Mum's Monday: The Great St. Trinian’s Train Robbery

When I was younger I watched this film and found it extremely funny, I have since found this film on DVD and purchased it.

Although the gadgets and hair dryers are out dated, this film has stood the test of time. When you have an unruly school, a question you have to ask is “where do you house such a school?” The answer is Hamingwell Grange. The place is up for sale, so with help from a Government grant, and the head mistress, Amber Spottiswood (Dora Bryan) being friendly with the Minister, Sir Horace (Raymond Huntley) it is acquired. Little do they know however, that some train robbers have stashed the loot they stole in the basement.

Now the school has a new home, Amber has to assemble her team of questionable teaching staff, an ex-con and a stripper amongst them, and chair of the governors, Flash Harry (George Cole).  

We also have, what I can only describe as unusual school resources as well, including a betting shop set up in the school grounds. Although the girls have unconventional role models as their teachers, they knew what to do about the robbers, it seems they had learnt a lot about the real world around them. 

One of my many favourite lines is “Only a bunch of school kids” said by Alfred Askett (Frankie Howerd) the head of the train robbing gang. Not only is this an extreme under estimation, I knew it wasn’t going to then turn out well for them. Another line, said by the same person regarding his 2 daughters starting at St. Trinian’s, to go under cover is “Knock some discipline into you” such a wrong impression of the school, it is amusing.

St. Trinian’s is meant to be a school but we don’t actually see any lessons take place so a group from the minister’s office try to carry out an inspection and gather photographic evidence of the school’s activities. This doesn’t turn out as planned. The group were using a large cumbersome, old fashioned camera of its day. So to take a photo through a window above a door was awkward, but funny to watch.

The 2 daughters that are under cover find out about a parent’s day so the robbers use this as a cover, and go in as caters to retrieve the stolen money. This is done really well and brilliantly worked out. However, the robbers didn’t bank on the girls from the school using their initiative and Harry getting involved and trying to claim the reward for himself.

The Train scenes are some of the funniest scenes because it is good to see the school kids work together and get one up on the train robbers and Amber is determined to claim the reward money.

This film is well put together. The criminals under estimated the power of the school girls. It seems the school taught the girls more than we first thought.