tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post5217094903968777484..comments2024-03-29T01:11:38.129-07:00Comments on DREAMS ARE WHAT LE CINEMA IS FOR...: THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE 1969Ken Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-54333627048961182372024-03-13T04:14:10.714-07:002024-03-13T04:14:10.714-07:00Exactly. That trope has becomes almost standard wh...Exactly. That trope has becomes almost standard when it comes to films set in schools. BRODIE stands out for many reasons, but one of the reasons I seldom thought about until you brought it up is that it is a thoughtful and welcome departure from the romanticized clichés we tend to get with teacher/student dramas.<br />Nice to hear you're a fan of the film, and I thank you for reading this post and contributing a comment. Cheers!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-52621054292262647062024-03-12T23:37:29.486-07:002024-03-12T23:37:29.486-07:00I'm a fan too, the film is highly unique, most...I'm a fan too, the film is highly unique, most school films deal with bad students becoming angelic due to a heroic teacher.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-1672484085644633332022-10-13T09:57:20.911-07:002022-10-13T09:57:20.911-07:00Thanks so much for that bit of research! I had no ...Thanks so much for that bit of research! I had no idea about the 2006 Cynthia Nixon production, which I was able to read a bit about at Newspapers.com. I might add a note about it to this post, as major productions of this show seem to be so rare. And of course, I wonder how they handled the "assassin" finale! <br />That's an interesting review quote, too. As I can imagine that there are as many ways of approaching the character of Jean Brodie as there are actresses. However, when I read the play and book, all I was ever able to envision was Maggie Smith as Jean. She's ideal to me.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-16151942340242078282022-10-13T06:06:29.107-07:002022-10-13T06:06:29.107-07:00The play was mounted in New York a few years ago w...The play was mounted in New York a few years ago with Cynthia Nixon, certainly an accomplished actress. (Well, I see it was 2006.) Apparently she toned down the extravagance of the character. Maybe that was a mistake. The reviews were not good. This from one "Margo Channing": Nixon tends to convey flinty, grounded intelligence, her warmth and humor nestled behind a circumspect veneer. Those qualities were deftly applied in her Tony-winning turn last season in "Rabbit Hole," but they don't fit flawed, fanciful Jean Brodie. Thus it's perhaps unsurprising that Nixon rarely connects with the character, whom she misreads as an excited rather than exciting woman." Still, I'm sorry I missed the opportunity. John Fitzpatrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10543705787191424954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-13518686966710930842022-10-12T22:41:11.697-07:002022-10-12T22:41:11.697-07:00Hi John - I listened to that commentary and that a...Hi John - I listened to that commentary and that artistic conflict between Maggie & director intrigued me, too. Especially his Neame's gracious admission that perhaps Smith was right. It's a very powerful moment, as is. I'd never thought to wonder how the moment was handled in the stage production, but now I'm very curious about it.<br />In all these years I've never heard of the play being mounted anywhere in the U.S.<br /><br />Thanks for mentioning the Academy Award acceptance clip! I was so surprised to see the actress accepting for Maggie Smith was Alice Ghostly! A TV comic actress I recall from my childhood (episodics, The Julie Andrews Show, and perhaps most famously as Esmerelda on "Bewitched"). My mind spins wondering how she came to be the one selected to pick up the Award. I know she has a background in the American stage, but I would never imagine she and Smith would cross paths, let alone become friends. And what a funny (but perhaps understandable) error in thanking the film's director by saying the name of the film's producer. As you say, at least Neame wasn't there.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-71026733014605066272022-10-12T07:41:20.253-07:002022-10-12T07:41:20.253-07:00"was totally blown away by the final “assassi..."was totally blown away by the final “assassin assassin”. Such a powerful scene." Ronald Neame's commentary identifies this moment as the only major disagreement between director and star. He and producer Robert Fryer wanted a big ending for the scene and devised a theatrical rush to the balcony with shout and echo and zoom projecting the word literally onto Sandy's departing figure. Smith wanted it to be quieter but yielded in the end. Neame later came to think Maggie was right. I wonder how the play handles this. <br /> Incidentally, there's a clip of Smith's Oscar presentation. She was absent, presumably on the London stage, and a friend (not famous) accepted for her, briefly thanking "my wonderful director" -- Robert Fryer! Just an accident, I imagine. The award was likely unexpected. At least Neame wasn't present, though he certainly would have deserved a nomination. John Fitzpatrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10543705787191424954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-79969842325384296182022-10-08T17:58:22.531-07:002022-10-08T17:58:22.531-07:00Hello, John
Thank you for adding more thoughtf...Hello, John <br />Thank you for adding more thoughtful commentary and analysis to the JEAN BRODIE discourse here. And I’m with you in finding the character of Sandy to be of narrative significance in the story. She is indeed the character who experiences the most growth, as well as (ideally) being the audience surrogate and the one through whom the film's "lesson" is taught.<br />I remember as a kid seeing Pamela Franklin in a lot of episodic TV... little nothing roles that she nevertheless did a marvelous job with. General myopia where casting is concerned seemed to derail her potential (even as a youngster she seemed to get cast in a disproportionate number of "strange girl" roles and horror features), for she's remarkable in this movie and has shown a great deal of range when given the opportunity. <br />Thanks for bringing “The Third Secret” to my attention. I've never heard of it, but after looking up the cast, I'm sold. Thanks, too for the tip as to its online availability.<br />I'm glad you enjoyed reading this piece and got something from reading the comment contributions (aren't they great?). Appreciate your taking the time to add your thoughts on this terrific film.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-18629937690506511712022-10-06T17:01:27.117-07:002022-10-06T17:01:27.117-07:00I'm again revisiting this film, which I've...I'm again revisiting this film, which I've liked since 1969, and finding it richer than ever. The commentary here, yours and others', is the fullest and richest I've yet discovered. Kudos to all. Much of what I've been itching to say has been noted above. I now feel that the film is really belongs to Sandy. Brodie dominates the first shot, and Smith's performance has been rightly praised. But Sandy is the character who *develops.* The last shot is of her tear-stained face, showing us the complexity of her evolution. Her final confrontation with Brodie is a master class in acting and directing. Ronald Neame expressed justifiable pride in making this totally static scene work on film. What a pity that Hollywood failed to make use of the remarkable talent that Pamela Franklin displayed here. Incidentally, I was driven back to "The Prime" by recently discovering a movie that few people have likely ever heard of: "The Third Secret" (1964). It's a very interesting film in its own right, the relevance here being that Pamela Franklin, aged fourteen, plays a key role involving some very dark emotions. Fascinating to watch her developing from a child performer to an actress capable of serious range. The movie is currently free on YouTube and well worth a look.John Fitzpatrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10543705787191424954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-37903477865637769172021-10-06T05:07:47.376-07:002021-10-06T05:07:47.376-07:00That's a terrific anecdote! It's funny to ...That's a terrific anecdote! It's funny to imagine a teenagers playing Brodie and Mr. Lowther, doubly so imagining you delighting in the comic potential of the role. Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-7981141884927645822021-10-05T07:02:25.139-07:002021-10-05T07:02:25.139-07:00I played Gordon Lowther in my high school producti...I played Gordon Lowther in my high school production of JEAN BRODIE. This was in 1978, less than a decade after the movie came out. I had seen the film in my early teens, and my abiding memory of it was that moment where the girls hang Mary McGregor over the railing to force her to confess that she'd watched Miss Brodie making out with Teddy Lloyd, and then Sandy fondling herself from the back to imitate the lovers. That was the first clue that Sandy wasn't quite the prim girl in glasses she appeared to be!<br />Our director was a fan of the movie and bought a pair of round glasses for the actress who played Sandy. "I'm not wearing these! I look horrible!" She put them on the prop table and went out and played her scene without them. I don't know what possessed me, but I picked them up and put them on for my scene a few minutes later. As soon as a stepped out on the stage, the director started laughing. I ended up wearing them in the show. Gordon Lowther became comic relief. Somehow it worked.Kipnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-55589198027477172752020-08-04T13:49:53.526-07:002020-08-04T13:49:53.526-07:00Ha! Yes...Dame Maggie Smith can do more with one l...Ha! Yes...Dame Maggie Smith can do more with one line of dialogue than most any actress I can thing of.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-63511629213808131632020-08-04T06:36:58.460-07:002020-08-04T06:36:58.460-07:00And then there's this, of course, one of the w...And then there's this, of course, one of the world's more magnificent snubs, and delivered by Dame Maggie in a sort of Drag-Queen cadence that drips with the most deliciously-delicate venom ever heard in cinema history: <br /><br />"Chrysanthemums!!! Such serviceable flowers..."Rick Steven D.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-33448028709910737742020-07-19T21:44:02.451-07:002020-07-19T21:44:02.451-07:00Hi Rick
Thanks for such a well-considered entry---...Hi Rick<br />Thanks for such a well-considered entry---taking in your thoughts on the book, the characters, and its themes. All leading to your sensitive assessment of the film's merits and flaws. <br />I enjoyed the book a great deal, but I think you found a richer connection to the Catolicism/morality angle. I very much liked your last paragraph, referencing the scene in the film that I too think is a powerful one.<br />Thanks for bringing up the very amusing scene where Brodie is summoned by Miss Mackay. Although the line that makes me laugh more is when she actually arrives to the meeting on time but makes a point of rubbing it in that the unusually precise time request left her "...afraid I might be late, or early!"<br /><br />Thanks for this intelligent and contemplative piece on a favorite film. Your insights make this a welcome contribution to the essay. Cheers!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-42163597350268110972020-07-19T13:46:26.584-07:002020-07-19T13:46:26.584-07:00You left out the funniest line in the whole movie,...You left out the funniest line in the whole movie, Ken, when Miss Mackay sends a note, and then Miss Brodie reads it out loud to her class: <br /><br />"Dear Miss Brodie, I hope it will be convenient for you to see me in my office this afternoon at four-fifteen, Emily Mackay. Four-fifteen! Not four, not four-thirty, but four-fifteen! She thinks to intimidate me in use of quarter hours!"<br /><br />At first, I was a bit surprised at how strongly you emphasized the dark politic undertones of this film, Ken. Even Pauline Kael was rather dismissive of this aspect when she reviewed the film, saying no one could ever take Miss Brodie's fascist sympathies all that seriously. <br /><br />But having also read Muriel Spark's novel, your foregrounding the more unsettling aspect of Miss Brodie's character began to make a great deal of sense to me. And I believe it is absolutely central to the entire conception, in light of one very salient, all-important factor: Muriel Spark's Roman Catholicism. <br /><br />This isn't depicted in the film, of course, but the entire novel is framed as a remembrance by a now-adult Sandy from behind the grille of a convent, where she is now known as Sister Helena of the Transfiguration. As Sister Helena, Sandy has written a famous book about religious ecstasy, and when asked about her inspiration in writing the work, she states: "There was a Miss Jean Brodie in her prime." <br /><br />As a Catholic, Muriel Spark is always concerned with First Principles, which for any follower of Christianity means the operations of good and evil in the world around us. And in the novel, I believe Spark very beautifully depicts the very subtle beginnings of what would one day become Sandy's rather totalizing, full-on-mystical Catholic conversion, by having Sandy first becoming aware of the presence of evil in Miss Jean Brodie. <br /><br />Some say Sandy, in the book, actually has a vision of hell, in some of those depictions of the poorer quarters of Edinburgh that Miss Brodie exposes Sandy to. I think it's enough that Miss Brodie is associated with Fascism, both in her political affiliations as well as the in her actions within the classroom; since Fascism is, of course, only one step removed from the Nazi's and Hitler; and with Hitler himself providing the easiest shorthand for the entire metaphysical conception of evil that has ever invented, one even the staunchest atheist could appreciate.<br /><br />So your antenna were unusually sensitive here, Ken, thanks. As for myself, I agree with David Thomson that the role of Miss Jean Brodie is actually more touching than Maggie Smith's performance of it, much as I love the Great Dame. Thank God for the music, though, which really underlines the great doomed sadness at the very heart of this outwardly Peacock-spectacular schoolteacher. McKuen's great, haunting theme song, of course, but I also love that scene when Miss Brodie has to endure the sound of her former lover's singing voice echoing across the walls in a melancholy ballad, as she walks all alone down a dark, empty school hallway, likely the very last time she will do so. I believe it is one of the greatest scenes of pure emotional torture in all of film history. Rick Steven D.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-11305917874611569702019-12-03T21:25:49.746-08:002019-12-03T21:25:49.746-08:00I agree with you in citing PRIME as being an unusu...I agree with you in citing PRIME as being an unusual entry in the popular genre. It's definitely the only one I can think of which doesn't rely on the teacher being somehow heroic and ultimately triumphing.<br />Thanks for reading this and commenting, Joseph!<br />Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-3875338065663482112019-11-30T22:27:23.534-08:002019-11-30T22:27:23.534-08:00Saw this film in 1970 when it was double billed wi...Saw this film in 1970 when it was double billed with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid both films on their second go round and was much more captivated by Jean than by the empty Butch Cassidy. it's certainly one of the most unusual of the school days genre i.e. To Sir, with Love, Dead Poets Society, Up the Down Staircase, Stand and Deliver...with an idealized teacher who's a manipulator. Solid film all around. Joseph Kearnyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03360334357262197758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-28222106531958603762017-03-31T16:13:36.232-07:002017-03-31T16:13:36.232-07:00Hi Michael
Loved your appraisal of this film! When...Hi Michael<br />Loved your appraisal of this film! When I look at the ad campaign devised for its release, I can see that the very issues that keep coming up in the comments here (Jean's similarity to the "inspiring" heroine characters of films like Auntie Mame and Good Morning Miss Dove) made it a bit of a hard sell. <br />It's likely that many viewers, charmed by Maggie Smith's portrayal, failed to grasp what an unusual character Jean Brodie was.<br />From your recent viewing of it, the consensus seems to be that Brodie is a different woman depending on what age you were wen you first saw the film. <br />Your awareness that she gets everything wrong and underestimates people is, to my eye, spot on. He danger coming from being such a charismatic, influential figure in so many impressionable lives.<br />I especially like your appreciation of Pamela Franklin's performance. Her transformation is the most convincing (and as you note) startling of them all, setting up a perfect conflict for student/teacher. I think it's a very smart, fascinating film. Too bad I remained so indifferent to it for so long. I'm left with only guessing at what my feelings about it would have been as a young man.<br />As for "Goodbye Mr Chips", I think I'll settle down to watch it sometime when I'm in the correct frame of mind. So many of those post-Sound of Music musicals really benefit from seeing them as a child. As an adult I find that in many cases, if nostalgia doesn't take my hand first, snark most certainly will.<br />And the bad singing (or non-singing) in musicals is such a weird thing with me. like i have no problem with the sub-par voices of Redgrave and Harrison in Camelot, but i totally have a problem with the "Who the hell is that?" professional voices of Ullmann & Finch in Lost Horizon. A quirk of mine, I guess.<br />I so enjoyed reading what you thought of "Jean Brodie" and I'm convinced that the comments amassed here would certainly inspire someone on the fence about the film to seek it out. Great insights, all. <br />Thank you for your compliments about the essay and for your enthusiasm!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-90562307709864624962017-03-30T11:14:11.326-07:002017-03-30T11:14:11.326-07:00Ken,
I’m not sure how I avoided seeing this one o...Ken,<br /><br />I’m not sure how I avoided seeing this one over the years but thanks to your excellent write up I finally watched it and I’m glad I did. I think I thought it was another inspiring teacher movie. My mother, grandmother and brother were all teachers so I have seen nearly every movie ever made on that subject and I figured I didn’t need to see another one. Maggie Smith’s portrayal of the dangers of charismatic wrong-headedness is chilling. She is such an attractive, inspiring figure but does she get anything right? Mussolini and Franco are of course the obvious mistakes but who reads the story of Dante and Beatrice and concludes that the point is that middle-aged artists should sleep with teenagers? She’s an obtuse, evil Mr. Chips.<br /><br />And her misappraisal of Sandy is an epic mistake. She can’t see that Sandy is smarter, more passionate and more beautiful than the other Brodie Girls and describing her as just dependable is just about the worst thing she could have said. Pamela Franklin is remarkable in the role. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an actor use her hair and glasses to greater effect. It’s more than the “Miss Jones, you’re beautiful without your glasses” thing. When she takes her glasses off and lets her down she is dangerous. I honestly didn’t recognize her at first in the studio scene. <br /><br />I was fascinated to read the comments from your commenters who saw the movie when they were young. I love hearing about how the experience of watching the movie changes as you get older. When I was 15, Jean Brodie would definitely have seemed to be the movie’s hero, and a little later the bravery of Sandy would have been the character I identified with. Now that I am in my 50s and have had the experience of managing employees, I totally see Miss McKay’s position. You sure attract some good commenters.<br /><br />As for the musical version of Goodbye, Mr. Chips that a couple of people have mentioned, I suspect it’s one of those movies that is best when you see it when you’re young, like the musical Lost Horizon. It’s a lovely movie to look at, the songs are good but, man, Peter O’Toole is just wrong for the role. I just don’t get the casting of non-singers in musicals. Just because Rex Harrison managed to pull it off it doesn’t mean anyone else can. I understand that dubbing vocals is now deemed a sin but when it’s well done I think it can be very effective. Where have you gone Marni Nixon? Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you.<br /><br />And once again you did a great job on your screen caps. The “She always looks so…extreme” one is perfect. Once again, another great read that enhanced the movie. I can’t wait to see what you come up with next.<br /><br />MichaelMichaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-81100534907514310892017-03-19T20:56:29.939-07:002017-03-19T20:56:29.939-07:00Thanks for finishing up your comment (sorry about ...Thanks for finishing up your comment (sorry about the inability of the blog's cut-and-paste character limits) with the well-taken observation that movies serve very different functions in our lives and that is as it should be. <br />I particularly like the Vatican Tapestry analogy and how it relates to the phenomenon of changing perspectives!<br />Not every film needs to be profound, escapist, or emotional thrill rides; but I have to agree with you that films that continue to challenge after repeat viewing are rare and valuable birds.<br />I'm so happy that "The Prime of Miss jean Brodie" proved to be one of the latter for you. Happier still that you took the time and effort to contribute such well-considered observations and take-away points in this forum. <br />My partner read your comment, finding it really beautifully written. He will probably hate that I it just point to the fact that so many people who visit my blog always relay to me how much they get out of what is shared by all of you who take the time to comment. <br />So much appreciated, Roberta!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-47820596545140393862017-03-19T20:14:35.498-07:002017-03-19T20:14:35.498-07:00Hi Roberta
What a remarkable job you've done ...Hi Roberta<br />What a remarkable job you've done of delineating the "living" experience of film! There are those films which (usually due to nostalgia) never change for people. Example: never attempt to debate the pros and cons of "Hello, Dolly!" or "Lost Horizon" with someone who loved it as a child. They will ALWAYS see it through a child's eye.<br />But there are certain films, "jean Brodie" being one of the better examples, that "lives" and changes as we change.<br />Reading your comment was like reading a short story so beautifully do you take us through what each particular revisit to Miss Brodie's class teaches you about yourself and life. <br />I regret never seeing this as a kid because Iknow my older sister (who so often was the one who took us smaller kids to the movies with her) would have felt exactly as you did about Maggie Smith. She would have seen her as an Auntie Mame type (she adores Rosalind Russell) and would have been as shocked as you to find, in adulthood, Brodie to be indeed the "ridiculous woman" Sandy recognizes. <br />The stages of your life you associate with each maturing perspective is quite compelling. Thank you! Now on to Part II!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-51208729451687364382017-03-18T13:43:34.004-07:002017-03-18T13:43:34.004-07:00I love movies that have this affect on me. In the ...I love movies that have this affect on me. In the Vatican there is a hallway with medieval tapestries on the wall leading to the Sistine Chapel. As the line moves, the eyes of the images on the tapestries follow you. It's some sort of optical illusion, of course, but you can't quite ever get a steady perspective of the tapestry as you pass.<br />The next time I see The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (hopefully soon) I'm sure it'll once more seem different and new. Jean and I trading sidelong glances through the hallway of time, I guess.<br />There are a handful of movies I treasure for this quality; on some level I think I fear them as well. Like everyone, I can't wait to curl up with my comfort food movies (talking to you Rocky Balboa and Dolly Levi) and feel good. There are other movies that are just great thrill rides - Jaws, Frankenstein - that hold up over time.<br />But movies like The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie challenge me. What will it make me feel this time? What will I see about myself that I like - or don't - because of this movie? In a funny way, those are the movies I've come to seek out. <br />Something about each one of them has become embedded in my brain as a real memory of something I personally experienced. And just like real memories, sometimes they bring you joy, and at other times tears.<br />Roberta Stevenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-83668126132593627602017-03-18T13:41:50.165-07:002017-03-18T13:41:50.165-07:00Hi Ken!
Just as you noted in your essay, this is,...Hi Ken! <br />Just as you noted in your essay, this is, for me, one of those films that has affected me differently each of the three times I've seen it.<br />I was about 11 when I first saw it in the theatre. I was absolutely bewitched with Miss Jean Brodie. I thought Maggie Smith was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. The lushness of the colors - her clothes, the green grass, even the blueness of Pamela Franklin's eyes, were an almost painterly experience. I wanted to be Miss Brodie, have adoring fans, men fighting for me, and be the center of everyone's world. Sandy was a villain - a jealous, bratty girl out to hurt Miss Brodie. The whole thing was intoxicating to me. Even now, when I hear that song, I am transported to that dark theatre watching the girls in their uniforms on the grass.<br />The next time I saw the movie I was in college. I remember gushing to my girlfriends about what a fabulous romantic movie it was, and that we absolutely had to watch it in film class.<br />Then a funny thing happened; as the movie unfolded I had a discomfiting feeling. The movie didn't seem romantic to me at all. I felt sad for Miss Brodie. The beautiful cinematography, music, etc. was still there, but I couldn't believe I was watching the same movie. Instead of being a heroine to me, I was embarrassed for her. I had a bit more understanding of Sandy, but blamed Teddy Lloyd for her actions. When I burst into tears at the end of the movie, my girlfriends were stunned - giving me the "you thought this was romantic" look. The song "Jean" was no longer a love song, but a wistful love that got away song.<br />The next time I saw the movie, I was a divorcee and working in a high pressure corporate job. This time Miss Brodie made me angry. I'd had both my heart and soul scuffed up by life and had hard earned insight into being involved with a manipulative people (enter ex-husband and ex-boss).<br />While I could still feel drawn to her - that wonderful voice, those long arms, that walk - I kept wanting her to shut up. I realized how everything about her was just too, too much.<br />I also really grasped the terrible things she was doing to those girls. "Mary McGregor" - I can still hear it with Smith's Scottish burr - was killed because of this woman. <br />Both Stephens and Hudson were distasteful to me. What did she see in them, and why did they put up with her shit?<br /> I absolutely understood Pamela Franklin's Sandy. Behind those funny glasses and impertinent face was apparently the only person thinking rationally. Her transformation was what the movie was about for me, not Miss Jean Brodie. This time the song - while lovely - seemed disconnected from the story. If anyone deserved a song, it was Sandy. (Too bad Beyonce wasn't around then to pen an anthem for her!)<br />Roberta Stevenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-66498238406203209302017-03-15T00:37:56.372-07:002017-03-15T00:37:56.372-07:00Thanks for reminding me of this. I saw her in &quo...Thanks for reminding me of this. I saw her in "Suddenly Last Summer" but the other pieces do hold interest for me as well. Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-62240076884396126782017-03-15T00:27:12.282-07:002017-03-15T00:27:12.282-07:00Hello Steven
When i was making screencaps for the ...Hello Steven<br />When i was making screencaps for the film, the whole color thing struck me too (especially due to the scene whene Miss Mackay comments on Jean's colorful "frock"). <br />I think your response to the film's use of color is in keeping with its themes; Jean's vibrancy coming across as superficial alluring.<br />Your observation regarding the false iconoclasm of cruelty is especially apt in context with Jean setting herself apart but not really being philosophically any different from the oppressive forces she has so much criticism for.<br />And I concur with George tush (below) in stating that what you observe doesn't seem at all like you are building upon too much. My sense is that the film's color scheme is both intentional and essential, but even if it were not, I think it's more important that it spoke to you in a was as to enhance the film's point of view and themes.<br />That is the ideal and goal of cinema communication. <br />I'm with you in never really understanding Sandy becoming a nun in the novel. i always felt I overlooked something in her characterization. I like the film's depiction Sandy better. At the end, she make look like all the other Brodie girls, but her mind is her own, and she has acted in a way far braver than anyone else in the film.<br />Thank you for so thoughtfully expressing your impressions of your revisit to the film. Perhaps specifically for the reason you site (the way Miss Mackay/Jean brodie appear different to us in our youth) this is a great movie to revisit in one's later years.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-36482406715511059632017-03-15T00:11:32.001-07:002017-03-15T00:11:32.001-07:00You really are on a roll! So pleased to hear you e...You really are on a roll! So pleased to hear you enjoyed "Eve's Bayou"! I long ago realized it was a fool's game to ever anticipate others responding to a favorite film in the same way, but that doesn't stop it from being a welcome surprise when they do.<br />I too like how the children's roles are depicted and portrayed, and I am right with you in your description of Diahann Carroll as someone who "has spent a lifetime getting in the way of her own talent." <br />I've seen a couple of other films by Kasi Lemmons and none are as assured as her first outing.<br /><br />As you mentioned "The Honeymoon Killers" as one of your favorites (as it is one of mine), I recently watched the 1996 Mexican film "Deep Crimson" - what a marvelous and wholly different take on the same real-life characters. It proved a nice, if unsettling, surprise. Thanks, George!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.com