Customer Reviews

The Trouble with Angels

5 star:		(102)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

Smartly paced direction and sparkling performances highlight this extremely funny and ultimately touching story of two prankster teenage girls who run riot through a Catholic boarding school--and who, almost in spite of themselves, develop in maturity and spirituality in sometimes unexpected ways.

Ida Lupino is generally best remembered as a noir-ish actress of the 1940s and 1950s--but she was an accomplished director as well, and THE TROUBLE WITH ANGELS possesses a remarkably stable feel that bespeaks Lupino's talents. The script is funny without being frantic and spiritual without being sentimental and the cinematography is simple yet often elegant. But the real sparkle of the film comes from the extremely enjoyable performances offered by an ensemble cast led by Rosalind Russell as the formidable Reverend Mother and Haley Mills and June Harding as her problem students. Russell gives one her best performances here, Haley Mills is her equal every step of the way, and June Harding is equally enjoyable; the truly memorable supporting cast includes the likes of Binnie Barnes and Gypsy Rose Lee. A truly fun and sometimes touching film to which you will likely return again and again, well worth the investment. Recommended.

"The Trouble with Angels" is one of those films where the whole is greater than the sums of the part. Worldly Mary Clancy (Haley Mills) constantly has "scathingly brilliant" ideas and drags her innocent best friend Rachel Devery (June Harding) into all sorts of hi-jinks at the St. Francis Academy for Girls, a Catholic School lorded over by one of the more formidable Mother Superiors in movie history, played by Rosalind Russell. Mary has modern views and has never seen a rule she was not interested in breaking, while Rachel wishes with all of her heart to be more like her friend. Based on the novel by Jane Trahey, the screenplay by Blanche Hanalis offers by a very episodic story as Mary and Rachel get in and out of trouble over and over again. Yet every time Mary and Mother Superior butt heads each earns a bit more respect from the others. More importantly, they come to understand each other.

The original tagline for this film was that it was "a habit forming comedy," which is a rather ironic description given the film's rather surprise ending. Like Rachel, at first glance what happens at this end of this film is a complete shock. But upon reflecting-or watching the film a second time-it becomes clear that this is a film about finding something better. It is not surprising that Rosalind Russell captures the comedy of the Reverend Mother, but what might surprise you is how she provides the heart and soul of the film as well. I also want to recognize Jerry Goldsmith's score for this film and the way he takes the title theme and turns it into both the St. Francis marching band's song and appropriately religious sounding music for a key moment in the film. An excellent use of a basic theme in myriad ways. The title sequence was created by Fritz Freleng and David H. DePatie.

"The Trouble with Angles" is a not a great film, but it is a solid, moving story that sneaks up with its message through the laughter and tears. I find myself watching this film every time I come across it on television, which probably speaks more to its strengths than anything, because I have never been a big Haley Mills fan. You should recognize Mary Wickes as Sister Clarissa, seeing as how she played another albeit more memorable nun in the "Sister Act" movies. Of course the movies are quite similar in terms of having a large cast of nuns who as distinct and interesting characters (who can ever forget Marge Redmond as Sister Liguori?). Finally, keep an eye out for Gypsy Rose Lee as Mrs. Mabel Dowling Phipps, who teaches interpretive movement...

It is wonderful that they are bringing out The Trouble with Angels, but it should have been done letterboxed. The problem is , it probably won't be released again. All movies should be released in their original aspect ratio or given the option on the dvd.

Back when The Trouble with Angels was released (back in the olden days of the sixties), I recall one reviewer writing it was a run of the mill cutesy poo movie with cutesy poo nuns or words to that effect. Can't remember who the critic was, but they not only missed the boat on this one, they weren't even at the dock. Sister Act had cutesy poo nuns, this movie had nuns that had personality, character, and a story to tell. Perhaps this critic saw the cartoonish titles and decided not to give it a chance. Could be that's all they actually watched of this terrific film, that can be viewed by young and old alike.

Hayley Mills plays orphaned teenage girl, Mary Clancy, who is sent by her Uncle George to the St. Francis Academy For Girls, because he believes it will straighten her out. On the train to the school, she strikes up a conversation with Rachel Devery (June Harding)), whom is also being sent to the school by her parents. They quickly become friends and co-conspirators, who at the very outset seem to have one thing in mind-give the nuns one big giant size headache. So much so that as soon as they arrive the school they find theirselves in Mother Superior's (Rosalind Russell)office and bad graces.

If this movie had been made today, I have no doubt that the whole film would taken place during one school year, and be only about Mary and Rachel playing one prank after another (of course in this day and age the pranks would probably just be gross out gags), and tidy things up with some silly ending. Ida Lupino, who skillfully directed this film from a script by Blanche Hanalis, gives us so very much more. We follow these young ladies through three different years at St. Francis. With each year we see their characters grow and mature. The majority of the pranks they pull occur in the first year, tapering off until in their final year, the only two pranks we get are one that is a leftover from something they had been doing for three years (won't give it away)and the other trouble they get into in their last year is because they were actually trying to help the St. Francis. Seems, they were indeed maturing.

Rosalind Russell gives a very underrated, and more often then not overlooked performance. She has a tough exterior, but there is so much more to her than meets the eye as Mary and Rachael find out over the course of the movie. There are some very telling scenes in this story about her character, when she is ready to expel Mary but thinks better of it after meeting Uncle George, after Mary mimics Sister Ursula's German accent and Rev. Mother begins to tell Mary about what happened to the Sister during the war, when Rev. Mother helps Rachel with a sewing project and tells Mary about her own past after Rachel has fallen asleep, and a terrific scene that takes place in an old folks home. There is one more scene with Rosalind Russell that will bring tears to any but the most cold-hearted viewer, that shows more emotional depth than you could get in all the current summer blockbusters stacked on top of one another.

In the early part of this movie, one might mistakenly believe they are getting Hayley Mills in a run-of-the-mill kids movie with no substance. As the movie progresses, we find we are getting so much more than that. Her character doesn't suddenly change from one scene to another. We see her mature and grow gradually, from the prankster, to the young woman who matures and finds not only what life has to offer, but also what she can give in return. When people talk about Hayley Mills, most of the time they think of Parent Trap or Pollyanna, and while she gave excellent performances in both of those films, she was not required to bring the depth of character she brings to Mary Clancy. If she hadn't been able to do that, then the ending of this movie wouldn't have been at all believable. It is Hayley's performance that brings the whole thing together.

June Harding is excellent also. As Rachael, we believe in her friendship with Mary, we know how much the two of them really care about each other. She also lets us see that Mary is not just her friend but also her idol, which helps us understand why she believes Mary is committing an act of betrayal.

I could go on and on about this movie. All the nuns have their own distinct personalities, but they are never made to be caricatures. Marge Redmond as Sister Liquori stands out in her role as Rev. Mother's closest friend and confidant. Mary Wickes as the gym teacher and bus driver, may seem a little daffy, yet we know she loves doing what she's doing. (Mary Wickes also played the nun who drove the bus in Sister Act II, coincidence or paying homage to this character?) Camilla Sparv as the beautiful Sister Constance has a great scene with Mary, explaining why she is leaving St. Francis.

Checking Ida Lupino's biography, I find that while she directed many episodes of television series, this is the only feature film that I can find with her as director. I don't know the reasons, it could have been a prejudice against women directing feature films at the time, or maybe something else. I wish she had been given the chance to do more feature films. It would have been interesting to see the result. Unfortunately, as so often happens in the movie world we will never know. I just wish I could thank her for having us brought this truly remarkable film.

On the other hand, I have not bought this disc. There's really no excuse to release just a pan and scan version of any film these days. Until Sony can see the light, I'll settle for my widescreen copy of the film burned onto a DVD from Turner Classsic Movies. Wise up, Sony.

I can't believe that Sony released a pan-and-scan edition of this and that I didn't catch it before purchasing it. Please, Sony, if you're going to assign a $24.95 list price to a DVD with NO EXTRAS WHATSOEVER, at least have the decency to offer pan-and-scan as an option (for those who'd actually want such a thing) along with an anamorphic widescreen print in the correct aspect ratio, as you did with The Long Gray Line, for instance. I'm really disgusted that this charming, hilarious film was accorded such shabby treatment, and the high list price adds insult to injury. Not surprising, given that the Columbia catalog is owned by the same folks who screwed up with Betamax, and are the last label to offer hybrid SACD's, despite their having pioneered the technology.
Incidentally, this film is based on a true story written by Jane Trahey titled Life with Mother Superior. The movie is faithful to the spirit of the book, which is devastatingly funny. Grab it if you can find it.

"The Trouble With Angels", is one of those films that takes you back to your own childhood when life seemed alot simpler and nicer than in our present day hussle and bussle. I have always had a particular fondness for this charming story set in a Girl's Catholic Boarding School because of the terrific characters, the sentimental yet wise message it puts across and because it came along just as cinemea was moving into more adult themes leaving behind forever the innocence of alot of early 1960's movie making. I think all of us who have been through the school system in any part of the world can at least partly recognise things from our own school days in this funny and touching story.

"Angels" relates the story of the misadventures of two young girls, wilful Mary Clancy (Hayley Mills in one of her most endearing roles) and her offsider Rachel Devery (June Harding) who reluctantly join the convent school of St. Francis. During the course of their years there the two rebels proceed to turn that establishment upside down with many madcap schemes that are always based on a "scathingly brilliant idea" to borrow Mary's usual exclamation, much to the utter despair of the Convent's formidable Mother Superior (Rosalind Russell in a wonderful performance). Being the leader of the two Mary finds herself locking horns on repeated occasions with the Rev. Mother until both begin to see and indeed admire aspects of each other's characters not at first evident. This appreciation however only develops after many trying clashes of personality usually at the Rev. Mother's expense ranging from smoking in the toilets, to placing bubble bath in all the sister's tea, to falsely calling out the fire brigade, to getting very revealing costumes for the school band etc. However in the course of all these clashes Mary and Rev. Mother both start to see the real individuals under the outward facade. Mary begins to realise that Rev. Mother has a warm heart and a creative side as seen in the beautiful dress making scene, and Rev. Mother begins to realise that Mary is just someone who is desperate to be loved and cared for. The surprise twist of an ending which I wont reveal here brings the characters full circle and provides the story with its wonderfully sentimental conclusion after much merry high jinks.

What makes this beautiful little film such a great viewing experience is the great talent brought together in this story. Ably directed by former actress Ida Lupino, she here displays a wonderful understanding of female characters and how they best relate together. Rosalind Russell had I feel one of her best later day roles as the stern but caring Rev. Mother and displays a wonderful comic timing in her scenes with the girls and the other nuns. She is really one of the best parts of "The Trouble With Angels", and brings her years of expert comedy experience to the role without demeaning the characters overall integrity one bit. Hayley Mills and June Harding as the two rebellious students do fine work and bring all the necessary dimension to their two characters to make their development throughout the story entirely believable. The actresses who play the various nuns in the story also add tremendously to the quality of this film. Foremost Mary Wickes as the wacky Sister Clarissa, Marge Redmond as the lovely and untimately tragic Sister Liguori, and Binnie Barnes, Dolores Sutton and Judith Lowry all in their own unique way bring special qualities to the story. The film even boasts a cameo appearance by non other than Gypsy Rose Lee as an Avant Garde Movement teacher in a very funny sequence which once again drives the poor Rev. Mother to distraction. Each in turn either make us laugh or cry and are the special people that make watching "The Trouble With Angels", such an enjoyable experience. Like all good comedies there are moments of sentiment and drama in among the laughs and Mary's viewing of the Nuns at prayer during the Christmas season and in particular the scenes after Sister Liguori's death really succeed in creating quiet special moments in among the mayhem.

This type of innocent storytelling from our childhood really couldn't be made today as effectively and it's that "time capsule" quality to "The Trouble With Angels", that makes it required viewing for me at least during each Christmas Season. It reminds me of simpler times and the values we were hopefully brought up with. If you enjoy veteran actresses in quality roles or just enjoy sentimental comedy of a very innocent kind then it would be a "scathingly brilliant idea" to check this little comedy out, you wont regret it!!! Enjoy

I highly recommend this movie. Having a great cast and being directed by Ida Lupino, this film is a real treat. It is really funny in some parts and emotionally heavy in others. For anyone who if now fiftyish in age, this movie will definitely remind you of being a kid in the middle to late 1960s era. That was definitely a simpler time. However, the DVD treatment of this release is very disappointing. Sony Home Entertainment really did this movie wrong with only a full screen release. There are also no special features of any kind. Even a little cast bio section would have been nice, but nothing extra is included. This movie most definitely deserved the theatrical wide screen release format. Given the burgeoning market in wide screen TVs, even in late 2003 when this disc was issued, it is hard to imagine why Sony chose a full screen release. Too bad this movie is not the property of another studio that would give it the respect it deserves.

It is great to have Trouble with Angels come out in DVD, but why did it not come out in it's original aspect ratio. It is not an inexpensive DVD. It was either filmed in 1.66 which is not much to worry about, but if it was filmed in 1.85 we have lost some of the feel and picture.
It definately was not filmed in 1.33, as when the movie starts it states "made to fit your t.v." , plus almost every movie after 1953 was letterboxes with exceptions.
I hope the movie is released again in letterbox, but it is doubtful since it has already been released.

Bubbles floating out of teacups. Nuns jumping into swimming pools. All part of everyday life at St. Francis Catholic School... since Mary Clancy and Rachel Deverey joined the school. In this clever and witty movie, Hayley Mills (Mary) and her pal June Harding (Rachel) come to the "perfectly medieval" St. Francis Catholic School. Running the school is a no-nonsense Mother Superior (played to perfection by Rosalind Russell) who is intent on running the school with a firm but patient hand. However, her patience is severely tested when Mary and Rachel use some of Mary's "scathingly brilliant ideas" as practical jokes on the unsuspecting Sisters. The convent is soon turned upside down by the two infamous youngsters, and the driven-to-distraction Mother Superior contemplates expelling the pair. But there may still be a shed of hope for the girls... The script makes for many golden scenes, and Ida Lupino's straight-to-the-point direction keeps the film interesting even when it moves slowly. The supporting players are also memorable: Mary Wickes is great as the gung-ho Sister Clarissa, Marge Redmond is warm and charming as Sister Liguori, and a post-"Sound of Music" Portia Nelson plays another nun, the uptight Sister Elizabeth. And Gypsy Rose Lee makes a most memorable (but sadly brief) cameo appearance as an eccentric dance instructor. This is a rare film that will have the viewer rolling on the floor and finding a heartwarming story among the glorious chaos. A great film, one to watch with the whole family.

I first saw the Trouble with Angels on TV in widescreen and I was happy when I read that this delightful movie was finally coming out on DVD but that was until I found out that it wouldn't be in widescreen but instead an edited pan and scan. What a letdown! This movie is funny and delightful and stars Rosalind Russell and Hayley Mills as a nun and student at an all girls Catholic boarding school who clash from the get go as Hayley's character is a real handful! I don't want to have an edited pan and scan DVD so I think I will wait until a widescreen DVD comes out so until than I will just tape The Trouble with Angels from that classic movie channel that always shows the movie in widescreen.