal box to stop the robber's train he pulls a lever back toward him and we then see the signal drop to danger. After the girls have uncoupled the wagon, he pushes the lever forward again and the signal returns to clear. These actions are the wrong way round. Signal levers are pulled back to raise the signal to clear, pushed forward again to return to danger.

Movie Connections:

Followed by St. Trinian's (2007)

Fun as the comedy series gets back on track.

I really wasn't expecting to enjoy this movie. After all, the previous film in this series, 'The Pure Hell Of' was a bit of a disappointment and the question was, six years later, could this movie get the series back on track?

The answer is yes, 'The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery', after a slightly slow start, is a very funny movie, the funniest in the series since 'Blue Murder'. Learning from the mistakes of 'Pure Hell', this movie returns to the school-based comedy that we all know and love.

It has its faults, of course. For example some of the series' most familiar faces are absent (there is no Alistair Sim or Joyce Grenfell, for example), while a sadly ill-looking Eric Barker appears only for a few seconds. But all in all, the influx of new faces (including the likes of Frankie Howerd and Dora Bryan) works to the movie's advantage. Also the rail track capers that conclude the movie are very funny indeed.

The less said about the awful theme song, the better I think, but any movie that contains the line 'Knock them about democratically' deserves to be remembered.