The Trouble with Angels (1966)
Mary and her friend, Rachel, are new students at St. Francis Academy, a boarding school run by the iron fist of Mother Superior. The immature teens grow bored and begin playing pranks on both the unsuspecting nuns and their unpleasant classmates, becoming a constant thorn in Mother Superior's side. However, as the years pass, Mary and Rachel slowly mature and begin to see the nuns in a different light.
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You won't be disappointed!
Undescribable Perfection
Powerful
By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
There is a very fine line between comedy and non comedy. I for one put it on the other side of the line. It is a sensitive coming of the age and antics of a naughty and rebellious girl Hayley Mills (Mary Clancy) with her devoted girl Friday June Harding (Rachel). Once the reason of her mental frame was known, which had been hinted, (though the hint had been telling), it explains her behavior and goes away from whatever comedy part one could assign to it. It is rather heartwarming portrayal of two generations of sensitive girls, the new (Mary) and the old (Mother superior). Another brilliant performance by evergreen Russel.
. . . THE TROUBLE WITH ANGELS is a "scathingly brilliant" movie full of magic. The magic of Orphan-Hood. The magic of riding a train to boarding school. The magic of attending an academy shaped like a castle. The magic of smoking cigarettes in the Girls' Room and cigars in the cellar. The magic of an unscheduled fire drill. The magic of K.P. Duty eight days a week. The magic of forbidden hallways. The magic of bubbles. The magic of risking school expulsion. The magic of snow sifting through the dorm windows. The magic of burlesque dancing. The magic of first brassieres. The magic of the Stations of the Cross. The magic of summer vacation. The magic of school band competition. The magic of learning to swim. The magic of needlework. The magic of community service. The magic of going overseas to teach lepers. The magic of Taking the Veil. Obviously, it would be IMPOSSIBLE to cram any MORE magic than this into one movie. Who says nuns are no fun? This is the funniest nun movie Hollywood ever made until Joseph Guzman's loosely-based remake of THE TROUBLE WITH ANGELS came out in 2010: for something that will REALLY knock your socks off, follow-up ANGELS by enjoying Guzman's NUDE NUNS WITH BIG GUNS!
Mary Clancy (Hayley Mills) gets shipped off to a Catholic boarding school by her guardian, a wealthy, woman-chasing uncle, who doesn't want her around. Almost instantly, Mary makes her feelings about being at the school very clear to the woman in charge, Mother Superior (Rosalind Russell). She, Mary, hates it! Naturally smart and devious, Miss Clancy, with the help of new and only friend Rachel, starts to enact "scathingly brilliant ideas". This includes putting soap bubbles in the nuns' beverages, leading "tours" to the sisters' living quarters, which are strictly private, and much, much more. But, M Sup, having been witness to the teen's uncle's nature, decides not to expel her, only give Mary tons of dishes and chores. Slowly, Mary's attitude to the school begins to change, as she sees the sacrifices the sisters make for others. Especially meaningful to Mary is the day they hold a Christmas party for a women's nursing home and Mary sees how M Sup consoles and hugs a lady whose family doesn't bother to attend. Could there be angels unaware that they are angels? Yes! This is a classic Mills film which also boasts a terrific performance by Russell. Although made nearly 40 years ago, families will still get the biggest kick out of the teens' antics and the meaningful life lessons they learn from the lovely nuns. All supporting cast members are terrific, too, as is the school setting, the costumes, the amazingly great script and the equally fine direction. If you have never heard of the film or you just want to take a stroll down memory lane, Trouble with Angels is superior entertainment for any evening.
I always like good comedies and when a comedy story has just the right amount and kind of drama added in somewhere appropriate, the result is flawlessness.Hayley Mills gives a wonderful performance in this film from her "post-Disney" era. THE TROUBLE WITH ANGELS is a fun film without any kind of immediate "plot", about the friendship of two girls, one headstrong and deeply rebellious, the other a somewhat dizzy tagalong, and how their pranks torment the Reverend Mother (Rosalind Russell) for 4 years in a catholic girls' school.You don't get to know many of the classmates of Mary (Mills) and her pal Rachel (June Harding), but there are interesting characters in the nuns Sister Constance, Sister Elizabeth, Sister Prudence, Sister Clarissa, Sister Celestine, and of course Sister Ligouri and Reverend Mother. Rosalind Russell does a perfect performance, and I find her voice very strong and distinctive.Each moment, each scene, is a story in itself. Even scenes with no dialogue, such as the one where Mary looks out the window at Christmas to see Reverend Mother walking in the snow to one of the statue saints, is saying something to you. This film is great to me because even though there are "scathingly brilliant" comedy scenes involving cigars, bubble bath crystals and plaster of Paris, there are quiet moments where you are just studying the characters and how their lives are changing and how their perspectives are too. The heartfelt drama is always at the right moments, and gives this film the genre of comedy-drama, rather than silly slapstick. This world, as seen through the eyes of Mary Clancy, and also of Reverend Mother, is a world you might want to visit for a couple of hours. It might be too "slow" or "mellow" a film for some, but for me, it was a wonderful surprise!