Harmless fun?
About Entertainment – Magazine –
The sequel to 2007 surprise hit movie St Trinian’s is much more family friendly, according to one of the stars of the film.
The new franchise is a re-telling of the famous tales of the rebellious public schoolgirls, first created by cartoonist Ronald Searle and famously adapted into a series of films in the 1950s starring Alistair Sim and George Cole.
The Legend of Fritton’s Gold reunites much of the cast from the first film.
Some critics were put off by the school’s overtly sexy Posh Totties, who appear in one memorable scene dressed in the skimpiest of lingerie.
But actress Tamsin Egerton, 21, insists the film did not set out to offend anyone.
"At the time, the original St Trinian’s were pushing boundaries, but when you look at them now they’re very soft," she explains.
The Posh Totties (Egerton, centre) remain clothed in the sequel
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"Times have changed and people aren’t as innocent and to push things, you have to go a bit further.
"And we’re not 16… we’re young woman playing down. So, I didn’t like that criticism, I thought it was a bit unfair because you have to take this with a pinch of salt."
The new film sees the St Tinian’s girls trying to find a fabled treasure before it falls into the hands of the villainous Piers Pomfrey, a shamefully scenery-chewing David Tennant.
Tennant "humourlessly camps it up as Lord Pomfrey, a villain with the menace of Dale Winton", according to The Daily Mail’s Chris Tookey.
"It’s more for 10 to 17-year-olds now, especially the Posh Totties. We’re not as sexy, we don’t talk about boys as much," says Egerton.
They are, for the most part, a little ditzy. Egerton, herself a former public schoolgirl, insists she hasn’t based her head Posh Totty Chelsea on anyone specific.
"I have modelled her on a few girls I have met who are more interested in fashion than what’s going on the world."
Scene stealing
The broad-shouldered frame of Rupert Everett returns as the buck-toothed school headmistress Miss Fritton who, according to The Independent’s Anthony Quinn is "the sole source of any laughs. (I counted my own: two.)"
Tallulah Riley, who plays head girl Annabelle says: "Rupert is so convincing as Miss Fritton – he looks like so many women I know, it’s awful!"
Everett says its "a compliment,", adding, "There’s something about a certain class of English women, at a certain age.
"They are quite masculine and strident no nonsense pre-war kind of women and they don’t make them like that any more. So, Camilla Fritton is a throwback in a way."
Rupert Everett gets into character as Miss Fritton
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Also making her debut in the film is Girls Aloud’s Sarah Harding as the independent Roxy.
She shares a short cameo with Ricky Wilson from the Kaiser Chiefs – who has about two lines as a lovelorn rock star boyfriend who looks a lot like Ricky Wilson.
"Roxy is quite a laid-back, cool sort of character," says Harding.
"She doesn’t get too excited about anything until she realises there is some light at the end of the tunnel, and she actually does like all the other girls."
Harding’s time on screen is not vast, but the several hundred teenage girls in attendance at the world premiere were cheered by her appearance.
The producers certainly know how to target their teen market, though the 28-year-old is arguably miscast as a teenager.
Based on the box office success of the first in this new series of films, a third looks likely – something that Everett is hoping for.
"You never know do you?" he says, "You have to take it moment by moment and see what happens.
"Now, we’ve done a second one, it’s a very nice feeling."
The Legend of Fritton’s Gold is released in UK cinemas on 18 December.
