“The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie” won the Best Actress Oscar and British BAFTA Awards (Maggie Smith), and Oscar Nomination for Best Song (“Jean” by Rod McKuen).

While a relatively lean release when placed beside some of the previous Studio Classics titles, Fox' DVD of “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” is noteworthy for giving director Ronald Neame (now 75) a full commentary track. Aside from basic production aspects, the elder statesman also recalls being a cameraman during the 30s and 40s with David Lean, before become a director in his own right.

As a slight contrast, intercut comments from Pamela Franklin – herself retired from acting since the late 70s – offer succinct memories that cover her career from child actor to leading lady; when the latter stage was torpedoed by Hollywood's anti-TV “caste” system, Franklin switched to a life far from a studio spotlight, though she's still best-remembered for her horror work in “Hell House,” and screen debut in “The Innocents.”

Franklin's third person character assessment help sketch the time span of the schoolgirls, who age onscreen from 12-18; while the habits, peccadilloes and conflicts of the adult staff are affected by long bouts of complacency, Franklin's Sandy matures into a arresting, sexual creature, and plays a pivotal role in Miss Brodie's life.

“Brodie” also marks a major turning point in the ‘beloved teacher' sub-genre; from saccharine portraits like “Goodbye Mr. Chips” and the more polarized & piquant issue of forced retirement in “The Browning Version,” Jay Presson Allen's screenplay (adapted from her play, that was also derived from Muriel Spark's novel) brings a more ribald and emotionally layered expose of a respected figure, whose own arrogance ultimately wreaks substantial negativity on her students as well as herself. Some insightful comments (even archival) from Presson Allen about her play and the novel would have broadened the DVD's scope, particularly since the more lyrical (and accessible) “To Sir, With Love” remains a more iconic genre entry from the 60s.

Though dealing with a different social class and the British/Scottish schooling system of the 20s, “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” remains an excellent drama, and fans should be pleased with Fox' use of a really lovely print, and a transfer that retains Neame's deliberately muted colour scheme. Rod McKuen's melodic score is stylistically more evocative of the 60s, but effectively counter-punctuates the film's unnerving tone in the film's original mono and new pseudo-stereo mixes.

© 2004 Mark R. Hasan