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 | Cat | Friend | Art Teacher

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

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 Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | 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:

BBC Films

Trivia:

Cate Blanchett, Judi Dench and Anne-Marie Duff have all played Queen Elizabeth I. Cate in Elizabeth (1998), Judi in Shakespeare in Love (1998) and Anne-Marie in "The Virgin Queen" (2005).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Brian comes to Barbara's house and they sit at the table, Barbara smokes a cigarette which in one clip has been smoked by a third, but in the next shot of her the cigarette looks like it's just been lit.

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 13th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Fit But You Know It

tense twisted story

Certainly a very stylish drama, riveting and brilliant, rising above the modern-day thrillers due to stunning performances of two very gifted actresses. It's both dramatic and funny, Judy Dench and Cate Blanchett are delicious and so talented that they turn a misanthrope cat and mouse game into a politically correct entertaining account. This strong emotional battle is not only something about teacher-student sex, it's also an obsessing blackmail. Without exaggerating it could be deemed "memorable", as revelations abound, tempers flare all the time and every single confidence is shared. Never boring and deep.