utgard14 Mother Superior Rosalind Russell has her hands full with two brats at Catholic boarding school. I wanted to like this more than I did. Russell is good as are the other adults. But the kids just irked me. Hayley Mills in particular was very annoying. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason for her bratty behavior. She was like a female Dennis the Menace. She just kept getting into trouble. For some reason there's little time spent on story here. It's like a series of vignettes instead of a cohesive plot as the movie goes from one incident after another with little room to breathe. The comedy is all very broad and seems to rely upon you enjoying the hijinks of Mills and her sidekick (June Harding). Since I didn't enjoy their antics it left me with very little to laugh at. The last half of the movie is a little better as there are more serious and touching moments. However the ending felt pretty contrived. Obviously this is a sentimental and nostalgic favorite for many. I can sympathize with that. I wish I liked it more. But I found it ultimately disappointing.

timcon1964 On the basis of its 1966 publicity, those who viewed the "The Trouble With Angels" (TTWA) must have been expecting a comedy. They got something rather more complex. In fact, most of the comic episodes occur early in the film; thereafter, life gets serious, as the girls visit a home for the aged, learn how one sister was abused by the Nazis, and how another plans to teach in a leper colony. Then the friendliest sister passes away. Thus, the film gradually evolves into a serious portrayal of life in a boarding school (St. Francis Academy), the transition from youth to maturity, and the experiences that can make, or break, friendships. The principal protagonists are guilty of various misdemeanors--smoking, entering the sisters' living quarters, and skipping swimming instruction. But these infractions are primarily a reflection of immaturity, which largely disappears after one year at St. Francis.TTWA follows the relationship of its two principal characters, Mary Clancy (Hayley Mills) and Rachel Devery (June Harding) in their three years at St. Francis Academy. Both were sent there to be straightened out. At first, both react unfavorably to the school, which they see as "medieval," and akin to a girls' reformatory. They view school authorities as "the enemy," and agree that the Mother Superior (Rosalind Russell) is a "fink"--once when her back is turned they honor her with a Fascist salute. But, the girls have their differences, especially in matters of religion. Mary, who has visited the Vatican and seen the Pope, is increasingly receptive to Catholicism and its doctrines. Pretty obviously, Rachel is not a Catholic. Twice, under the Mother Superior's disapproving scrutiny, Rachel is unable to make the sign of the cross. Near the end of her first year at St. Francis, Rachel writes to the head of her former school that she is "a captive in a nunnery." Once, the Mother Superior tells Rachel that she is the "Devil's agent." In their second and third years at St. Francis, the differences between the girls are becoming clearer. When Rachel suggests that Mary stuff a picture of the Pope in the window to keep out the snow, Mary is horrified. Later, Rachel considers it appropriate that Sister Constance should leave the order and rejoin her former lover--a prospect that leaves Mary incredulous. Purely fortuitous happenings serve to confirm the girls' differing attitudes. Mary observes the Mother Superior feeding the birds, comforting an elderly woman, and grieving over Sister Liguori's casket. But Rachel, who hears only the Reverend Mother's impersonal announcement of Liguori's death, wonders aloud, "How can she be so cold?" Predictably, contemporary promotional material emphasized the relationship between Mary and the Mother Superior, who were portrayed by Hayley Mills and Rosalind Russell, the most famous members of the cast. But, as other reviews demonstrate, TTWA can be viewed from various perspectives. It is perhaps most interesting to focus on friendship between Mary and Rachel, viewing them as two distinct, but equally important, personalities. Although it occasionally seems that Rachel is a failure in everything, in some respects, she seems to be more in touch with reality than Mary. It is Rachel who seeks Mary's assurance that the sisters will be away from the cloister during Mary's planned "tour." It is Rachel who expresses concern about skipping swimming lessons. When the girls are smoking in the boiler room, it is Rachel who inquires about the significance of the alarm bell; and, when fire engines arrive, it is Rachel who suggests an effort to locate the fire. As the girls, unable to swim, having avoided swimming lessons for three years, are about to dive into the pool for the mandatory life saving test, it is Rachel who asks, "What do you think we ought to do?" Rachel, in posing such practical questions, is playing Sancho Panza to Mary's Don Quixote. Mary's "leadership" has done nothing but get Rachel in trouble. It is a testimony to friendship or loyalty that Rachel continues to follow Mary--and Rachel expects the same loyalty in return. When she learns that Mary plans to become a nun, Rachel is stunned by what she regards as Mary's act of betrayal. In retrospect, Mary's decision, and Rachel's response are not surprising. And TTWA, having morphed from a comedy into an interesting cinematic essay about friendship, concludes in a dramatic final scene in which Rachel struggles with conflicting emotions and ultimately chooses reconciliation.Equally talented in comedy and drama (and herself a product of a Catholic school), Rosalind Russell was well cast as the Mother Superior. The role of Mary did not capitalize on Hayley Mills's talents. And, for perhaps the first time in her career, Mills is not the center of sympathetic attention. Instead, that attention focuses on Rachel, whose shortcomings and vulnerabilities are manifest. June Harding was certainly not the obvious choice for the part of Rachel. She was too old (she turned 28 during the filming), and had almost no experience in comedy. Seeming to confirm her unsuitability for this role, she showed up at an early interview looking more like a Manhattan model than an adolescent schoolgirl. But director Ida Lupino immediately saw something in Harding--perhaps Harding was like Rachel--and lobbied executives to give her this role. Mills and Harding were a sort of cinematic odd couple. Mills was a scion of a prominent English theatrical family, who had already been in 10 films, usually as the star. Harding on the other hand, was the daughter of a wholesale meat packer in a tiny southern Virginia town, making her only major film. Nonetheless, they worked well together; and Harding delivered a convincing performance as Mary's rather naïve and impressionable understudy--although she was nine years older than Mills. From her letters, one gets the feeling that Harding was having more fun than anyone else on the set, and it shows. Also contributing to the success of TTWA are Lupino's unobtrusive but effective direction, and Jerry Goldsmith's music.

johnstonjames if ya want your daughters to seriously consider enlisting Catholic and becoming a Nun then have them watch this movie it's very persuasive. as a Protestant and a Baptist, i found myself a little weary and suspicious of the whole thing. i mean the difference between Catholics and Protestants is like cats and dogs really.as a long time Haley Mills(is Haley Catholic?)fan since childhood i rather enjoyed this. it's better than you would think it would be. Haley Mills and Rosalind Russell are quite good and a lot of this is very funny. i mean really, any movie that shows Haley Mills of all people, smoking in the girl's bathroom and smoking a cigar is worth a viewing in my book. how scandalous. and the scene where they put Marble Ann's face in a plaster mold was excruciatingly funnyi can't say this was a great movie, but it was a lot more intelligent than you would think it would be. certainly more intelligent than it's brain dead junky sequel 'Where Angels Go Trouble Follows'. and this film was also directed by a woman director at a time when there were really no women in the industry directing mainstream commercial films. also the films over-serious ending doesn't ruin it, it actually has some depth.i sort of preferred the sequel however, because the sequel was such a brain dead piece of junk it was more interesting to watch. this movie simply had to much quality behind it to be as much fun. do you think your daughter would forgive you if you named her Marble Ann? i think someone should test that.

davanmani The thing I liked about this movie was the chemistry between Hayley Mills and June Harding. When the movie was filmed, June was 25 and Hayley was 19. You don't see girls in films much less women have that kind of chemistry. Turn off the sound, you feel the energy between the two. Even when they aren't on the scene, you see the reactions of the nuns and the girls focusing on guess who. The director didn't want to put close actions shots of the two unless for circumstances, sentimental reasons like getting in trouble, holidays, or graduations. If they did have close moments, one would look away but never at each other to not make that certain impresario. One was passive and the other aggressive like a doctor and his assistant. The implication was that they were there for themselves and the bonding was out of necessity. Throughout the move, the viewer sense was that one was going to leave but when and how.