Based on the novel by Muriel Spark, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie stars
Maggie Smith in the title role. Smith won an Academy Award for her
delicately textured portrayal of an eccentric teacher at an exclusive
Scottish girl's school. Miss Jean exhorts her "gels" to follow their
hearts and never lose their youthful idealism. Unfortunately for her,
she also stumps for her favorite political figures: Mussolini and
Franco. In addition, she can't keep the innermost details of her private
life a
secret, and in fact
boasts about her sex life to her students.
Her prize pupil (Pamela
Franklin) becomes so much a clone of Miss Jean that she ends up a threat
to the teacher. Ultimately, Miss Jean loses her position, but not the
hearts of her students. The box-office success of Prime of Miss Jean
Brodie was due in great part to the popularity of the title song, as
recorded by Rod McKuen. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
