The Hideaways is based on the children’s classic From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Although the box says the star is Ingrid Bergman, in fact this legendary actress is only in the last thirty minutes of the film, but her character is pivotal.
The Story
Young Claudia Kincaid (Sally Prager) is the oldest of three children. Claud, as she is called, has a wonderful imagination and dreams of being Queen Guinevere and living in a castle with King Arthur. Her father (Richard Mulligan) looks down on her fantasies and tells her she has to live in the real world. But Claud is a young girl and no one can stifle her delightful dreams and her clever imagination.
Claudia enlists her brother Jamie (Johnny Doran) to run away with her. She plans everything perfectly. They hide on the school bus and then catch a train into New York City where Claudia leads them to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This is their home for the next week. Yes, they actually live in the Metropolitan Museum. And they are never discovered.
How do they do this? It’s all due to Claudia’s ingenuity and their naiveté. They manage to evade the guards and find magnificent beds in which to sleep. These settings transport Claudia to a magical time and she is living out her dreams. The Metropolitan Museum is her castle, complete with magnificent artwork and a reflecting pool where she insists she and Jamie take their baths during the night. There they discover coins on the bottom and consider them their “income!”
Claudia takes an interest in a newly acquired statue of an angel, believed to be carved by Michelangelo. She decides to learn everything she can about this angel. Her quest takes her to Mrs. Frankweiler (Ingrid Bergman) who sold it to the museum for mere pittance.
Ingrid Bergman is Mrs. Frankweiler
Claudia and Jamie decide to pay a visit to Mrs. Frankweiler so they can ask her outright if the statue was carved by Michelangelo.
The old woman is charmed by the children and sees a special spark in Claudia that she remembers as being in herself when she was younger.
Before sending them back to their parents Claudia is given a special gift. It is something akin to magic, that she will carry with her the rest of her life.
The Movie
This movie is enchanting. I will admit that the first ten minutes were rather bleak, but as soon as the kids began their adventure it all became a fun journey. The cleverness of the children is worth seeing. They manage to stay a week in a magnificent building while maintaining their hygiene and eating regular meals. Just how they do it is adorable.
The Hideaways is part of the Warner Archive Collection and is available from them as a made-to-order DVD.
- The Hideaways
- Studio: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
- Rated: G
- Running time: 105 minutes
- Year Produced: 1973
