In recent years Dame Maggie Smith (1934–2024) was perhaps best known for her portrayals of the Dowager Countess on the British period drama Downton Abbey and Professor Minerva McGonagall in the highly entertaining Harry Potter movies. But her storied acting career spanned decades and she turned in brilliant performances on both stage and screen. Here’s a chronological selection of the famed actor’s screen work available from the library, on DVD or Kanopy.
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969, DVD) — A teacher in a 1920s Scottish girls’ school captivates her students with her fascist ideals and free-thinking attitude. Based on the novel by Muriel Spark.
Travels with My Aunt (1972, Kanopy) — When Augusta sees her nephew, Henry, at her sister’s funeral, the grand old dame with a wicked past sweeps stuffy young Henry into her exotic life as they travel from London to Paris, Istanbul to Operto in search of her long-lost—and possibly fictitious—lover. Based on the novel by Graham Greene.
Death on the Nile (1978, Kanopy) — As inspector Hercule Poirot enjoys a luxurious cruise down the Nile, a newlywed heiress is found murdered on board. Can Poirot identify the killer before the ship reaches the end of its journey? Based on the Agatha Christie novel.
A Room with a View (1986, DVD | also available on Kanopy) — The affections of a young, independent-minded, upper-class Edwardian woman are divided between an enigmatic free spirit she meets on vacation in Florence and the priggish bookworm to whom she becomes engaged back in Surrey. Based on the novel by E. M. Forster.
Gosford Park (2002, DVD) — Drama set at the country estate of Sir William McCordle in 1932, showing the lives of upstairs guests and downstairs servants at a hunting party weekend when one of the group is murdered.
My House in Umbria (2003, DVD) — Based on the novella by William Trevor, this is a charming, evocative drama about a group of travelers in Italy who find solace and friendship after being thrown together by tragedy. Nominated for 9 Emmy Awards.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012, DVD) — When seven cash-strapped seniors decide to ‘outsource’ their retirement to a resort in far-off India, friendship and romance blossom in the most unexpected ways.
Quartet (2013, DVD | also available on Kanopy) — The rumor circling the halls of Beecham House, home for retired musicians, is that a new resident is a star. Reginald, Wilfred, and Cecily are in for a special shock when the new arrival turns out to be none other than their former singing partner, Jean. Her subsequent career as a star soloist, and the ego that accompanied it, split up their long friendship and ended her marriage to Reggie, who takes the news of her arrival particularly hard.
The Lady in the Van (2016, DVD) — Based on the true story of the relationship between actor and author Alan Bennett and Miss Shepherd, a woman of uncertain origins who ‘temporarily’ parked her van in Bennett’s London driveway and proceeded to live there for fifteen years.
