According to Muriel Spark’s novel, Miss Brodie sometimes took the girls into the Marcia Blaine school garden for a lesson. But it was a lesson and not a picnic. Neame’s school picnic of Brodie with her girls is his invention.
For the film, Neame and scriptwriter Jay Pressen make this “refreshment alfresco” symbolic of Brodie’s disregard for school decorum. Aware of the possible consequences, Brodie tempts fate. And when Sandy notices Brodie’s antagonist, the principal, Miss McKay, is watching them, Brodie waves at her. “I wonder how many more picnics we will be allowed,” she says, “before Miss Mackay thinks fit to patrol the grounds.”
This picnic confirms Brodie’s fondness for this group, known as the Brodie set: Sandy, Jenny, Monica, and Mary. She introduces them, one at a time, to Mr. Lowther, who has joined them, ending with Sandy, who she agrees is dependable. “These are the years of my prime,” she says. “It is important to recognize the years of one’s prime, always remember that.”
In retrospect, Sandy’s dependability is upended when she betrays Brodie to Miss MacKay—and Brodie is sacked.
There is an impressive array of picnicware and boxes with sandwiches and wine. As Brodie chatters, the girls nibble and drink tea.
Featured Image: Jean Brodie (Maggie Smith) is surrounded by her girls. Sandy Stranger (Pamela Franklin), Brodie’s betrayer, is far left.
See Muriel Spark. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. London: Macmillan, 1961; Ronald Neame. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969). The screenplay by Jay Pressen is a creative adaptation of Spark’s novel. Streaming: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lOF08n-M5M