The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
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The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is a novel by Muriel Spark, first published in 1962. By far the best-known of Spark's books, it helped make her name as a leading figure in modern English literature.
It tells the story of a Scottish school teacher who gathers around her a group of young schoolgirls known as the "Brodie Set". Her manipulative behaviour with the girls and her sympathies towards fascist Italy between the World Wars lead ultimately to her betrayal by one of her "set" and the loss of her job.
It was adapted in 1969 as movie by Jay Presson Allen from her play based on the original novel. It was directed by Ronald Neame. It stars Maggie Smith.
The movie won the Academy Award for Best Actress (Maggie Smith) and was nominated for Best Music, Song (Rod McKuen for "Jean", which became a huge hit for the singer Oliver (William Oliver Swofford) in the fall of 1969).
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie was remade as a television series in 1978, starring Geraldine McEwan.