Notes on a Scandal
Academy Award winners Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett give wickedly entertaining, Oscar-nominated performances - one as a woman consumed by her colleague's guilty secret, the other, a victim to her own dark obsessions - in this sexy, stylish thriller.
Dench mesmerizes as Barbara Covett, a teacher who rules over her classroom with an iron fist, yet leads a desperate, solitary life outside it. That is, until she meets radiant new art teacher Sheba Hart (Blanchett). Although at first overjoyed with her newfound kindred spirit, when Barbara discovers that Sheba is having an affair with a teenage student, her jealously and rage spiral out of control.
Also starring Bill Nighy, Notes On A Scandal "has all the right ingredients: lust, greed, envy, secrets, lies, betrayal!" (Interview)
Member Reviews
Well Done - Amadeus
Usually,I do not trust on that movies which are described as a duel of performances.It's interesting the idea of watching good actors in the role of antagonists,but,a lot of times,the result is false,exaggerated,shallow and very little credible.I think a film needs a lot of talent(and not a lot of fame)to make effective the premise of the film,without forgetting the story and not to betray the characters to make important the good work of the actors.Director Richard Eyre and his excellent cast did all the things I just mentioned in this great film called Notes on a scandal.Eyre is more known for making historical dramas like Stage beauty and for telling intimate stories,like he did in Iris.In the hands of a less talented director,Notes on a scandal would have been a bad erotic thriller in the style of Fatal attraction.Notes on a scandal tells,greatly,a dark subject and the thematic and narrative focus is put on the desires on the characters and on the intensity of their emotions...or frustrations.Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett have awesome performances,but we do not have to forget Bill Nighy on another brilliant performance.The work of this three actors is phenomenal and they can transmit difficult emotions on a very simple way.The script,based on a book,is excellent.The force of the story,the awesome performances and the brilliant dialogs make of Notes on a scandal,a great movie.Don't Forget This Lesson - CharleyJames
The joke goes "Authorities today indicted Grade 8 teacher Mary Smith on contributing to the delinquency of a minor for allegedly having sex with a male student. In a related development, the eighth-grade boys elected the blond instructor Teacher of the Year."
Notes on a Scandal offers the only intelligent account of such a disaster ever filmed, with a point of view that is somewhat gimlet-eyed but offered with no sentimentality.
That point of view, from the mind of a bitter woman named Covett (Judi Dench), observes the behavior not as crime or tragedy but as opportunity. Covett is a salty old pro teaching at an English school and poor Sheba Hart (Cate Blanchett) is the new art teacher. Covett comes to the teacher's rescue as misbehavior threatens to turn her class into anarchy. Covett, iron of spirit and petticoat, stops the outbreak with a few steely words, then takes the younger teacher under her wing.
We watch what we think will be a touching story of human weakness told from a sympathetic view but soon realize a cheesy uplift is not on the menu. All life, the film argues, is political in that it progresses from each according to his desires to each according to his power. And Covett has an agenda; she's not even honest with herself, much less us, about that truth, but she wants something from the young beauty.
The story isn’t merely of a scandal but of its utility, for Covett turns her knowledge of who's doing what to whom into leverage and attempts to get Hart out of the frying pan and into an especially hot fire.
One thing that marks the brilliance of "Notes on a Scandal" is the acting but it is just part of a larger issue: Its vision. I can't remember a film that sees the here and now more precisely, one that offers total believability in the tone and motive of its characters and then goes further, showing us a whole and completely recognizable world.Dench's Film - Stitch
which is a bit unfortunate for Kate Blanchett because she gave a fine performance as well. But when you examine the screen play in detail, each nuance of the older woman’s behavior is supported by adequate screen time, carefully related dialogue, and of course Judi’s excellent interpretation. Blanchett as victim is convincing and her reaction to betrayal outstanding. However, there was insufficient plot and character development early on to suggest why this intelligent mature woman (happy persona in all family scenes) would succumb to such stupid behavior. So she’s reduced to justifying it in dialogue later and it no fly...similar to an author ‘telling versus showing’. Which leaves us to intellectualize her motives rather than feel them.
Actually I’m surprised this fairly obvious shortcoming didn’t get picked up early on or why Blanchett didn’t raise a stink. Because the overall work in general is very very good. My bride was not impressed with Simpson’s teenager but I felt the combination of manipulative brashness with some later flashes of sensitivity were pretty darn accurate. At fifteen everything that moves is fair game, yet some of us do reluctantly develop consciences along the way. The supporting cast does not disappoint. In a minor role, I’d nominate Juno Temple as the daughter for special mention.
I left Bill Nighy to the last because he was simply outstanding, in establishing and reinforcing the characteristics of the family environment--which of course didn’t help us understand his wife’s actions. But that’s the problem of the screen play, not his performance. And when disaster strikes, it’s difficult to imagine a more realistic or sympathetic portrayal. His final scene at the entrance...subtlety worth the price of admission.
A very fine movie, for the mature viewer.
Member Reviews
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Well Done - Amadeus
Usually,I do not trust on that movies which are described as a duel of performances.It's interesting the idea of watching good actors in the role of antagonists,but,a lot of times,the result is false,exaggerated,shallow and very little credible.I think a film ...Don't Forget This Lesson - CharleyJames
The joke goes "Authorities today indicted Grade 8 teacher Mary Smith on contributing to the delinquency of a minor for allegedly having sex with a male student. In a related development, the eighth-grade boys elected the blond instructor Teacher of the Year." ...Dench's Film - Stitch
which is a bit unfortunate for Kate Blanchett because she gave a fine performance as well. But when you examine the screen play in detail, each nuance of the older woman’s behavior is supported by adequate screen time, carefully related dialogue, and of course ...