The significance of cinema
2 nights ago I visited the Odyssey to watch a screening of 'The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie', the 1969 film starring the late Dame Maggie Smith and directed by Ronald Neame. I had no clue when I sat down that I would leave that room with a new sense of self, perspective and liberation.
The Odyssey is an independent cinema which has been funded by various government schemes, such as the Culture Recovery Fund, as well as the local community by buying tickets.
They’re known for their one of a kind services that make watching films an entirely disparate experience.
The mastery of the film I watched, in combination with it being my first encounter with a cinema as luxurious and tranquil as this, ensured that I drove home in a state of peace, as the perpetual spin of film analysis swirled about my mind.
We began by finding our plush, red seats, indicated by the number on the candlelit table between them.
We then filled up glasses of water from the jugs by the bar, just a few steps behind the last row of seats, and ordered earl grey tea, chocolate covered raisins and popcorn.
All the options were neatly displayed on a laminated menu and the bartenders were more than happy to attend to our every need.
As we made our way to our seats we picked up some cushions and blankets from the stocked shelves and took in the scene.
A grand screen was delicately shrouded by an even grander curtain that was now being pulled back for our viewing pleasure to let the trailers roll.
An employee then took the stage with a microphone and gave us a summary of the film we were about to enjoy, honouring Dame Maggie Smith’s memory with kind words of praise and prepping the audience for two hours of enthrallment, laughter and contemplation.
As a result of this sensation, Smith won the Academy Award and the BAFTA for best actress in a leading role, whilst Celia Johnson won the BAFTA for best actress in a supporting role.
Miss Jean Brodie, a liberal minded history teacher in an Edinburgh primary school in the 1930s, subverts the curriculum and influences her girls with her overly romanticised world view.
In her life, there are two men and four girls, all of which either hold her to the highest regard, or the utter lowest, sometimes it fluctuates. Regardless, it seems such a strong willed and colourful woman could only inflict strong views about her character.
Whilst this film certainly couldn’t be made and socially accepted today, it gives the gift of insight and unwaveringly exceptional performance to our generation.
I am a student of film, which likely made it all the more fascinating for me, but I firmly believe that any person could’ve walked in there and felt the same way.
Whether they were changed for the better or for the worse, I assume they were changed for good.
