Dame Maggie Smith won the first of her two Oscars playing a determinedly romantic 1930s schoolteacher in British director Ronald Neame's (Tunes of Glory) 1969 The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, based on Muriel Spark's bestselling novel. A slave to ideals, Miss Brodie is a charismatic, passionate mentor to her worshipful girl students, who hang on her every word about living life to the fullest without apology. But Miss Brodie's enthusiasms are diverse to say the least: she cherishes both Italy's art and its Fascist government, and she's less than discreet when it comes to talking about her sexual entanglements. Smith, who is indeed wonderful in the lead, is joined by Pamela Franklin, playing a student who follows Brodie's example and then blows the whistle on her heroine, and Smith's then real-life husband, the late Robert Stephens, as Brodie's married lover. Boasting an excellent DVD transfer, this entry in the Fox "Studio Classics" line also features a sharp commentary track by Neame and Franklin. Recommended. (T. Keogh)
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
Fox, 116 min., PG, DVD: $14.98 Volume 19, Issue 6
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
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