Notes on a Scandal (2006)

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.

Director:

Richard Eyre

Writers:

Patrick Marber (screenplay), Zoë Heller (novel) (as Zoe Heller)

Stars:

Cate Blanchett, Judi Dench, Andrew Simpson

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 15 wins & 71 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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
Phil Davis	...	Brian Bangs
Wendy Nottingham	...	Elaine Clifford
Tameka Empson	...	Antonia Robinson
Leon Skinner	...	Davis
Bill Nighy	...	Richard Hart
Juno Temple	...	Polly Hart

Storyline

The bitter, cynical and lonely Barbara Covett is a tough and conservative teacher, near to retirement, who is loathed by her colleagues and students. In the loneliness of her apartment, she spends her spare time writing her journal, taking care of her old cat Portia and missing her special friend Jennifer Dodd. When Sheba Hart joins the high-school as the new art teacher, Barbara dedicates her attention to the newcomer, writing sharp and unpleasant comments about her behavior and clothes. When Barbara helps Sheba in a difficult situation with two students, the grateful Sheba invites her to have lunch with her family. Sheba introduces her husband and former professor Richard Hart, who is about twenty years older than she; her rebellious teenager daughter Polly; and her son Ben that has Down's Syndrome. Barbara becomes close to Sheba, but when she accidentally discovers that Sheba is having an affair with the fifteen year-old student Steven Connolly, Barbara sees the chance to ...

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Plot Keywords:

teacher student relationship | pedophile | sex with a minor | teacher | sex with teacher | 

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Taglines:

One woman's secret is another woman's power. One woman's fear is another woman's weapon. One woman's life is in another woman's hands....

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some aberrant sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Fox Searchlight [United States]

Country:

UK

Language:

English French

Release Date:

26 January 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Escándalo

Filming Locations:

145 Holloway Road, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,141,364 (United Kingdom), 4 February 2007, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,090, 24 December 2006

Gross USA:

$17,508,670, 20 May 2007

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$26,196,359, 9 April 2007

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Searchlight Pictures, DNA Films, UK Film Council

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

DTS SDDS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Cate Blanchett, Judi Dench and Anne-Marie Duff have all played Queen Elizabeth I: Blanchett in Elizabeth (1998) and Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), Dench in Shakespeare in Love (1998) and Duff in The Virgin Queen (2005).

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Goofs

When Brian and Barbara are sitting at her table, Barbara's cigarette has an inconsistent length.

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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.

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Connections

Featured in 13th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2007)

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Soundtracks

Fit But You Know It
Written by Mike Skinner (as M. Skinner)
Published by Universal/Pure Groove Music

User Reviews

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.