The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

1969
AA
1h 56m

IMDb RATING

7.6/10

11K

YOUR RATING

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Coming-of-Age Period Drama Teen Drama Comedy Drama Romance

An eccentric teacher's romantic ideas about life and love impress her young pupils in 1930s Edinburgh, bringing her into direct conflict with the school's conservative headmistress.An eccentric teacher's romantic ideas about life and love impress her young pupils in 1930s Edinburgh, bringing her into direct conflict with the school's conservative headmistress.An eccentric teacher's romantic ideas about life and love impress her young pupils in 1930s Edinburgh, bringing her into direct conflict with the school's conservative headmistress.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.6/10

11K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 1 Oscar
- 6 wins & 10 nominations total

Trivia
The school desks had to be raised so that some of the girls wouldn't look as grown-up as they really were. In fact, one of the girls was a 21-year-old mother.

Goofs
Miss Brodie presents a slide show to the class. She tells a tale of how Dante Alighieri fell in love with Beatrice Portinari when they met at the old bridge (Ponte Vecchio) in Florence. Miss Brodie changes some of the facts of the Dante and Beatrice story, but in doing so she is relating the story (consciously or unconsciously) of her own failed romance with an older man.

Quotes
Jean Brodie: Little girls! I am in the business of putting old heads on young shoulders, and all my pupils are the creme de la creme. Give me a girl at an impressionable age and she is mine for life. You girls are my vocation. If I were to receive a proposal of marriage tomorrow from the Lord Lyon, King of Arms, I would decline it. I am dedicated to you in my prime. And my summer in Italy has convinced me that I am truly in my prime.

Crazy credits
In the opening credits, the principal actors are billed with their names under footage of themselves as the school day begins.

Connections
Featured in A Bit of Scarlet (1997)

Soundtracks
Jean
(1969) (uncredited)
Written and Performed by Rod McKuen
Played often in the score

User reviews104

Featured review

10/10

Maggie Smith does it again

I don't know about you, but every time I see Maggie Smith on the screen it's always a good sign to stick around for the whole movie. It holds true with The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. A rather slow-moving, at first, and quiet movie, it has a certain seductiveness to it that's just below the surface. As you watch the movie you can almost feel and see the emotions building up. Always at the edge and never missing a beat, Smith executes her role with absolute perfection and in doing so driving the audience insane. Pamela Franklin also comes through as a girl changes Miss Brodie's outlook on her and changes our outlook on Miss Brodie. Torn between rooting for her and hating her, and mostly you'll be doing the latter, Miss Brodie is a character with far less facets to her than one might expect. Only once again proving that trust can be misplaced and appearances can be deceiving.