Notes On A Scandal (DVD)

Two women caught up in a drama of need and betrayal are at the heart of this psychological thriller, Notes On A Scandal. The twists and turns of the story are noted in the acerbic diary of Barbara Covett (Dame Judi Dench), a domineering and solitary teacher who rules with an iron fist over her classroom at a decaying state-run secondary school in London. Save for her cat, Portia, Barbara lives alone, without friends or confidantes - but her world changes when she meets the school's new art teacher, Sheba Hart (Cate Blanchett).

Sheba appears to be the kindred spirit and loyal friend Barbara has always been seeking. But when she discovers that Sheba is having an incendiary affair with one of her young students (Andrew Simpson), their budding relationship takes an ominous turn.

Now, as Barbara threatens to expose Sheba's terrible secret to both her husband (Bill Nighy) and the world, Barbara's own secrets and dark obsessions come tumbling to the fore, exposing the deceptions at the core of each of the women's lives.

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Notes on a Scandal is an attempt to make a Fatal Attraction type thriller for the art house crowd. With a cast that features two of today's best actresses - Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett - and a screenplay of uncommon literacy, the movie nearly achieves its aim. However, in order to propel circumstances to a conclusion, Notes on a Scandal relies upon a contrivance so ugly and obvious that it's impossible to ignore. This single glaring fault, which is even more evident considering how well constructed the rest of the movie is, damages the film's narrative flow and credibility.

Barbara Covett (Judi Dench) has been teaching at the same British school for decades. A closet lesbian, she lives her life in quiet solitude, with a cat for her sole companion. Then Sheba Hart (Cate Blanchett), the attractive new art teacher, catches Barbara's eye. The older woman decides to court the younger one's friendship, and does so successfully. They develop a comfortable companionability, and Sheba invites Barbara to her home to meet her husband, Richard (Bill Nighy), and her two children. Then, one night while staying late at school to watch a Christmas play, Barbara sees something she was not intended to witness: Sheba in the throes of passion with Steven Connelly (Andrew Simpson), a 15-year old student. Possessing damning information, Barbara considers how to best use it to earn not only Sheba's gratitude but perhaps more.

The film's structure is unusual. The first 30 minutes is presented in the first person from Barbara's perspective. This is accomplished by utilizing a running voiceover monologue and ensuring that Barbara is in every shot. The voiceover is full of observations and asides, and effectively dispels her grandmotherly image. By the time the movie switches to a more conventional third person perspective (dropping the voiceover except in rare circumstances and showing scenes where Barbara is not around), we recognize that this elderly woman has serious issues. She's also smart; what she has in mind isn't something as pedestrian as blackmail. Her plan is more manipulative and cruel.

WELL WORTH WATCHING

Rarely does a film capture a superb novel as well as it might, but this one certainly does. I loved the book for its utterly convincing and unsettling tale of obsession and manipulation, and was delighted to find that the film brought it all to life for me in a seamless depiction. Judi Dench is fabulous - as ever - proving what a gifted actress she is; elegant and powerful as 'M' in Bond, seamy and bitter here, with her tiny world and watchful jealousy. Cate Blanchett is suitably beautiful, dreamy and scatty, and Bill Nighy is simply wonderful as the devoted older husband. When his world collapses with the discovery of Bathsheba's stupid lapse, his grief is palpable and moving. It's not a pretty tale, but then real life rarely is. I loved this film and will watch it many times before its qualities pall