The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)

Maggie Smith is so witty and commanding in this film, you might forget that the script paints Jean Brodie as an ultimately self-deluding spinster. Dame Maggie won the first of her two Oscars for playing a teacher in 1930s Edinburgh more in thrall to her romantic notions of art and beauty than the real world, a cultivator of worshipping "Brodie Girls." (She exalts the Mona Lisa and Mussolini with equal fervor.) Smith's expert playing makes many of the brogue-heavy Brodie-isms worth memorizing ("She seeks to intimidate me by the use of quarter-hours.") and raises the picture above its generally theatrical style. Real-life husband Robert Stephens plays Jean's married lover, Celia Johnson excels as the hostile headmistress, and Pamela Franklin is the deadpan whistle-blower within Miss Brodie's coven. The dippy music of Rod McKuen helps mark the movie as more of a reflection of the '60s than the '30s. --Robert Horton Amazon.com essential video

Great

Maggie Smith is an icon...if you haven't appreciated her yet, please do so. This film is an absolute classic. October 3, 2008

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

This movie is one of the best pieces of writing and acting I have seen in years. The story captured my attention and I was riveted to my seat watching it. The performances of Maggie Smith and Pamela Franklin where Sandy exposes Jean are superb beyond words. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to enjoy a great story and fabulous acting. All the actors/tresses did a wonderful job. This is a definite to anyone's collection who enjoys good cinema and fabulous acting. June 16, 2008

The Blanche Dubois of School Teachers

Wonderful performance by Maggie Smith. Talk about a woman who struts her stuff. You wonder how people can actually live and breath their own BS, but Maggie Smith pulls it off beautifully in this movie without flinching. From the beginning to the very end, Jean Brodie holds her ground even with reality thrown squarely in her face. And she does it with the guiltless flair that only Scarlet O'Hara can admire.

For you aspiring actors out there, this is the movie to watch in terms of immersing yourself into your characters. March 26, 2008

Maggie Smith's Biggest Role and Oscar Victory

I cannot improve on the reviews I have already read about The Prime of Miss Brody. This film is Maggie Smith's masterpiece and the support cast greatly complements her performance. The Edinburough setting in the 1930's also adds to the appeal of the film. Jean Brody is both the heroin and the villian of this play converted to film. We both admire and disapprove of her. Jean Brody is both aware but very ignorant of life at the same time. This causes her to be both creative and destructive toward others and to herself too. But I love her character and I regret her downfall at the conclusion by the rigidly puritanical environment
she inhabits.

Maggie Smith remains a treasure of both stage and screen and we need to value her as so many of us do. February 26, 2008

One of the greatest performances of its era

I seldom write reviews here but this picture deserves it. Maggie Smith's performance is so mesmerizing that I can safely say this is the only DVD that I own exclusively FOR a performance. As others have noted, the way Smith captured the complexity of this character saved what would otherwise have been a far more forgettable film. The portrayal of grand self-delusion, elegantly masked by poise and archness, makes every scene with her a little gem. Miss Jean Brodie, in her prime, is unforgettable.

December 7, 2007

More reviews at Amazon.com ...