The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
(B+ or 3/4 stars)
'The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie', which is set in the 1930's, stars Dame Maggie Smith in the titular role as a charismatic & totalitarian teacher at an exclusive girls school in Edinburgh, Scotland. Ronald Neame directs, & the screenplay is adapted by Jay Presson Allen. Miss Brodie encourages her young students (or her "gerls") to follow their hearts & never lose their idealism. In her enlivened lectures, she imparts great excitement when talking about her favorite political figures, who just happen to be dictators(!) Mussolini & Franco. Ignoring the more mundane school subjects, & unable to keep the innermost details of her private life a secret.
Miss Brodie boasts about her sex life to her students, including a recent relationship with her artist lover, Teddy (Robert Stephens, Smith's real-life husband at that time), a married Catholic with kids who is unwilling to break up his marriage for Jean. Jean's favorite pupil, Sandy (Pamela Franklin), becomes quite the clone of her teacher; so much so that, in fact, she soon becomes a threat to her. Of course, it also doesn't help that she is determined to seduce Teddy away from her beloved Miss Brodie. The character with the most sense in this movie is Miss Mackay (a great Celia Johnson), the dour headmistress who has always been critical of Jean; realizing the sketchy influence she may have on her students, & making clear her disagreement over Miss Brodie's improper teaching methods. Melodrama ensues.
An interesting aspect of this story is that Miss Brodie 'supposedly' wants to teach her "gerls" to be like herself: strong, independent, & beyond conventional sexual morality. But in fact ... she preys on the insecurities of her students, punishes said independence, & rewards loyalty to her & to her personal plans. Sandy, by recognizing & then rejecting Miss Brodie's plans/actions, becomes her truest student: not only sexually adventurous, but also independent & confrontational. Brodie's ideals backfire on her. And the final scenes illustrate this quite well. So the film shows a real account of the way individuals can influence one another.
I enjoyed this film a good deal. That said, I believe that most of the enjoyment comes from Maggie Smith's larger-than-life portrayal & the type of extravagant character that she's playing. Her every move & line delivery is intoxicating, here. As the school's headmistress - and Jean's main adversary - Celia Johnson goes toe to toe with Maggie Smith in a number of dramatic scenes. And I liked Pamela Franklin as the treacherous pupil, Sandy. The script writing is just fine; as is the direction. I liked the small period details of 1930's Scotland. And quite a few dramatic/surprising scenes made me perk up in my seat. But I wouldn't call this a masterpiece. I was entranced by Smith's portrayal, but I have to wonder if I would have liked the film nearly as much without her.
Miss Brodie boasts about her sex life to her students, including a recent relationship with her artist lover, Teddy (Robert Stephens, Smith's real-life husband at that time), a married Catholic with kids who is unwilling to break up his marriage for Jean. Jean's favorite pupil, Sandy (Pamela Franklin), becomes quite the clone of her teacher; so much so that, in fact, she soon becomes a threat to her. Of course, it also doesn't help that she is determined to seduce Teddy away from her beloved Miss Brodie. The character with the most sense in this movie is Miss Mackay (a great Celia Johnson), the dour headmistress who has always been critical of Jean; realizing the sketchy influence she may have on her students, & making clear her disagreement over Miss Brodie's improper teaching methods. Melodrama ensues.
An interesting aspect of this story is that Miss Brodie 'supposedly' wants to teach her "gerls" to be like herself: strong, independent, & beyond conventional sexual morality. But in fact ... she preys on the insecurities of her students, punishes said independence, & rewards loyalty to her & to her personal plans. Sandy, by recognizing & then rejecting Miss Brodie's plans/actions, becomes her truest student: not only sexually adventurous, but also independent & confrontational. Brodie's ideals backfire on her. And the final scenes illustrate this quite well. So the film shows a real account of the way individuals can influence one another.
I enjoyed this film a good deal. That said, I believe that most of the enjoyment comes from Maggie Smith's larger-than-life portrayal & the type of extravagant character that she's playing. Her every move & line delivery is intoxicating, here. As the school's headmistress - and Jean's main adversary - Celia Johnson goes toe to toe with Maggie Smith in a number of dramatic scenes. And I liked Pamela Franklin as the treacherous pupil, Sandy. The script writing is just fine; as is the direction. I liked the small period details of 1930's Scotland. And quite a few dramatic/surprising scenes made me perk up in my seat. But I wouldn't call this a masterpiece. I was entranced by Smith's portrayal, but I have to wonder if I would have liked the film nearly as much without her.