Notes on a Scandal (2006)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Richard Eyre

Writers (WGA):

Patrick Marber (screenplay)
Zoe Heller (novel)

Release Date:

5 January 2007 (Canada)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

One Woman's Mistake Is Another's Opportunity...

Plot:

A veteran high school teacher befriends a younger art teacher, who is having an affair with one of her 15-year-old students. However, her intentions with this new "friend" also go well beyond platonic friendship.

Plot Keywords:

Teacher | Student | Art Teacher | Writing | Cat

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 35 nominations

Cast

Judi Dench	...	Barbara Covett
Cate Blanchett	...	Sheba Hart
Tom Georgeson	...	Ted Mawson
Michael Maloney	...	Sandy Pabblem
Joanna Scanlan	...	Sue Hodge
Shaun Parkes	...	Bill Rumer
Emma Kennedy	...	Linda
Syreeta Kumar	...	Gita
Andrew Simpson	...	Steven Connolly
Philip Davis	...	Brian Bangs (as Phil Davis)
Wendy Nottingham	...	Elaine Clifford
Tameka Empson	...	Antonia Robinson
Leon Skinner	...	Davis
Bill Nighy	...	Richard Hart
Juno Temple	...	Polly Hart

Also Known As:

Chronique d'un scandale (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Escándalo (Argentina) (Venezuela) [es]
Ühe skandaali märkmed (Estonia) [et]
Aru sukyandaru no oboegaki (Japan) [ja]
Diario de un escándalo (Spain) [es]
Diario di uno scandalo (Italy) [it]
Imerologio enos skandalou (Greece) [el]
Notas Sobre um Escândalo (Brazil) [pt]
Notatki o skandalu (Poland) [pl]
Paljastavat merkinnät (Finland) [fi]
Skandal (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Tagebuch eines Skandals (Germany) [de]

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some aberrant sexual content.

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | SDDS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Singapore:M18 | UK:15 | Ireland:16 | Australia:MA | Netherlands:12 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-15 | Argentina:16 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/16 (Qualidade) | South Korea:18 | Malaysia:18PL (DVD) | Japan:R-15 | New Zealand:M

Filming Locations:

Cavendish Hotel, Grand Parade, Eastbourne, East Sussex, England, UK

Company:

Fox Searchlight Pictures

Trivia:

Cate Blanchett and Bill Nighy have both appeared in productions of The Lord of the Rings. Blanchett played Galadriel in the Peter Jackson films, while Nighy played Sam Gamgee in the BBC Radio broadcast. Both productions also featured Ian Holm.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Sheba is rampaging through Barbara's house in search of her journal, you can see a crew member in the mirror behind her as she goes to sit.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Barbara Covett: [voiceover of Barbara writing in her diary] People trust me with their secrets. But who do I trust with mine? You, only you.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 79th Annual Academy Awards (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Funky Kingston

Brill, Dark, Witty....and "Marvelously Judi Dench/Cate Blanchett"

NOTES ON A SCANDAL is a Judi Dench "triumph" of brilliant wit, pain and a satanic passion for a woman out of reach in Cate Blanchett. Her "Judas" to her supposed friend and fellow teacher is an acting performance which will land Ms. Dench right back in "Oscar country". Too bad it is in the same year as Helen Mirren's magnificent "Queen" as Dench gives a show here in NOTES ON A SCANDAL that leaves you quite breathless to the last and final scene and fade out.

Patrick Marber delivers a deliciously wicked, witty and crisply written script in NOTES, and it only enhances his reputation for giving an audience a story well developed and with characters that you can't take your eyes off on the screen. His writing in CLOSER was so brilliant and clever, but in NOTES ON A SCANDAL he hands Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett words that are zingers and with a strong blend of anger, pain and humor. Please, Patrick, gives us another film quickly! The "teacher/student" romance was well developed and the chemistry between the two actors was believable and very sexual, and one could understand the youthful passion delivered by a young man with a strong mind and body. I did at times have to listen carefully to the young actor's lines, but he delivered them like a pro.

In the weeks ahead, I anticipate a "roar from the crowd" for this very dark and witty Judi Dench performance and who knows, she may upset "The Crown" in the end come Oscar time.