How harsh some of the reviews are for this little movie! This little movie wasn't trying to hurt anyone nor was it trying to be "art" or "groundbreaking" or any of the other things that critics both amateur and professional are so found of babbling about. It was meant as entertainment. And guess what? It entertains! It's a wonderful window into girl's schools of the 1930's, made with gusto, given some Hollywood drama, given some Hollywood shine, and sent out into the world to entertain. It has committed no crime. It has not asked to be compared to the greatest movies of all time. Then why do so? Should a father compare his daughter to the Queen of England? Of course not! It would be cruel and pointless. And so too with this movie.
Add a Review
-
shortstop-0951624 November 2016
-
mark.waltz31 July 2015There's gossip galore when private girl's school floor monitor Anne Shirley reports a fellow student (Nan Grey) for being out all night. When Grey is threatened with expulsion, the students turn against Shirley who is only attending the exclusive school because of a scholarship. The girls are not only being taught their regular academics, but deportment and other old fashioned ideals (which have all pretty much disappeared from the world we know today), something which is difficult to obtain thanks to their revenge on the guilt-ridden Shirley.
The personal family history of Grey is explored when her estranged parents (Pierre Watkin and Doris Kenyon) show up just as the student council (under the thumb of school mistress Cecil Cunningham) votes whether or not she will be expelled. It's through helping their daughter through her problems that they are able to deal with their own issues. Grey's wise father urges her to try and find forgiveness for Shirley who becomes the victim of some mean-spirited revenge from the other students. The story explodes when a misunderstanding at the school dance causes Shirley to slap Grey, and her telling off of the entire academy.
As times change, so do certain elements of society, but for teenaged girls, the same issues continue. Bullying uppity cliques go after the underdogs, and the impact of their nasty actions have many long-term effects. "Such lovely, innocent well-bred little girls", the naive Cunningham tells another teacher, not knowing of the silent politics of the students she's in charge of. A secondary story focuses on the student's favorite teacher (Gloria Holden) and her romantic issues with handsome Ralph Bellamy. Having just been seen as "Dracula's Daughter", the transition of the uniquely striking Holden into heroine is quite amazing. Others among the faculty are Marjorie Main, Heather Thatcher, and Virginia Howell whose last name makes her nicknamed "Lady MacBeth".
While Judy and Mickey were busy at MGM "putting on a show" and Deanna Durbin was always playing matchmaker for older folks, this takes on a much more realistic look at the troubles of teenagers and the pressures they face in the onslaught of adulthood. Some of the girls certainly are not nice young ladies as Cunningham falsely believed, but the two leads (Shirley and Grey) are divided mainly because of misunderstandings, nasty gossip from the others and their own pride. When the two girls do finally come to their senses, it becomes a matter of atonement, and that is where the strength of the wise screenplay comes in, making this all the more powerful. -
kidboots30 November 2011After being nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar in "Stella Dallas" you would have thought that Anne Shirley could have looked forward to better roles in better movies but you would be wrong. With titles like "Condemned Women" and "Mother Carey's Chickens" - in the latter Anne wasn't even the first choice, that was Ginger Rogers, who wisely rejected it to continue her dancing partnership with Fred Astaire. Anne was loaned to Columbia for "Girl's School" and it certainly gave her a chance to show her talents as a "movie star martyr". She is Natalie, the under privileged scholarship girl of the senior class, who must earn her keep at the exclusive school by working after class in the library and serving in the much scorned post of class monitor.
For some reason I found Anne Shirley irritating in this movie, I usually love her but from the start she had a put upon, on the verge of tears voice, no one came across as very sympathetic and you wondered how Natalie had stood her treatment for as long as she had (they are all on the verge of graduating). The film opens with Natalie fulfilling her monitoring task too well, as she sees "most popular girl in school", Linda Simpson (Nan Grey), sneaking into school after being out all night. She is forced into snitching by one of the teachers (Marjorie Main) who feels Natalie, as a poor student, has a duty to pay her way.
Of course this action finds her ostracized by Linda and all her cronies and nothing she does (including the original "little Miss Fixit" role of getting separated parents back together again - in this case Linda's) seems to work in her favour. Things come to a crisis at the school dance for snubbed Natalie, not only does her date (Noah Beery Jnr.) arrive in a shabby pick up truck but she is then accused by Linda of stealing her corsage (for the record Mr. Simpson sent Natalie one as well in appreciation for her tact and kindness). By the evening's end the students realise what four years of association with Natalie has failed to discover - that she is a wonderful friend to be admired, not despised.
Although as usual Anne was praised by reviewers and proved how right she would have been as the ingenue in "The Old Maid", she was passed over in favour of Bette Davis's protégé Jane Bryan. And while she had the lead, Nan Grey had the flashier part that gave her more emoting. Grey, who was very pretty and had been one of the "3 Smart Girls" in Universal's series was being heavily promoted at this time although, unfortunately, nothing came of it and she left films in 1941. Ralph Bellamy also had a very small part for someone who was third billed. He shared one scene as the fiancée of one of the teachers (Gloria Holden). -
Doylenf19 September 2007For starters, ANNE SHIRLEY, wearing a dark bathrobe with white collar design, looks exactly like Olivia de Havilland in an early scene from THE DARK MIRROR. I always thought they resembled each other strongly, but never more so than in this film.
The story is the same old trite stuff about the petty squabbles among girls at a boarding school who become upset when the school monitor (Anne Shirley) has to report their extra-curricular activities to the school principal (GLORIA HOLDEN). Pretty blonde NAN GREY becomes the primary target when Shirley spies her coming home late after a night out.
You know the material is dated when the girls are gathered to listen to a speech "on a very important subject--charm", by an aristocratic lady foolishly extolling the virtues of exuding charm, the most important ingredient young ladies of the world are supposed to have in 1938, no matter how air-headed they are. Charm is distinctly lacking in the screenplay.
Although Anne Shirley plays her teen role with an overabundance of energetic innocence, it's hard to see why Selznick, a year later, tested her for Melanie in "Gone with the Wind". At least, not on the basis of this girlish performance.
It's the kind of B-film you can easily skip without missing anything. -
What is there to possibly say about a film with such depth, such breadth and such vision? Bringing to mind the work of a young Howard Hawks, the breathtaking scope of the 1938 Girls' School leaves this reviewer baffled as to the lack of attention it received from that year's Academy Awards - perhaps the consequence of being light years ahead of its time in both theme and content. Even so, the incredible, timeless cinematography should have made it a cast-iron certainty for recognition.
Perhaps it was also a consequences of the Academy's well-known reluctance to recognize comedic brilliance, as few films can have tickled the ribs of so many as this work of outstanding genius.
I recommend this film strongly to anyone with a genuine love of avant-garde cinema, and anyone who wants to see a sure fire winner for all the family. -
Michael_Elliott26 February 2008Girls' School (1938)
** 1/2 (out of 4)
Somewhat entertaining but oh so over dramatic tale of a poor girl (Anne Shirley) who gets a scholarship at a rich school where she's abused by both students, led by the popular Linda Simpson (Nan Grey) and faculty. The morals of this film are certainly well intended but the film goes over the top on pretty much all levels, which leads to a serious but God awful funny last scene. I enjoyed the performances by Shirley and Grey but wish the material had been toned down just a tad so that you could have taken them a bit more serious. Ralph Bellamy has a couple good scenes and his little dance got a couple laughs. Received an Oscar nomination for Best Score. -
wes-connors15 September 2011While on monitor duty at Magnolia Hall's school for girls, poor Anne Shirley (as Natalie Freeman) catches rich Nan Grey (as Linda Simpson) sneaking in at seven o'clock in the morning, apparently after an all-nighter with poet boyfriend Kenneth Howell (as Edgar). Due to Ms. Shirley's reluctant tattling and some squealing from gossipy roommate Dorothy Moore (as Betty Fleet), Ms. Grey's delinquent romance results in an expulsion hearing. Thanks to student government support and her wealthy parents, Grey wins. Then, she plans her revenge against Shirley, not knowing her enemy is really a swell girl...
This film looks like it was aimed squarely at teenagers. Shirley and Grey participate in the usual schoolgirl silliness. Mr. Howell and Noah Berry Jr. (as George) contrast refined and rough well. The young woman look more like aspiring models than teenagers - they have "lingerie" scenes and bounce around, so both boys and girls in the 1930s would have been delighted. The "older" audience is represented by spinsterish 29-year-old teacher Gloria Holden (as Miss Laurel), who has a romance with Ralph Bellamy (as Michael Hendragin). While third billed, Mr. Bellamy's appearance could be described as a cameo.
**** Girls' School (9/30/38) John Brahm ~ Anne Shirley, Nan Grey, Kenneth Howell, Noah Berry Jr.