Watch Maggie Smith’s best performance in Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

To be a master of sass – sharp-tongued as a dagger – and perhaps one of the warmest presences most of us can remember seeing on screen: that is Maggie Smith’s unique gift.

The impressive, accomplished actress died in London on Friday at the age of 89. Her acting career started at the age of 17 and never slowed down. She won two Oscars, four Emmys, a number of theater awards and the Dame Commander of the British Empire award. cultural contributions.

The final decades of her life and career harnessed this warm spice – like hot tea – and led to some of her greatest successes. Due to the timeliness of the projects, many people will remember them for their roles Downton Abbey and as Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter Franchise. They will fondly remember the plane rides they spent as a spectator The best exotic Marigold hotel and its sequel, which I think we screened together around the world as in-flight films.

She is one of the first actresses who left an impression on me with the one-two punch of her roles Hook And Sister law. (Watch her performance of “I Lie” as Mother Superior and applaud.) I echo cultural journalist David Mack’s take on OLDEST PERSON I’VE EVER SEEN. This movie came out in 1991!! She’s really adjusted to this era of her career.”

No one had a better perspective on this later career blessing than Smith himself. See it in this clip from the great documentary Tea with ladiesin which she and Judi Dench marvel at the longevity of their careers, with Smith lovingly annoyed by Dench’s demands: “If I may say so, you’re always asked first.” Cheeky. Warm.

But one of the nice things that happens after an actor dies is that people start posting all sorts of memories and videos of their favorite performances. In Smith’s case, I’m so glad that so many people are highlighting her Oscar-winning work The heyday of Miss Jean Brodie.

In the 1969 film, she plays a teacher at a Scottish girls’ school in the 1930s whose free-spirited passion for education becomes dominant when her romance collides with delusions and threatens her position.

If you haven’t seen the film yet, a particular clip has been circulating since the news of Smith’s death. It’s probably the scene that won her the Oscar. Fifty-five years later, it’s still fascinating. When she explodes at the headmistress who asks her to resign, she is both startlingly confused and completely in control. Anger erupts from her like a geyser, a monstrous eruption of emotion bundled into a breathtaking display of manipulation.

Check it out here:

“I’ve seen this so many times – every time I’m absolutely captivated,” one user wrote on X. “Every cell in her body is this charismatic, dangerous mentor. This film, this performance still resonates.”

“Such an amazing speech and performance: goosebumps,” another user wrote. Another fan summarized: “The definition of haughty,” followed by a crown emoji.

This could be a perfect summary of Smith’s gifts: the queen of pride.