I never read "From The Mixed-Up Files..." either as a child or as an adult (there are a lot of classic children's books I never got around to reading.) Maybe if I had read the book as a child I would have fallen in love with it and readily accept a cinematic telling of it.As you might have guessed, I was disappointed with this movie. I couldn't warm up to it for the most part. The first problem I had was with the female child character. I didn't have any sympathy for her. She seems to run away just for the fact she has to take the garbage out. I had no feeling of pain and frustration from her.Speaking of feelings, for most of the running time, I felt no sense of awe, wonder, or feeling of mystery with the children on their runaway journey. Their staying at the museum was, frankly, boring. Though when Bergman's character turns up, things pick up considerably. Her character is interesting, she's mysterious, and she brings that needed feelings of awe, wonder, and mystery. If only the rest of the movie had been like that! What will kids think? Well, I think they will be squirming in their seats for the most part. Based on what I've heard of the book, I would suggest you give them the book instead of this movie.

I agree with the previous poster that this movie is not very believable. The problem is that I get the feeling this person doesn't realize the intended audience and never read the book. While not a faithful adaptation of the children's book, it did a fantastic job of capturing my imagination as a young child and creating new wonderful adventures in my mind. There isn't a museum or gallery that I attend without thinking about Claudia and wanting to hide out and create a wonderful adventure for myself. Yes almost 30 years after I read the book and saw the movie, I still have fond memories that are obviously lasting a lifetime. A job well done. (on the flip side, avoid the 1995 made for TV version).

I loved E. L. Konigsberg's book, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. It is one of a few books that I remember fairly vividly from childhood, and I recently read it with my son, so we decided to watch this movie. I liked the movie, and thought that the children and Ingrid Bergman all gave fine performances. However, the movie differs from the book on minor details that I could see no rationale for changing (saying that Mrs. BEF lived in New Jersey, rather than Connecticut, for example). Mainly, though, I was very disappointed in the way the story ends in the movie in comparison to the book. In the book, Mrs. BEF gives the children a time limit and lets them figure out the answer to the mystery themselves. But in the movie, Mrs. BEF leaves Jamie playing cards with her butler, while she takes Claudia to another part of the house, where Mrs. BEF essentially solves the mystery for Claudia. I would still recommend the movie, but it's not nearly as good as the book.

I found Sally Prager's portrayal of Claudia delightful. The character is intelligent, curious, full of wonder, and caring toward her younger brother. Her independence and courage are admirable. I sympathized completely with "Mrs. Frankweiler's" attraction to this spunky young girl. Ingrid Bergman's appearance toward the end of this movie elevates the film to a new level; as ever, her acting is superb.