Review: Notes on a Scandal (2007)

NOTES ON A SCANDAL
(a film review by Mark R. Leeper)

CAPSULE: In this the strong and disturbing story of
two school teachers Barbara (Judi Dench) befriends
and subtly controls her Sheba (Cate Blanchett). When
Barbara discovers Sheba's indiscretion with one of
her students she is able to make Sheba her puppet
without Sheba ever realizing it. This is a real
departure for both actresses, each giving a furious
performance. Rating: high +2 (-4 to +4) or 8/10

I am writing this review just nine days after the death of Ian
Richardson. Perhaps his best performance and perhaps his best
known, particularly to the British, was in HOUSE OF CARDS and its
two sequels, TO PLAY THE KING and THE FINAL CUT. In these films
he played Francis Urquhart, a statesman who made a study of
looking innocent but all the while fighting as dirty as necessary
for power. In these series he break the fourth wall, making the
viewer his confidant as he gives a little course in how to be
incredibly unscrupulous struggling his way to being the most
powerful man in Britain. I am reminded of the HOUSE OF CARDS
films when I see NOTES ON A SCANDAL. Judi Dench plays an elderly
schoolteacher whose goals are less ambitious, but who is cut from
the same cloth as Francis Urquhart. And Dench narrates her
strategies, not by talking to the camera, but by writing a diary
and we hear the words she writes, not unlike what was done in
BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY, but the woman Dench plays is no Bridget
Jones.

Dench plays Barbara Covett, apparently the point of stability and
reason in the staff of a public school. She herself is an
institution as the moral standard and a woman who makes clear she
will brook no nonsense, from students, faculty, or
administration. At least that is how she appears. As we hear
her private thoughts, her dignity hides a very hate-filled and
judgmental woman. Her judgement falls on all. Her attitude
toward her profession: "One soon learns that teaching is crowd
control." There are daggers in her smiles. As the film begins
she is judging the new bohemian art teacher, Sheba (short for
Bathsheba) Hart (Cate Blanchett). Sheba is 35-ish, attractive
and willowy--an instant favorite with the teachers and students.
Sheba has a husband and two children while Barbara goes home to
an elderly cat. Barbara is instantly jealous and before long is
hatching plans to destroy Sheba by first working her way into
Sheba's confidence. When she discovers that Sheba is having a
dalliance one of the students she knows she has the lever she
needs to destroy Sheba and make the resulting wreck her puppet.

Blanchett is excellent, but in the early parts of the film
Dench's acting dwarfs hers. Fear not, Blanchett will come into
her own later in the film. Judi Dench is not really a glamour
actress, but this role she seems to play with a minimum of
makeup. She looks very much the role of a 70-ish schoolteacher.
She seethes with rage and it takes a while for Blanchett to match
her. The film also features Bill Nighy, a longtime staple of
British drama, tough many Americans did not notice him until his
standout performance, really the best feature of LOVE ACTUALLY.
Director Richard Eyre most recently gave us STAGE BEAUTY, but has
directed as well several award-winning productions at the Royal
National Theatre. It shows what a fine director can do with two
great actresses. The film was written by Patrick Marber based on
the aptly titled novel WHAT WAS SHE THINKING?: NOTES ON A SCANDAL
by Zoë Heller. Philip Glass's score seems to mirror the
intricacies of Barbara's machinations. (It should be noted that
Dench and Blanchett are both nominated for Best Actress Academy
Awards. Glass's score is nominated for best score. Marber's
screenplay is nominated as best adapted screenplay.)

This is a strong drama that simmers its way to a boil by the end
of the film. It falters only at the very end, in which the story
falls back on a cliché. Somehow the British seem to do better
with their school films. Perhaps they have a different
relationship with schools than we do in the United States. We
did have Evan Hunter's BLACKBOARD JUNGLE and then dozens of
imitation. We seem to like to cast the teachers as heroes
against the students or vice versa. But we have little to match
the drama of films like THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE or NOTES ON
A SCANDAL. I rate NOTES ON A SCANDAL a high +2 on the -4 to +4
scale or 8/10.

Mark R. Leeper
mleeper RemoveThis @optonline.net
Copyright 2007 Mark R. Leeper