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The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie [1969] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review
Maggie Smith is so witty and commanding in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie that you might forget 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 (she exalts the Mona Lisa and Mussolini with equal fervour), a cultivator of worshipping "Brodie Girls". Smith's expert playing makes many of the brogue-heavy Brodie-isms worth memorising ("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 1960s than the 30s. --Robert Horton
Forsooth! A great film
Review date: 2007-08-15 Rating: 10 out of 10
Normally I'd be cross with a film that takes such liberties with the novel it's based on, but for once I'll forgive Jay Presson Allen (who wrote the play and screenplay) since it can't have been an easy job. For what it's worth, what happens in the film doesn't really happen in the book. The characters are all mixed up, new bits are invented, and the ending is completely different.
But never mind. The new ending is dramatically effective, if not faithful.
Central to the movie is Maggie Smith's oscar-winning performance and it's everything it's cracked up to be. You'll soon wish you'd said half the things she says. You may even find yourself noticing people who bid you good morning with predestination in their smiles, or making disparaging comments about chrysanthemums.
For me, a problem with the movie is that I so enjoy Miss Brodie in her prime, that when she starts to move past her prime, it's a bit of a blow, so the ending is rather sad, though somewhat inevitable.
The film moves forward in time, and the girls do a great job of being both very little girls and quite mature girls. The whole cast does a terrific job.
It's a 1969 film, so not exactly progressive in its production, but there's a charm to the way the film is set and threaded together, though the school is too obviously for me a stage set.
The DVD has a few theatrical trailers and a commentary by the director and the actress who plays Sandy.
All in all, a very enjoyable film you can watch many times (as I have). Which makes it a great puzzle it's only available on region 1.
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Reviews
"Give me a girl at an impressionable age..."
Review date: 2006-03-17 Rating: 10 out of 10
I rate this film as one of my top 10 all-time movies. Though quite different to the superb novel, for me it succeeds in all areas. Excellent acting & direction, and a very convincing recreation of 1930s Edinburgh despite practically all of it being filmed in a studio. I would also add a special mention for the haunting music. You end up feeling both charmed & saddened by the characters in equal measure. This U.S. dvd has very interesting commentaries (they are often very dull!) by the director & actress Pamela "Sandy" Franklin. It is just a shame that the sublime Ms Smith wasn't available.
"I am a teacher! First, last, always!"
Review date: 2005-12-11 Rating: 10 out of 10
Maggie Smith won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Jean Brodie, an unconventional and outspoken teacher in a stuffy Edinburgh girls' school, who encourages her students to be just like herself. Miss Brodie proudly says she is "in her prime," and expounds on the glories of a life full of passion and commitment. Miss Brodie is, in reality, a spinster, still sadly attracted to her unscrupulous ex-lover and often living in the past. She has a small group of students she is especially close to, but two of the girls take her instruction too literally, and this leads to tragedy.
Maggie Smith was so young and beautiful when she made this movie! She dominates the screen with her charisma and power. She tosses off many funny and memorable lines of dialogue with her delightful Scottish brogue, and delivers them with righteous indignation and withering glances. Pamela Franklin is excellent as one of Jean's disciples, and Rod McKuen's music is lovely. This film is a must for fans of Maggie Smith.
Miss Brillient
Review date: 2005-05-24 Rating: 10 out of 10
I watch this film every night before I go to bed. and always think 'what a fantastic film this is' love it and carn't get enough.
The Excellence of Miss Jean Brodie
Review date: 2004-07-15 Rating: 10 out of 10
This film is simply the 'creme de la creme'. Maggie Smith is superb as the teacher who fascinates and enchants her inner circle of students, 'the Brodie Set', and has the screen presence and acting talent to evoke entirely convincingly the character who declares 'give me a girl at an impressionable age and she is mine for life'. The film is witty and entertaining, and although not entirely true to the book, the quality of the acting, by the young girls in particular, more than compensates. Celia Johnson (better known for her starring role in 'Brief Encounter') is also excellent as the Headmistress Miss Mackay, whose aim in life is to rid her conservative school of the radical Miss Brodie. Among the changes in the film, however, is the foregrounding of Miss Brodie's interest in fascism and the effect that this has on the least intelligent of her set, Mary McGregor. Without giving the story away- and I would advice that people read the book so as to discover the true fate of Mary- the film's portrayal of Miss Brodie's destructive influence is perhaps somewhat exaggerated and disturbing. Nevertheless, the film as a whole is just as bewitching as Miss Brodie and a must-see for Maggie Smith fans.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Gordon Jackson
Pamela Franklin
Robert Stephens
Maggie Smith
Celia Johnson
Director(s):
Recording label: 20th Century Fox
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
EAN: 0024543119944
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Anamorphic, Colour, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC,
Release date: 2004-07-06
Universal product code (UPC): 024543119944
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Region code: 1
Running time: 115 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1969
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: French (Original Language)
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: Spanish (Subtitled)
Language: Spanish (Dubbed)