Notes on a Scandal
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Movie Reviews of Notes on a Scandal
Movie Review: 2 lonely people, 2 different love affairs, all twisted and intertwined
Summary: 5 Stars
In a summer filled with movies, this stands out as an interesting and worthwhile one to watch.
Not only is the underlying novel well done, making both the plot and character development well above your average movie watching fare, but the questions raised and the dilemmas posed could have sprung out of today's newspaper headlines.
The plot is, at this point in history, an all to familar one. Pretty, young teacher has affair with male high school student, ruining both her life and career. It's this interesting double sexual standard we seem to have with regards to statutory rape, the older male is a leecher and pervert, his lover seduced and not responsible, the older female is oddly misguided and her younger lover-lucky to be introduced to sex by an older more experienced woman. But we never seem to question motives or try to understand them, it is just too obvious that the older male is a child rapist and sexual pervert and the older female just confused.
But the movie is far more than just a 35 year old married mother having sex with a 15 year old boy, it is the story of another seduction, an older woman manipulating conditions and worming her way into the life of the younger, a story of two lonely women. The primary thread is the women's story, the secondary one- the teacher and her pupil. It is told as a first person narrative, in the voice of Judi Dench, the older women. She is one of those rare actresses who has continued to have excellent roles as she matures and ages, in the midst of a culture that honors only youth, especially in women. She is too, one of those rare actresses, who despite being well know to her audience, through pure strength of acting skill manages to make you believe that she really is an old teacher nearly ready to retire, leaving you wondering how she could have fit that career into a life filled with the stage and films.
Her face and manner brighten the film and when posed next to Cate Blanchett's make a comparison of their ages and outward beauty obvious, yet she is still literally beautiful inside despite the thinning gray hair and deeply furred face. From the first moment of the film, where you see her writing in her constantly at hand journal, moving to the shelf with literally hundreds of thin different colored journals, representing a long and literary life, to the very end on the park bench overlooking the city, where she has sat with several young women and now sits with a new victim, she dominates the movie and her voice fills your head as she narrates her life for us.
I usually complain of too much sex or too explicit scenes or too much female physical exposure in the movies. This is the first time i can remember thinking that there was not enough explicit physical contact between the lovers. Something is lacking in the motivation of Blanchett's character to balance out all she has to loose with her affair with the male student. It needs to show a bit more passion, a bit more fleshly lust, mostly just hinted at here. This would make her betrayal of husband, family, school, career, and the law a bit more easy to swallow if she really was swept off her feet and thrown into the arms of fullfilled lust with a 15 year old. but this is just a small grip.
But the theme is loneliness, what it does to these two people, how it transforms and breaks their souls and their lives. The elder is a psychic vampire, consciously seducing and worming into the confidence and life of the younger, the younger a lost and tormented soul who despite being a good wife, a good mother to her down's child and a decent artist then an art teacher (these are her words in the movie) craves for more excitement, more passion, more aliveness. To be manipulated into the grips of the elder woman, who uses her affair to steer her life's affairs in the way Judi Dench wishes them to go, rather than any way she (Cate Blanchett's character) could ever imagine or desired, is to be caught up in an extraordinary and well laid spider's web.
It is interesting, leaves much to think about, doesn't even try to answer many of the why did she questions it proposes. But it challenges several of the common societal ideas we have about both older-younger sexual relations with both man and women and women with women. All in all a good solid movie and underlying novel.
Movie Review: Enthralling clash of hidden desires
Summary: 5 Stars
I watched this transfixed. I've never had any doubt about the acting ability of Judi Dench, or Cate Blanchett for that matter. They are both at the very top of their profession. But their work here just blew me away.
However it was not just their superlative acting that carried this film well beyond anything one might expect. It was the superb direction by Richard Eyre who spun out a riveting and emotionally moving experience from something that could have been ordinary: An unfulfilled wife of an older man is seduced by one of her 15-year-old students--or, properly speaking, we should say that she allowed herself to be seduced by one of her students. If it ever comes out, it will be a scandal to be sure since not only is she a teacher but she is a wife and mother. But the boy (Andrew Simpson) is mature for his age and rather clever and very persistent. And so she gives in and finds that she likes it very much, very much indeed.
Such banality, really, this might be. But all along this tale is being narrated by another teacher, a woman in her sixties, an old battle ax, as she calls herself. Judi Dench as Barbara Covett, spinster. Like the others she is interested in this new art teacher (Cate Blanchett as Sheba Hart), who is deeper than anyone realizes. From a distance Barbara watches her and takes notes for her diary. She is sharp and candid in her expression with a Shakespearean eye for the foibles of the people around her, whom she watches with consummate cynicism.
We are surprised at what happens next. There is a row in Sheba's classroom. Barbara appears and stills the row, and puts the boys in their place. One of the boys is THE boy. But we don't know that yet. Neither does Barbara. Now Sheba is thankful and now a friendship may develop between the mentor teacher, Barbara, and the ingenue, Sheba. And something to that effect is written in Barbara's diary, and it is here that we realize that she too has eyes for the new teacher.
And now comes the revelation of the affair between the boy and the woman, and it is Barbara who by chance spies them. Now the interesting dynamics of the personalities of the two women begin to show themselves. Barbara immediately calls Sheba upon the carpet, so to speak, and dresses her down. How dare you! I mean he is 15-years-old! Etc. Sheba who needs a confessor tells all, and begs Barbara to keep it a secret until after Christmas for the sake of her family. And now we find out that of course Barbara is certainly going to keep it a secret. This is in fact a wonderful development because now Sheba will be indebted to her. I will not tell, she says. Instead I will help you. But you must end it now. Yes, yes, thank you, thank you, Sheba says. And she does mean to end it, but...well the boy is persistent and she wants him.
The next development is very interesting, but I am afraid that I may have revealed too much already...
The denouement and then the finish are just so very well spun out. The scenes and the revelations come flying out in lickety split fashion, and everything is just so dramatically perfect. I have to hand it to not only the director but the writers--Zoe Heller, who wrote the novel, and Patrick Marber, who wrote the screenplay. The story, the splendid characterizations, and the sharp dialogue enthrall us. How delectable it must of been for Judi Dench to pronounce some of the lines. One is reminded of Nabokov's first person narrator in Lolita in the way that Barbara reveals her flawed and ultimately pathetic character through her own words. This is one of those scripts that make scriptwriters say spontaneously, "I could never, but never, have written it as well." Everything is set up so perfectly, and it comes spinning out in a most delicious way. Well, delicious for the audience. Not so for the protagonists.
Judi Dench has never been better and Cate Blanchett is as good as she was in Elizabeth (1998), which is very good indeed.
Movie Review: Notes on a Scanda, is a very BBC theatrical presentation for the big screen.
Summary: 5 Stars
Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench give the best performances of their respective careers (the subject matter is teacher/student sexual relationship) portraying these complex characters. These roles must have been difficult for Blanchett and Dench--in essence they were both sexual predators. Today, there is an ongoing crisis involving female teachers who are being accused, or convicted, of assaulting students. We have witnessed probably the best performance of a leading woman (Dench), and a supporting actress (Blanchett) in any movie that we have seen for 2006.
Sheba Hart (Cate Blanchett) is a new art teacher that has joined the faculty at a British High school. Barbara (Judi Dench) meets Sheba unexpectedly while she is trying to separate two students who are fighting--Barbara quickly resolves the problem. Shortly afterwards, they develop a friendship and Sheba invites her for dinner to meet her family--her much older husband, estranged daughter, and son who suffers from Down syndrome. Barbara soon learns that they are quite different from each other--not only age but socially as well.
Sheba invites her this time to a school concert where her son is performing but later that evening when Barbara is in the audience; she notices that Sheba is not there. Barbara goes to another location in the school building and discovers--by looking at a window--that she is having sexual intercourse with a student Steven Connolly (Andrew Simpson.)
When director Richard Eyre made this film--in late 2005--he knew that, the subject matter (a teacher/student sexual relationship) would be quite controversial. He takes this contentious topic and gives us a very BBC theatrical presentation for the big screen and does it in such a masterful approach with the cinematography (Chris Menges), the wonderfully composed musical score (Philip Glass), and most importantly the acting. Therefore, these attributes lead to great direction
When combining these three talented people one would expect a first class film--English theater at its best--with English dry humor, mixed in with situational circumstances. Eyre wants the audience to feel at ease that what we are viewing is just everyday life and this sort of affair happens all the time--especially in the minds of Sheba and Barbara. However, his direction goes much deeper. He wants the viewer to see--the underlining theme--both teachers as predators: for example, the boy is the prey of Sheba (she takes advantage of his innocence), and she is the prey of Barbara who takes advantage of her friendship and current situation--through control and manipulation. Therefore, Barbara preys on the guilt that Sheba is experiencing with the boy and her family.
The cinematography creates a wonderful mood of theater: from very charming houses to dark and tainted city streets-- especially the train yard and the places where Sheba and the boy have intercourse.
The Oscar nominated composer gives us a very minimalist style (emphasis on consonant harmony, if not functional tonality; and simple repetition) and this in return gives us a very theatrical sound--which adds tension and suspense to each new scene of the movie. The acting from the cast is fantastic and it is very understandable why they were both Oscar nominated. Both actresses are totally immersed in their characters, in which their families and their peers can not compete with the addiction they have.
This is a well-acted film that deals with a very controversial subject matter--teacher /student sexual relationship--the director explores the predator theme as well as the addiction of control and manipulation very effectively. We recommend this movie for the following reasons: acting, musical score, cinematography, and the direction of this film. This is a must see film before Oscar night.
Movie Review: Chilling
Summary: 5 Stars
This is yet another example of fine British cinema. What makes it so singular for an American like me is this is a movie that centers around two women, where said two women have most of the screen time, and where the male characters are secondary. It proves in a most masterful way that movies about women can be complex, interesting, and every bit as compelling as movies that center around male characters. And with two such stellar actresses as Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett, how could the moviegoer go wrong?
This movie is a really wonderful and intricate character study. Though Blanchett's character sounds like she should be the villain, having violated one of the most sacred trusts the public places in its schools, Dench's character is no less menacing. What is truly astonishing about this film is how Blanchett's character comes out as more sympathetic in the end. What Sheba does is abhorrent but it is also horrifying to watch how Barbara tries her best to catch Sheba in her net. Though Sheba's actions are morally repugnant, she is not without a conscience and she knows that what she has done is wrong and that it will tear her family, her school, and her young lover's life apart. Barbara, on the other hand, is a textbook sociopath. Though initially enraged over discovering Sheba's affair, she decides to use it to her advantage so that she can back Sheba into a corner. Barbara doesn't care about the student and she doesn't really care about Sheba either. All she cares about is winning her prize. She is a ruthless predator.
Blanchett is fantastic as Sheba. She makes the character three dimensional so that the viewer can understand what has driven her to commit such a heinous act, though her reasons for it do not in any way excuse her actions. Still, it is really an experience to watch a film and see a villain who is multi-faceted and who reminds the viewer that all humans are fallible. She is a woman with a sickness, a woman who is deeply disturbed and who sets into motion a chain of events that she hasn't the least idea how to stop. Watching her life unravel is visceral and though she deserves to be punished it is still alarming to watch her walk right into the trap Barbara has set for her.
As for Dench, she is simply incomparable. Barbara is completely without feelings for anyone other than herself and she is incapable of understanding the pain of others. She is like a spider, slowly spinning her web and waiting patiently for her victims to become entrapped within her threads. Every scene that she is in is filled with such creepiness that it sends a shiver down the spine of the viewer. What is worse, she has established a pattern of behavior and suffers no consequences because of it. In this way, the film poses another interesting moral question. That people like Barbara exist is undeniable and that they get away with their actions goes without saying. While society certainly needs to protect itself from those whose crimes are transparent, what about those of someone like Barbara, who quietly set about destroying the lives of others.
Hollywood needs to take a hint from British cinema. If you take a strong story with interesting characters and cast formidable actors in the lead roles, people will not only see the movie, they will absorb it. Since this film is entirely devoid of explosions and high-speed chases, however, I will assume that Hollywood won't be emulating it any time soon. In that case, I will continue to look to the British filmmakers.
Movie Review: "WE'RE NOT LIKE THAAAT!!!!" SAID MY AUNTS.
Summary: 5 Stars
They watched NOTES ON A SCANDAL at the movies and freaked out! The performances were so well done my aunts were pulled into it. They're in their 60s and 70s. They sat in the theater afterwards and tried to analyze the movie and find its faults. They were sure the faults were there but they were dumbfounded. Judi Dench as Barbara looked and behaved like the epitome of what every older woman does not want to be. My aunts rented the video and started a club talking about NOTES ON A SCANDAL specifically Judi Dench's performance. Then they found the "special features" on the video and started in on that based on what the director and actors had to say. They said and I quote, "Just because an older woman sits on a bench at one of the highest points in the city, no less, does not mean she is sad and lonely. She may be sitting there taking a rest, recuperating and milling over her three dead husbands, six children (and grands), missed child-support checks, lost loves and lost youth and arthritis. She may have lots of ghosts sitting there beside her from the past talking and laughing about old times. She is not lonely and she is not looking for another affair or relationship. I just hate it when people stereotype older women assuming they have to have a man or some children constantly around them or they are assumed to be lonely. If a woman has done all that well-enough she is not looking to do it again. She is not lonely."
They were going on and on about NOTES for a while. Then one of the grandchildren said, "The character was a old spinster. If she had ghosts sitting with her they would have been students." Everybody laughed. That was it. My aunts felt super-good after that. They felt they had given to their large families and many loves so they had a right to be tired but never lonely. There is too much in their memory banks for that. And, one of the aunts added,"I never thought that the high variety I've had in my life, you know--the stuff some people call promiscuity...would ever come to good use in my life but it has. I am not Barbara, thank the Lord." That character really threw them for a loop.
Then they got on the issue of sex, lesbianism and loneliness. They liked this movie and will likely look at it again and again over the years. Judi got them good. They can't get over it. They each said they have felt lonely lying next to the man they loved. They've felt lonely holding their own child. They said loneliness will visit at anytime including when one is alone. And, they said it is definitely a good life skill to learn how to enjoy one's self with one's self, all by one's self. It is good to learn how to have a good time no matter what.
That left lesbianism. My aunts are not against gays but they think even gay people would agree that they don't like the stereotype that when one is alone one is desperate and obsessive.
My aunts concluded that the script was missing something. The script didn't tell us about Barbara's past. Was she a gay lover when she was young? Had she ever had a gay life or was she simply looking for a young woman to be her friend or was she trying to replace her cat or was she trying to do some mothering. (Mothers can be obsessive too you know.) Or, she could have been off-the-track and obsessive.
Both my aunts like to journal. That freaked them out too. (smile) They've talked about publishing their secrets but they probably won't.
NOTES...GOES DEEP. ITIS GRIPPING.
--Margaret O