The Trouble With Angels (1966)
* * * - OkayMislabeled as a comedy, on the surface this looks like typical fare from Disney's live-action output of the 60s. A rebellious teen (Hayley Mills) attends a religious girls academy where she gets into constant trouble with the Mother Superior (Rosalind Russell). Some of it is goofy and childish, but Lupino ultimately seems to ditch the scripts road of corn and cheese for more interesting territory. (It's important to note this walks and talks like a Disney film, but is actually a product of Columbia Pictures.)
Some moments are rushed, but Lupino guides Russell and Mills to great success with the film's emotional core, and as Mills starts to mature and realize she needs to put away her childish things the film becomes deeply affecting. Both actresses end up doing some of their best dramatic work and the final 15 minutes gets into the complicated nature of school friendships with a depth Disney would never attempt. I wondered how far Lupino fell to end up making a family comedy. Turns out she warps the tone into something she can ultimately be proud of.