St. Trinian's II: The Legend of Fritton's Gold
Encyclopedia
St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold is a 2009 comedy film directed by Oliver Parker and Barnaby Thompson, both of whom directed the previous film in the series. It is the seventh in a long-running series of films based on the works of cartoonist Ronald Searle
, and the second film produced since the franchise was rebooted in 2007.
It starts when an unknown man phones St Trinians and gets Celia to find a ring in the school library. She's caught by the other school girls and then explains that the man proposed to give her £20,000 for the ring. The girls believe they can get more, and the Head Girl—Annabelle Fritton—asks for £100,000. The deal is cancelled for being too high. They talk with the headmistress, Miss Camilla Fritton, and she begins to tell them of Pirate Fritton, her and Annabelle's ancestor. She says he had a treasure hidden somewhere in the world. The ring is half of the answer. There were two rings made, and once fitted together they are the map to the treasure.
That night, the unknown caller turns out to be Sir Piers Pomfrey, the descendent of Lord Pomfrey, a man robbed by Pirate Archibald Fritton in 1589. Sir Piers steals the ring from Ms Fritton, and escapes. The girls then search for the second ring. They begin at the library, where one finds a card with riddles on how to get to the second ring. A 19th Century relative of Camilla and Annabelle's - a Reverend Fortnum Fritton - had found the first ring, and knew how to find the second, but made up more clues for others to find it. It is revealed that they need to dig into Fortnum Fritton's own grave, to get another card. Only half the clue is there, the rest rotted away. Annabelle is suddenly possessed by Fortnum Fritton's soul, and is brought back to the school, where the girls ask the 'spirit' for the rest of the riddle. With the complete riddle, the girls work out the clue, and head off to an all-boys school nearby (based on English boarding school, Eton
) to find the next clue, whilst undercover as boys themselves. They enter the headmaster's room, where a hung painting hides the other ring.
With the second ring in their possession, the St Trinian girls set off to get the first ring, still in the hands of Sir Piers. They begin by doing research about the seemingly wonderful, faultless Sir Piers, and discover he knows Geoffrey Thwaites (played by Colin Firth
). Camilla Fritton tracks down Geoffrey Thwaites, whose career had been ruined (by the events at the end of the previous film), and has become a drunk, and clearly heartborken over Ms Fritton and the loss of his career. He tells her Sir Piers is involved in a secret society called AD1. Thwaites then joins forces with the girls, who first help him get over his drunkenness. When Thwaites is back to his old self, he reveals to Ms Camilla Fritton what AD1 actually is - a woman-hating society, existing only to keep women powerless in the world. Annabelle, Thwaites, the young twins, and also the help of ex St Trinian's student Kelly Jones (head girl from the first film) go under cover to AD1 to retrieve the first ring. The attempt fails, and the girls head back to the school. Meanwhile, Thwaites is undercover at the AD1 meeting (which is held at the notable English day school, City of London), when he is called upon by Sir Piers to give his ideas. Thwaites then rants about women and how bad they are, while wearing a camera and microphone that shows the girls at St Trinian's what he is doing. The speech is a ruse to gain Sir Piers trust, and Thwaites swaps the real ring with a fake one, later presenting it to Ms Camilla Fritton.
The rings lead the girls to the Globe Theatre
in London. They first create a distraction, knowing they will be followed by AD1 minions - by doing an innocent enough Flash Mob dance at Liverpool St Station. Once escaped they get to the Globe, where they are faced with the actor and actress playing Romeo and Juliet
. Romeo duels Thwaites a sword fight and Romeo gets knocked out. Then Ms Fritton knocks out Juliet. Ms Fritton and Thwaites then take up the roles of Romeo and Juliet in an attempt to distract the audience. The girls begin to get close to the treasure while Sir Piers discovers the fake ring and gets to the Globe immediately. They stand in the audience, and because they are a secret organization, must wait until the play is over. But Ms Fritton and Thwaites notice them and begin to stall as long as possible. The girls make it to a secret room and find the treasure. The treasure is Shakespeare's final play: Queen Lear. They find too that Pirate Fritton had 'retired' and decided to become a playwright
, and that Shakespeare was Pirate Fritton, but not only that, it was also discovered that Shakespeare/Pirate Fritton was actually a woman. At that moment, Sir Piers enters, takes the Queen Lear script, and says he will destroy it. He always knew about Pirate Fritton being a woman and thought that it should never be known. The girls soon get the payback when they go after Sir Piers, by attacking him pirate-style (complete with cannons) on the Thames, sailing on the Galleon Golden Hind
which is located on the south bank to the east of the Globe Theatre.
in Godalming
, Surrey
and the boys choir was the Guildford Cathedral Choir
. On 16 August 2009 hundreds of extras, along with the main characters, filmed a mass dance scene in the style of a flash mob
at London's Liverpool Street Station
.
The manor house used as the girls school is Knebworth House In Hertfordshire.
that St Trinian's II: The Legend of Fritton's Gold was to be released on 18 December 2009.
It opened at #2 in the UK, just behind James Cameron
's 3D sci-fi epic Avatar, with debut week end box office figures of £1,586,832. As of 10 February 2010, the film has grossed a total of £7,019,714 in the UK, considerably lower than the first installment's £12,280,529. It still turned out to be the fourth biggest hit of the 2009 Christmas season, bested only by Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
, Guy Ritchie
's Sherlock Holmes
, and Avatar. It received overwhelmingly negative reviews, holding a 10% 'rotten' rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The region 2
DVD of the film was released on May 24, 2010. A region 1
DVD release occurred on March 23, 2011.
Ronald Searle
Ronald William Fordham Searle, CBE, RDI, is a British artist and cartoonist, best known as the creator of St Trinian's School. He is also the co-author of the Molesworth series....
, and the second film produced since the franchise was rebooted in 2007.
Plot
The film sees the schoolgirls start a new term amidst chaos and excitement. A rollercoaster style treasure hunt for the legendary Fritton's Gold ensues as they face their most fearsome establishment rivals yet, but the feisty and ever-resourceful girls of St Trinians are undeterred in their mission to outwit the villainous Sir Peirs Pomfrey and his sidekicks from the women-hating secret society known as AD1.It starts when an unknown man phones St Trinians and gets Celia to find a ring in the school library. She's caught by the other school girls and then explains that the man proposed to give her £20,000 for the ring. The girls believe they can get more, and the Head Girl—Annabelle Fritton—asks for £100,000. The deal is cancelled for being too high. They talk with the headmistress, Miss Camilla Fritton, and she begins to tell them of Pirate Fritton, her and Annabelle's ancestor. She says he had a treasure hidden somewhere in the world. The ring is half of the answer. There were two rings made, and once fitted together they are the map to the treasure.
That night, the unknown caller turns out to be Sir Piers Pomfrey, the descendent of Lord Pomfrey, a man robbed by Pirate Archibald Fritton in 1589. Sir Piers steals the ring from Ms Fritton, and escapes. The girls then search for the second ring. They begin at the library, where one finds a card with riddles on how to get to the second ring. A 19th Century relative of Camilla and Annabelle's - a Reverend Fortnum Fritton - had found the first ring, and knew how to find the second, but made up more clues for others to find it. It is revealed that they need to dig into Fortnum Fritton's own grave, to get another card. Only half the clue is there, the rest rotted away. Annabelle is suddenly possessed by Fortnum Fritton's soul, and is brought back to the school, where the girls ask the 'spirit' for the rest of the riddle. With the complete riddle, the girls work out the clue, and head off to an all-boys school nearby (based on English boarding school, Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
) to find the next clue, whilst undercover as boys themselves. They enter the headmaster's room, where a hung painting hides the other ring.
With the second ring in their possession, the St Trinian girls set off to get the first ring, still in the hands of Sir Piers. They begin by doing research about the seemingly wonderful, faultless Sir Piers, and discover he knows Geoffrey Thwaites (played by Colin Firth
Colin Firth
SirColin Andrew Firth, CBE is a British film, television, and theatre actor. Firth gained wide public attention in the 1990s for his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 television adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice...
). Camilla Fritton tracks down Geoffrey Thwaites, whose career had been ruined (by the events at the end of the previous film), and has become a drunk, and clearly heartborken over Ms Fritton and the loss of his career. He tells her Sir Piers is involved in a secret society called AD1. Thwaites then joins forces with the girls, who first help him get over his drunkenness. When Thwaites is back to his old self, he reveals to Ms Camilla Fritton what AD1 actually is - a woman-hating society, existing only to keep women powerless in the world. Annabelle, Thwaites, the young twins, and also the help of ex St Trinian's student Kelly Jones (head girl from the first film) go under cover to AD1 to retrieve the first ring. The attempt fails, and the girls head back to the school. Meanwhile, Thwaites is undercover at the AD1 meeting (which is held at the notable English day school, City of London), when he is called upon by Sir Piers to give his ideas. Thwaites then rants about women and how bad they are, while wearing a camera and microphone that shows the girls at St Trinian's what he is doing. The speech is a ruse to gain Sir Piers trust, and Thwaites swaps the real ring with a fake one, later presenting it to Ms Camilla Fritton.
The rings lead the girls to the Globe Theatre
Globe Theatre
The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, and was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1613...
in London. They first create a distraction, knowing they will be followed by AD1 minions - by doing an innocent enough Flash Mob dance at Liverpool St Station. Once escaped they get to the Globe, where they are faced with the actor and actress playing Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
. Romeo duels Thwaites a sword fight and Romeo gets knocked out. Then Ms Fritton knocks out Juliet. Ms Fritton and Thwaites then take up the roles of Romeo and Juliet in an attempt to distract the audience. The girls begin to get close to the treasure while Sir Piers discovers the fake ring and gets to the Globe immediately. They stand in the audience, and because they are a secret organization, must wait until the play is over. But Ms Fritton and Thwaites notice them and begin to stall as long as possible. The girls make it to a secret room and find the treasure. The treasure is Shakespeare's final play: Queen Lear. They find too that Pirate Fritton had 'retired' and decided to become a playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, and that Shakespeare was Pirate Fritton, but not only that, it was also discovered that Shakespeare/Pirate Fritton was actually a woman. At that moment, Sir Piers enters, takes the Queen Lear script, and says he will destroy it. He always knew about Pirate Fritton being a woman and thought that it should never be known. The girls soon get the payback when they go after Sir Piers, by attacking him pirate-style (complete with cannons) on the Thames, sailing on the Galleon Golden Hind
Golden Hind
The Golden Hind was an English galleon best known for its circumnavigation of the globe between 1577 and 1580, captained by Sir Francis Drake...
which is located on the south bank to the east of the Globe Theatre.
Cast
| Actress/Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Rupert Everett Rupert Everett Rupert James Hector Everett is an English actor. He first came to public attention in 1981, when he was cast in Julian Mitchell's play and subsequent film Another Country as an openly gay student at an English public school, set in the 1930s... |
Miss Camilla Dagey Fritton, St Trinian's Head Mistress Archibald Fritton, Camilla's ancestor Reverend Fortnum Fritton, Camilla's ancestor |
| David Tennant David Tennant David Tennant is a Scottish actor. In addition to his work in theatre, including a widely praised Hamlet, Tennant is best known for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, along with the title role in the 2005 TV serial Casanova and as Barty Crouch, Jr... |
Sir Piers Pomfrey, leader of secret society AD1 Lord Pomfrey, Sir Piers' ancestor |
| Colin Firth Colin Firth SirColin Andrew Firth, CBE is a British film, television, and theatre actor. Firth gained wide public attention in the 1990s for his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 television adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice... |
Geoffrey Thwaites, the former Education Minister |
| Talulah Riley Talulah Riley Talulah Jane Riley-Milburn is an English actress whose films include Pride and Prejudice, St Trinian's, The Boat That Rocked and St... |
Annabelle Lealla Fritton, the Head Girl of St. Trinian's and Camilla's niece |
| Sarah Harding Sarah Harding Sarah Nicole Harding is an English singer-songwriter, actress and model best known for being a member of the pop group Girls Aloud, formed through ITV's reality television programme Popstars: The Rivals... |
Roxy, the rebellious Rock Star |
| Tamsin Egerton Tamsin Egerton Tamsin Egerton is an English actress best known for her roles as Chelsea Parker in the 2007 film St Trinian's, Holly Goodfellow in Keeping Mum and Guinevere in the 2011 TV series Camelot.-Career:... |
Chelsea Parker, Posh Totty #1 |
| Clara Paget | Bella, Posh Totty #2 |
| Gabriella Wilde Gabriella Wilde Gabriella Wilde is an English actress.Wilde was born in Hampshire. Her parents are businessman John Austen Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe and Vanessa Mary Theresa Hubbard, the former wife of socialite Sir Dai Llewellyn, 4th Baronet... |
Saffy, Posh Totty #3 |
| Juno Temple Juno Temple -Early life:Juno Temple was born in London, and is the daughter of producer Amanda Pirie and film director Julien Temple. She grew up in Somerset, England and attended Enmore Primary School, Bedales School, and King's College, Taunton... |
Celia, the Eco |
| Ella Smith Ella Smith (actress) Ella Smith is a Welsh actress. She trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art and is a former member of the National Youth Theatre.... |
Lucy, the Geek |
| Montserrat Lombard Montserrat Lombard Montserrat Lombard is a British actress best known for playing WPC Sharon 'Shaz' Granger in the BBC Drama series Ashes to Ashes.Lombard was born in London. She is half Spanish and half Italian... |
Zoe, the Emo |
| Zawe Ashton Zawe Ashton Zawe Ashton is an English actress and playwright, known for portraying Imani in Gone Too Far! and Bianca in St. Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold.-Background:... |
Bianca, the Rude Girl |
| Jessica Agombar | Jessica, the Rude Girl |
| Cloe Mackie & Holly Mackie | Tania & Tara, the Twins |
| Gemma Arterton Gemma Arterton Gemma Arterton is an English actress. She played the eponymous protagonist in the BBC adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles, and starred in the feature films St Trinian's, the James Bond film Quantum of Solace, Clash of the Titans, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and Tamara... |
Kelly Opposum Jones, the former Head Girl |
| Celia Imrie Celia Imrie Celia Diana Savile Imrie is an English actress. In a career starting in the early 1970s, Imrie has played Marianne Bellshade in Bergerac, Philippa Moorcroft in Dinnerladies, Miss Babs in Acorn Antiques, Diana Neal in After You've Gone and Gloria Millington in Kingdom... |
St Trinian's Matron |
| Toby Jones Toby Jones Toby Edward Heslewood Jones is an English actor.-Early life:Jones was born in Hammersmith, London, the son of actors Jennifer and Freddie Jones... |
St Trinian's Bursar |
| Jodie Whittaker Jodie Whittaker Jodie Auckland Whittaker is an English actress, perhaps best known for her work in the film Venus . She also starred in the ITV1 series Marchlands playing the young Ruth who had lost her daughter Alice.-Career:... |
Beverly, the Receptionist |
| Christian Brassington Christian Brassington Christian Brassington is a British actor. He trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art and attended Basingstoke Stageschool from a young age.-Career:... |
Peters, Sir Piers' Assistant |
| Oscar the dog | Heathcliff, the new school dog |
Production
Filming started in July 2009, at Ealing Studios and on location in various places in London, including the Globe Theatre and on (and in) the River Thames. The 'Old Boys School' was filmed at Charterhouse SchoolCharterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
in Godalming
Godalming
Godalming is a town and civil parish in the Waverley district of the county of Surrey, England, south of Guildford. It is built on the banks of the River Wey and is a prosperous part of the London commuter belt. Godalming shares a three-way twinning arrangement with the towns of Joigny in France...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
and the boys choir was the Guildford Cathedral Choir
Guildford Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Spirit, Guildford is the Anglican cathedral at Guildford, Surrey, England.-Construction:Guildford was made a diocese in its own right in 1927, and work on its new cathedral, designed by Sir Edward Maufe, began nine years later, with the foundation stone being laid...
. On 16 August 2009 hundreds of extras, along with the main characters, filmed a mass dance scene in the style of a flash mob
Flash mob
A flash mob is a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and sometimes seemingly pointless act for a brief time, then disperse, often for the purposes of entertainment, satire, artistic expression...
at London's Liverpool Street Station
Liverpool Street station
Liverpool Street railway station, also known as London Liverpool Street or simply Liverpool Street, is both a central London railway terminus and a connected London Underground station in the north-eastern corner of the City of London, England...
.
The manor house used as the girls school is Knebworth House In Hertfordshire.
Release and critical reception
It was announced at the 2008 Cannes Film FestivalCannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
that St Trinian's II: The Legend of Fritton's Gold was to be released on 18 December 2009.
It opened at #2 in the UK, just behind James Cameron
James Cameron
James Francis Cameron is a Canadian-American film director, film producer, screenwriter, editor, environmentalist and inventor...
's 3D sci-fi epic Avatar, with debut week end box office figures of £1,586,832. As of 10 February 2010, the film has grossed a total of £7,019,714 in the UK, considerably lower than the first installment's £12,280,529. It still turned out to be the fourth biggest hit of the 2009 Christmas season, bested only by Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel is a 2009 American comedy film directed by Betty Thomas. The film stars Zachary Levi, David Cross, Jason Lee, and the voices of Justin Long, Jesse McCartney, Matthew Gray Gubler, Christina Applegate, Amy Poehler, and Anna Faris...
, Guy Ritchie
Guy Ritchie
Guy Stuart Ritchie is an English screenwriter and film maker who directed Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Revolver, RocknRolla and Sherlock Holmes.-Early life:...
's Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes (2009 film)
Sherlock Holmes is a 2009 action-mystery film based on the character of the same name created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The film was directed by Guy Ritchie and produced by Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey and Dan Lin. The screenplay by Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham and Simon...
, and Avatar. It received overwhelmingly negative reviews, holding a 10% 'rotten' rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The region 2
DVD region code
DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...
DVD of the film was released on May 24, 2010. A region 1
DVD region code
DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...
DVD release occurred on March 23, 2011.
St Trinian's 3
It has been confirmed that there will be a St Trinian's 3 Versus the World but no release date has been mentioned.External links
- sttrinians Net
- St Trinians Gallery Movie and Character pictures