Most films that star Judi Dench tend to be very good and Notes on a Scandal is no exception. In this film which is based on a book by Zoe Heller, Judi Dench plays Barbara Covett a middle aged school teacher who has a quite pessimistic outlook on life and this doesn't change initially when new teacher Sheba Hart joins the school. Sheba Hart is a young fresh new teacher who, after the pressures of taking care of a young family and dealing with the increasing loneliness she begins to see in her marriage, takes on this new challenge as a way to escape her domestic pressures.
Barbara, a bit of a loner herself, is almost scathing about Sheba but when Barbara helps Sheba out with one particular class room crises, a tentative friendship develops, and Barbara begins to see Sheba as a possible close friend and ally. But we soon come to learn that there is more to Barbara than initially meets the eye and it's not all for good.
Sheba unsuspecting of this just sees Barbara as a friend and their relationship develops into what seems to be a strong bond, and all goes well until the day that Barbara spies Sheba in a scandalous situation which would be enough to destroy both her career and family. Although furious at first when confronting Sheba, Barbara quickly comes to the conclusion that she can use this situation to her advantage and commences to subtly do so.
However when things come to a head in one heated confrontation between Sheba and Barbara the result is an explosion which threatens not only Sheba and all she cares about but ultimately Barbara herself.
This film unfolds cleverly giving insights into the character of Barbara through her innermost thoughts via voiceovers of the entries she writes in her private journal and this helps to guide the dramatic tone of the film.
Judi Dench as always is great. The development of her character from a person who we think is a typically mild mannered school teacher into quite a sinister character combined with the fact that you are not quite sure what she will do next, is well handled and believable, and kept me interested enough to keep watching to see what happened next.
Cate Blanchett as Sheba again carries her part well as the young well meaning teacher who is silly enough to allow herself to get into a situation which has the potential to destroy all she cares about. There is a vulnerability to her character, so that although you can't believe the situation that she has wilfully got herself into, you still feel sympathetic towards her.
Although I prefer to see him more in comedy roles, Bill Nighy as Sheba's older laid back husband does a very good job and the range of emotions that he goes through in this film show why he is one of the great actors out there.
The supporting cast again did well and there was a good mix of characters ranging from Sheba's children played by Juno Temple and Ben Hart to the teachers and pupils in the school especially the superb portrayal of the character of Steven Connelly played by Andrew Simpson.
The music score is very evocative and effectively portrayed the tensions and overtones as the film progresses. I'm not familiar with most of Philip Glass's work but I know he also did the music score for 'The Hours' and as with that film he manages to add a certain something to the film by effectively matching the right tone of music to each scene.
I found this to be a really interesting film, which although not a thriller in the strictest sense had enough dramatic suspense to keep you glued to the screen. I would recommend this film if you are looking for a great drama with good casting and characters.
Cast Barbara Covett - Judi Dench Sheba Hart - Cate Blanchett Ted Mawson - Tom Georgeson Steven Connelly - Andrew Simpson Richard Hart - Bill Nighy Polly Hart - Juno Temple Ben Hart - Max Lewis
Director - Richard Eyre Music Score - Philip Glass
Disc Features Language Selection Language & Audio English English Descriptive Audio Directors Commentary
Subtitles English For The hearing impaired English Commentary
Scene selection
Special Features Audio Commentary by Director Richard Eyre
Featurettes Notes on a Scandal: The story of two obsessions Notes on scandal: Behind the scenes In Character with Cate Blanchett
Webisodes Judi & Cate Behind the scandal The Screenplay Judi Dench Cate Blanchett
A conversation with Cate Blanchett and Bill Nighy
Casting Characters On Set Love scenes
Theatrical Trailer
WWW.Fox.co.uk
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Soundtrack
Good
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Not applicable
Value for Money
Good
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