So says Miss Jean Brodie (Maggie Smith), the effervescent teacher at an Edinborough, Scotland girl's school in 1932. Miss Brodie isn't making this remark because she is pompous, opinionated, or domineering---she's simply warning her charges not to take everything she says so literally, or basically warn them, like some cartoons do, "Do not try this at home". Miss Brodie's personality is obvious the moment she tells one of her new charges, "For those who like that sort of thing, that is the sort of thing they like." Yes, you could call her eccentric, and she'd probably agree. She's also very progressive, and that really bothers the imperious head mistress (veteran British actress Celia Johnson). At first, Miss Brodie seems well loved, and that she is, by her pupils, but it's very apparent that some teachers would like to see her go. Try not to laugh at the bird-like assistant to Johnson that delivers a message with such a lemon-puckered smirk, or the very butch gym teacher. This is a film filled with such wonderful little touches that more than a single viewing of this film is needed to devour everything.
The wonderful Maggie Smith, with her delightful voice echoing in your ears like a symphony, is radiant. There is almost a glow about her, and it is easy to see why her performance won the Best Actress award, and why more than 40 years later, she is still as beloved as she was during her own prime. She gives her character an authentic Scottish accent, and makes her believable and human even with her eccentricities and faults which are slowly revealed throughout the story. But these faults do not make her unlikable, more controversial for such a conservative (and ultimately dangerous) time. Her speeches on Mussolini are eye-raising for sure, and the outcome of her advice to one student is the tragic misstep that will bring her past her prime in a very surprising way.
All of the actresses in the student roles are excellent, particularly Pamela Franklin as the girl who changes the most. The final scene of Franklin walking out of the school with Miss Brodie's words from years before echoing in her mind is unforgettable.
The wonderful Maggie Smith, with her delightful voice echoing in your ears like a symphony, is radiant. There is almost a glow about her, and it is easy to see why her performance won the Best Actress award, and why more than 40 years later, she is still as beloved as she was during her own prime. She gives her character an authentic Scottish accent, and makes her believable and human even with her eccentricities and faults which are slowly revealed throughout the story. But these faults do not make her unlikable, more controversial for such a conservative (and ultimately dangerous) time. Her speeches on Mussolini are eye-raising for sure, and the outcome of her advice to one student is the tragic misstep that will bring her past her prime in a very surprising way.
All of the actresses in the student roles are excellent, particularly Pamela Franklin as the girl who changes the most. The final scene of Franklin walking out of the school with Miss Brodie's words from years before echoing in her mind is unforgettable.