"Maedchen in Uniform" (1931)
"Many intimate scenes are shown throughout the picture of boarding school life, revealing the presence of abnormal relationships . . . these, together with the definite story of Manuela's affinity for her teacher, make this picture totally unsuitable for showing in any theater." -- from the U.S. censor's report on "Maedchen in Uniform."

What better recommendation could there be? The grandmama of all the lesbian girls' boarding-school movies (and the first lesbian-themed film ever made), "Maedchen" went on to be selected by the National Board of Review as one of the Top 10 Outstanding Foreign Pictures of 1932. Never released on DVD, but worth finding on video.

"Olivia" (1951)
Released in the United States in 1954 as "Pit of Loneliness," and never released on video, this rarely seen French lesbian boarding-school drama was also censored for American audiences. In his groundbreaking book, "The Celluloid Closet," Vito Russo reprints the following censor's notation on the film: "Eliminate in Reel 5D: Scene of Miss Julie holding Olivia in close embrace and kissing her on the mouth. Reason: Immoral, would tend to corrupt morals." Although it ends tragically, "Olivia" was written and directed by women, and the lesbian characters are sympathetically portrayed.

"The Children's Hour" (1962)
It's not a love story like the others, but this devastating tale of two boarding-school teachers accused of being lesbians remains a classic -- one of the must-see lesbian movies -- if only for the scene where Shirley MacLaine comes out to Audrey Hepburn: "There's something in you, and you don't know anything about it because you don't know it's there. I couldn't call it by name before, but I know now. It's there. It's been there ever since I first knew you." Thank you, Lillian Hellman.

"Therese & Isabelle" (1968)
Based on Violette Leduc's controversial lesbo-erotic novel "La Batarde," this terrific Cinemascope depiction of hot French schoolgirls in love is super sexy and immensely enjoyable for lesbian audiences despite (and also because of) having been directed by Euro-softcore auteur Radley Metzger. Don't be distracted by the cheesy soft-porn fake French accents and the 20-something actresses pretending to be teenagers. Just enjoy the naive erotic pleasures of a good old-fashioned lesbian boarding-school romance.

"Lianna" (1983)
They're not exactly girls, but since it's set at a school we have to at least mention John Sayles' "Lianna." Linda Griffiths stars as the wife of a college professor who falls for her female teacher (Jane Hallaren) in this dated but pioneering lesbian coming-out drama.

"Summer Vacation: 1999" (1989)
This terrific futuristic tale from Japanese soft-porn director Shusuke Kaneko draws on the Takurazuka theatrical tradition, in which male roles are played by women (counterpart to the Noh/Kabuki tradition of Japanese theater in which female roles are played by men). "Summer Vacation: 1999" is an absolute joy, with its sweet romantic tale of jealousy, crushes and mystery between four boys left alone at school over summer vacation (and they're played by four of the cutest teenage girls you've ever seen). Unfortunately this film has not been released on DVD in the United States, but it's worth watching on video if you can find a copy (and you still own a VCR).

"Lost & Delirious" (2001)
With its strangely retro tragic outcome, Lea Pool's glossy girls' boarding-school melodrama goes a bit over-the-top in the end (no spoilers here, just a provocative hint). But there's no denying the appeal of bunkmates Piper Perabo and Jessica Pare having a full-on tortured lesbian love affair as fellow roommate Mischa Barton looks on.

"Loving Annabelle" (2006)
Because of my integrity and professionalism, I can't tell you anything about this movie (I work for the company that just released it on DVD, Wolfe Video). I can say that it stars Erin Kelly as a young woman who falls in love with her female teacher (Diane Gaidry) at a Catholic girls' boarding school.

("Loving Annabelle" is now out on DVD -- Ed.)