''The Wildcats of St Trinian's'' is the fifth British

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

set in the fictional

St Trinian's School ''St Trinian's'' is a British gag cartoon comic strip series, created and drawn by Ronald Searle from 1946 until 1952. The cartoons all centre on a boarding school for girls, where the teachers are sadists and the girls are juvenile delinquents. ...

. Directed by

Frank Launder Frank Launder (28 January 1906 – 23 February 1997) was a British writer, film director and producer, who made more than 40 films, many of them in collaboration with Sidney Gilliat. Early life and career He was born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, ...

, it was released in 1980. The film pokes fun at the

British trade union movement Trade unions in the United Kingdom were first decriminalised under the recommendation of a Royal commission in 1867, which agreed that the establishment of the organisations was to the advantage of both employers and employees. Legalised in 18 ...

which had been responsible for the recent wave of strikes that culminated in the

Winter of Discontent The Winter of Discontent was the period between November 1978 and February 1979 in the United Kingdom characterised by widespread strikes by private, and later public, sector trade unions demanding pay rises greater than the limits Prime Minis ...

. The film was not a critical or commercial success. It has yet to be released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

except in the US.

Plot

The girls of St. Trinian's hatch yet another fiendish plot—a trade union for British schoolgirls. Their friend and mentor, Flash Harry, suggests a plan which involves kidnapping girls from other rather more respectable colleges and substituting their own "agents". Thus begins a hilarious, often bloody, battle of wits as the girls meet resistance not only from Olga Vandermeer, their Headmistress, but from the Minister of Education, a private detective, and an oil sheikh. Despite all his desperate efforts to foil the conspiracy, the Minister has to face a growing realisation that the girls' demands will have to be met—for him this will mean a very great and very personal sacrifice.

Cast

Sheila Hancock Dame Sheila Cameron Hancock (born 22 February 1933) is an English actress, singer, and author. Hancock trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before starting her career in repertory theatre. Hancock went on to perform in plays and musica ...

as Olga Vandemeer *

Michael Hordern Sir Michael Murray Hordern CBE (3 October 19112 May 1995)Morley, Sheridan"Hordern, Michael Murray (1911–1995)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, online edition, May 2009, accessed 22 July 2015 was ...

as Sir Charles Hackforth *

Joe Melia Joe Melia ( Giovanni Philip William Melia; 23 January 1935, Camden Town, Camden, London - 20 October 2012, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire) was a UK, British actor. Educated at the City of Leicester College, City of Leicester Boys' Grammar Sch ...

as Flash Harry *

Thorley Walters Thorley Swinstead Walters (12 May 1913 – 6 July 1991) was an English character actor. He is probably best remembered for his comedy film roles such as in ''Two-Way Stretch'' and '' Carlton-Browne of the FO''. Early life Walters was born in Tei ...

as Hugo Culpepper Brown *

Rodney Bewes Rodney Bewes (27 November 1937 – 21 November 2017) was an English television actor and writer who portrayed Bob Ferris in the BBC television sitcom ''The Likely Lads'' (1964–66) and its colour sequel ''Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?'' ...

as Peregrine Butters *

Deborah Norton Deborah Norton is an English actress. Personal life Deborah Norton was born in Croydon, Surrey, in 1943. She attended a Quaker boarding school and later studied at the Drama Centre London. She worked in Britain until she toured America wit ...

as Miss Brenner *

Maureen Lipman Dame Maureen Diane Lipman (born 10 May 1946) is an English actress, writer and comedian. She trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and her stage work has included appearances with the National Theatre and the Royal Shakesp ...

as Miss Katy Higgs *

Julia McKenzie Julia Kathleen Nancy McKenzie (born 17 February 1941) is an English actress, singer, presenter, and theatre director. She has premièred leading roles written by both Alan Ayckbourn and Stephen Sondheim. On television, she is known for her BAFT ...

as Miss Dolly Dormancott *

Ambrosine Phillpotts Ambrosine Phillpotts (13 September 1912 – 12 October 1980) was a British actress of theatre, TV, radio and film. ''The Times'' wrote, "She was one of the last great stage aristocrats, a stylish comedienne best known for playing on stage an ...

as Mrs Mowbray * Rose Hill as Miss Martingale *

Diana King Diana King (born 8 November 1970) is a Jamaican-American singer-songwriter who performs a mixture and fusion of reggae, reggae fusion and dancehall. They were born to an Indo-Jamaican mother and an Afro-Jamaican father. They are best known f ...

as Miss Mactavish *

Luan Peters Luan Peters (18 June 1946 – 24 December 2017), also known as Karol Keyes, was an English actress and singer. Biography Born Carol Ann Hirsch, she made her stage debut in a pantomime aged four, then went on to win a drama scholarship at the ag ...

as Miss Poppy Adams *

Barbara Hicks Barbara Hicks (12 August 1924 – 6 September 2013) was an English film actress. She appeared in Terry Gilliam's 1985 cult film ''Brazil'' and Merchant Ivory Productions's 1992 Bafta award-winning ''Howards End''. Biography Hicks was born in ...

as Miss Coke *

Rosalind Knight Rosalind Marie Knight (3 December 1933 – 19 December 2020) was an English actress. Her career spanned 70 years on stage, screen, and television. Her film appearances include ''Blue Murder at St Trinian's'' (1957), ''Carry On Nurse'' (1959), ' ...

as Miss Walsh *

Patsy Smart Patsy Smart (14 August 1918 – 6 February 1996) was an English actress, best remembered for her performance as Miss Roberts in the 1970s ITV television drama '' Upstairs, Downstairs''. She also appeared in: ''Danger Man'', '' Only When I Laug ...

as Miss Warmold *

Bernadette O'Farrell Bernadette O'Farrell (30 January 1924 – 26 September 1999) was an Irish actress. She was born in Birr, County Offaly, Irish Free State. She was married to the film writer, director and producer Frank Launder from 1950 until his death in 1997 ...

as Miss Carfax *

Sandra Payne Sandra Payne may refer to: * Sandra Payne (actress) Sandra Payne (born 24 September 1944, Royston, Hertfordshire) is an English actress best known for her roles as Miss Mckenzie in Only Fools and Horses Christine Harris in the British televi ...

as Miss Taylor *

Hilda Braid Hilda Braid (3 March 1929 – 6 November 2007) was an English actress who had a long career on British television. She became well known in her later years for playing Victoria "Nana" Moon on the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders''. Early life ...

as Miss Summers *

Ballard Berkeley Ballard Blascheck (6 August 1904 – 16 January 1988), known professionally as Ballard Berkeley, was an English actor of stage and screen. He is best remembered for playing Major Gowen in the British television sitcom ''Fawlty Towers''. Life an ...

as Humphrey Wills *

Frances Ruffelle Frances Ruffelle (born 29 August 1965) is an English musical theatre actress and singer. She won a Tony Award in 1987, and represented the United Kingdom in the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest with the song " Lonely Symphony (We Will Be Free)", f ...

as Angela Hall / Princess Roxanne * Danielle Corgan as Eva Potts *

Lisa Vanderpump Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa Lisa (born 1967), American actress and lead singer of the Cult Jam * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA", Japanese singer and producer * Lisa Komine (born 1978), J ...

as Ursula *

Debbie Linden Debbie Linden (22 February 1961 – 6 October 1997) was a Scottish-born glamour model and actress best known for her career in England, especially her role as old Mr Grace's secretary in the sitcom ''Are You Being Served?'' (1981). Born in Glas ...

as Mavis * Veronica Quilligan as Lizzie * Miranda Hunnisett as Jennie * Eileen Fletcher as Harriet * Sarah-Jane Varley as Janet * Theresa Ratcliff as Maggie *

Sandra Hall Sandra L. Hall (born September 5, 1951) is an American blues and soul blues singer and songwriter. She has been billed as Atlanta's "Empress of the Blues" Hall is an Honorary Member of the Atlanta Blues Society. To date she has released five ...

as Frieda *

Suzanna Hamilton Suzanna Hamilton (born 8 February 1960) is an English actress. She played the role of Julia (1984), Julia in the Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984 film), 1984 film adaptation of George Orwell's classic novel, ''Nineteen Eighty-Four''. Her other film ...

as Matilda

Production

It had been fourteen years since the previous St Trinians film. "I didn't want to do another St Trinians unless it could top the previous one," said Launder during filming. "I think this one does."The terrible Trinians again The Guardian 1 Oct 1979: 15. Sidney Gilliat was a production consultant.

Reception

Derek Malcolm of ''The Guardian'' called it "one of the worst films I've ever seen... Please don't do anything like it again. Ever."Being funny is no laughing matter Malcolm, Derek. The Guardian 18 Dec 1980: 9. Launder wanted to follow the film with an adaptation of the books by

Norman Thelwell Norman Thelwell (3 May 1923 – 7 February 2004) was an English cartoonist well known for his humorous illustrations of ponies and horses. Life and career Born in Birkenhead, Thelwell spent World War II in the East Yorkshire Regiment, having si ...

about a pony school. He almost made it in Norway in the late 1970s and in 1979 planned on making it in Britain the following year. However no movie resulted.

References

External links

ST Trinians World-The Wildcats of St. Trinian's
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wildcats of St. Trinian's, The 1980 films 1980s high school films 1980s teen comedy films British sequel films British teen comedy films Films directed by Frank Launder Films shot in Berkshire St Trinian's films 1980 comedy films 1980s English-language films 1980s British films