School for Vandals

A mixture of 'Famous Five' antics and kidnapping from the Children's Film Unit. The parents of youngsters Rupert and Tiger Lily (so named because of their mother's obsession with Rupert Bear) have invested a pools win in a run-down former reform school in Sussex, which they plan to reopen as a school. The winnings have dwindled, so chancing upon the elderly Miss Duff (Dyson) wandering around her former school, the kids and three friends plan her kidnapping with the intention of squeezing some money out of the locals. No such luck. However, they soon strike up a friendship with the old dear, who isn't quite what she seems... Cosier than some of the unit's earlier productions, but with youngsters on both sides of the camera, what we are seeing here is hopefully the future of the British film industry; and it's looking good.