In association with

Notes On A Scandal [2007]
from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
starring Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett, Tom Georgeson, Michael Maloney, Joanna Scanlan
directed by Richard Eyre

Features:

• Anamorphic
• PAL

Editorial Review:

Gold stars to all for this taut psychological thriller based on Zoe Heller's novel that that gets more insidiously twisted as it unfolds. Oscar-nominated for her chilling performance, Dame Judi Dench gives a master class as schoolteacher Barbara Covett, a frumpy, friendless, and flinty spinster who lives with her cat. A formidable presence, Barbara is standoffish with colleagues and not one for students to trifle with (not that they'd dare). Cate Blanchett, also an Oscar nominee and winner of several critics society awards for her impassioned performance, costars as Sheba Hart, the new, overwhelmed art teacher who first becomes enthrall to Barbara after she steps in to help Sheba discipline unruly students. Barbara cultivates a friendship, and insinuates herself into Sheba's chaotic life, which includes her older husband (Bill Nighy), teenage daughter, and a son with Down's syndrome. Then, Barbara catches the reckless Sheba in a compromising position with a 15-year-old student (Andrew Simpson). Seizing her opportunity, the calculating Barbara does not turn her in. Rather, she wants to "help" her. "She's the one I've been waiting for," she writes in the journals she meticulously keeps, and which provide, in voiceover, her corrosive commentary. This all sounds very Fatal Attraction, but no boiling rabbits, please; we're British. Philip Glass's Oscar-nominated score accentuates the growing menace. Though there is little in these characters to admire, (one would think GLAAD would have something to say about the predatory turn Barbara's character takes), Notes on a Scandal is a compelling tour-de-force for its Grade-A cast. --Donald Liebenson

Dame Judi Dench and Kate Blanchett face off with searing performances in this riveting tale of obsession and desire. Based on the novel by Zoe Heller, NOTES ON A SCANDAL is the story of Barbara Covett (Dench), a hard-nosed spinster schoolteacher, and her poisonous friendship with fellow teacher Sheba Hart (Blanchett). When the young and beautiful Sheba shows up as the new art instructor, everyone is charmed by her, including the embittered Barbara. Barbara is thrilled when her lonely life is shaken up by Sheba's overtures of friendship, as Sheba invites her to share in family dinners, and opens up to her about her marital troubles and personal longing. Barbara narrates her own feelings of longing to us from her meticulous diaries, and it becomes increasingly clear that her take on the friendship is uncomfortably intense, if not borderline delusional. Things reach a fever pitch when Barbara happens upon Sheba dallying in the art room with a 15-year-old student. She tells Sheba that she must end the affair at once, but decides not to report her to the school, and instead, to use her knowledge of the indiscretion to draw Sheba closer to her, and put her in her debt. But when Barbara's demands on Sheba become too high, things soon unravel, setting off a chain of events that will leave viewers chewing their nails to the quick, but unable to tear their eyes away. Both Blanchett and Dench are dazzling to watch as they deftly handle the barbed wit of Patrick Marber's screenplay. Directed by Richard Eyre of the Northern Theatre of London, and with a score by Philip Glass, NOTES ON A SCANDAL takes what could serve as mere tabloid fodder and plays it out on the level of Shakespearean tragedy.

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0

• Notes on 'Notes On A Scandal'
  I resisted seeing - or indeed even reading about - `Notes on a Scandal', as I had wrongly assumed it was the kind of tasteful, Oscar-baiting `Quality British Drama' that I loathe. With Cate Blanchette in tow, I thought I could smell theatre-honed, BAFTA-approved method acting a mile off. In fact, thematically and stylistically, it is nothing of the kind. Tellingly made by theatre director Richard Eyre, it is so cynical at heart that it comes across more like a satirical play than a drama. I don't know the... more info

• A sordid and emotionally dishonest film
  I found this film sordid,depressing,emotionally dishonest and odious. Apart from Polly (Juno Temple, excellent as usual) and Max Lewis as her brother Ben, no-one in the film is likeable; everyone else is selfish, appetitic and ultimately boring. It is not believable that Cate Blanchett's character would fall for a totally charmless 15-year-old yobbo whose idea of romance is sending her obscene texts. As for Judy Dench's character Barbara, ultimately she is just a cliched lonely spinster with dark motives,... more info

• Notes on a scandal
  As expected with a cast of Judi Dench and Cate Blanchet, very easy film to watch. The film kept your attention throughout. Would recommend to all.

• Not brilliant and not bad!
  Film was ok. Cate Blanchet and Judy Dench excellent but the Philip Glass score was abysmal and far too loud. I turned off the surround sound and it was still too loud. Real enjoyment of the film was ruined.

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