From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (1973)

          A lighthearted children’s movie with a reassuring message about appreciating the virtues of home despite the allure of faraway places, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler was adapted from E.L. Konigsburg’s Newbery Medal-winning novel of the same name. (After an initial release under Konigsburg’s title, the film was reissued across multiple platforms as The Hideaways; a second adaptation, bearing Konigsburg’s title, appeared in 1995 with Lauren Bacall in the featured role.) When the story begins, gangly teenager Claudia Kincaid (Sally Prager) decides to run away from her suburban New Jersey home because she doesn’t feel appreciated. Enlisting her younger brother, preadolescent Jamie (Johnny Doran), as an accomplice, Claudia leads Jamie on a trek across the river to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan. (She picks this destination because Claudia is fascinated by ancient lore about chivalry.) Drawing on their considerable ingenuity, the kids contrive means of living at the museum for several nights, hiding out from guards during closing time, grabbing coins from a wishing fountain for purchasing cafeteria lunches, and sleeping in beds that are on exhibit.

          While at the museum, Claudia becomes enchancted by a delicate statue of an angel, which may or may not have been carved by Michelangelo, so when homesickness motivates the kids to vacate the museum, they track down wealthy widow Mrs. Frankweiler (Ingrid Bergman), the statue’s previous owner. One of those gruff-but-loving types found only in children’s movies, Mrs. Frankweiler recognizes a kindred spirit in the willful Claudia, so the older woman shares a secret about the statue with her new young friend, giving Claudia an unexpected reward to her mischievous adventure, before Mrs. Frankweiler’s driver takes the children home.

          From the Mixed-Up Files isn’t made particularly well (the children’s acting is just okay and the photography is murky), but the story is a heartfelt celebration of youthful imagination, always a worthy theme. This picture exists in the comforting fantasy realm where nothing bad ever happens to kids, and contemporary youths weaned on the Night at the Museum franchise might find From the Mixed-Up Files bland. Nonetheless, with its fanciful narrative and sweet themes, to say nothing of Bergman’s formidable presence, From the Mixed-Up Files is respectable escapism from a different era.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler: FUNKY