Morgan Bell
Kynaston
Jason King
Mike Cullen
REVIEW: Notes On A Scandal
March 31st 2008 04:16
Directed: Richard Eyre (Stage Beauty, Iris)
Written: Patrick Marber (Closer); screenplay adapted from the novel by Zoe Heller
Starring: Judi Dench (Shipping News, Iris, Mrs Brown), Cate Blanchett (The Aviator, Elizabeth, The Talented Mr Ripley, Shipping News)
Another great character study, Judi Dench is brilliant as Barbara Covett the lonely old busy-body who becomes strangely obsessed with co-worker Sheba Hart (Blanchett). Barbara and Sheba are teachers at a highschool. Sheba is young and beautiful and enchanting and struggling to discipline the students. Barbara is the captivated yet critical stern old spinster who takes Sheba under her wing. It is implied that Barbara is a closeted lesbian who has had these infatuations with female friends before, but whether she is actually a latent homosexual or just a very repressed lonely old lady is never made clear. For whatever reason she is drawn to Sheba and when she observes her having sex with one of the school students she uses it as an opportunity to hold it over her head . . . to blackmail her . . . not for money but for company. This is the story of abusing power and confusing morals. Both Barbara and Sheba are terribly unhappy characters who become embroiled in a scandal which will engulf them both. Barbara plays a dangerous game of manipulation and even she herself seems unaware of her motivation . . . and the flakey Sheba seems equally unaware of her motivation with the highschool boy. They are both deeply troubled and floundering personally . . . I was engrossed in their story until the very end . . . both Dench and Blanchett were nominated for Oscars as well tas the screenplay . . . so refreshing to see some fleshy three-dimensional roles for women.
Written: Patrick Marber (Closer); screenplay adapted from the novel by Zoe Heller
Starring: Judi Dench (Shipping News, Iris, Mrs Brown), Cate Blanchett (The Aviator, Elizabeth, The Talented Mr Ripley, Shipping News)
Another great character study, Judi Dench is brilliant as Barbara Covett the lonely old busy-body who becomes strangely obsessed with co-worker Sheba Hart (Blanchett). Barbara and Sheba are teachers at a highschool. Sheba is young and beautiful and enchanting and struggling to discipline the students. Barbara is the captivated yet critical stern old spinster who takes Sheba under her wing. It is implied that Barbara is a closeted lesbian who has had these infatuations with female friends before, but whether she is actually a latent homosexual or just a very repressed lonely old lady is never made clear. For whatever reason she is drawn to Sheba and when she observes her having sex with one of the school students she uses it as an opportunity to hold it over her head . . . to blackmail her . . . not for money but for company. This is the story of abusing power and confusing morals. Both Barbara and Sheba are terribly unhappy characters who become embroiled in a scandal which will engulf them both. Barbara plays a dangerous game of manipulation and even she herself seems unaware of her motivation . . . and the flakey Sheba seems equally unaware of her motivation with the highschool boy. They are both deeply troubled and floundering personally . . . I was engrossed in their story until the very end . . . both Dench and Blanchett were nominated for Oscars as well tas the screenplay . . . so refreshing to see some fleshy three-dimensional roles for women.
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Comment by Jayne Kearney
Writers In Writing (and other writing)
I was also totally engrossed in this film and found the treatment of the subject matter quite original. The performances were indeed amazing and the characters quite complex.
As a teacher I also found it rather confronting to watch the scenes between Cate Blanchett and the young actor who played the student. I did not hear any sort of controversy about these scenes but I do remember Nicole Kidman copped quite a serve after making Birth (which I haven't seen). I'm not suggesting that the scene in Notes was not necessary but am just interested in the different publicity each actor received.
Comment by RubySoho
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The difference is that the boy with whom Nicole gets into a bath tub in Birth was under the age of ten, whereas the boy in Scandal was a teenager.
Didn't like either film personally, but I always seem to be in a minority when it comes to movies, especially those with Our Nicole and Our Cate, both whom I find quite bland (actually a friend and I call her Cate Blandette).
Comment by Morgan Bell
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yes it was a strange feeling watching an adult woman with such a young boy, i think also because the actor who played the boy looked so little and scrawny, it wasnt romanticised to make his character any more mature than any regular high school kid would be . . . i agree with you that its confronting and i think thats because its such an abuse of power . . . i think the whole film was about how slight abuses of power can so easily escalate into something catastophic
Ruby,
this was not one of Cates most "powerful" performances but she captured the complexity of the character well, her character in this was quite weak and passive so from a feminist point of view it wasnt as satisfying a character as those she played in "Elizabeth" or "The Aviator" (i think she has a talent for playing historical figures haha), i like when she uses her deep speaking voice, she can be quite commanding
i tend to agree with you about nicole being bland though, shes been in some fabulous films but shes usually the least fabulous thing about them, they could have erased her whole character out of "Cold Mountain" and it wouldnt have even been noticable lol
i think nicole is a very cold actress so parts in films like "The Others" really suit her whereas romantic leads dont . . . how on earth she ever fluked getting the lead in Lars Von Triers masterpiece "Dogville" ill never know, but i give her cred for doing some indie/art-house when she could easily stick to the blockbusters
ahhh im going off on a tangent, perhaps this "blandness" issue would be a good topic for another blog
thanks for the comments ladies
Comment by Jayne Kearney
Writers In Writing (and other writing)
You are right. The actor was very scrawny and there was no mistaking his youth. Even as a teenager I think that the scene would have been confronting to film. I kept wondering if maybe he was actually a lot older. And I agree- Sheba was a weak character and it was rather strange to see Cate play that. I don't always enjoy her work but found this intriguing and rather against type for her.
Ruby,
Please don't get me started on Cate.My best friend and I get het up about her earnestness. I know she is obviously a good person but just oh so earnest. I read a really funny interview recently where the interviewer said she came across as if she had taken a "worthy pill". Having said that, I watched the doco on ABC about her staging of Hedda Gabler and I almost had to eat my words - she was quite engaging. And I fell in love with her husband, Andrew Upton, at the same time. It wasn't hard to see why she adores him. So, overall, I'm a fence-sitter with regards to Cate! And I think you are spot on with Nicole. I haven't really loved anything she's done although she suited the role in The Others. Shall be interesting how she fares in Baz Luhrman'sAustralia.
Comment by RubySoho
Music Zone
Thought Zone
never seen Cate on stage so can't comment there. I did love her in Elizabeth- the first one only. I don't know, maybe she peaked too early? How do you top that? Anything after that was going to be a step down.
I think with Cate it's just a case of not having roles that suit her talents, whereas Nicole is just terrible.
Her performance in Moulin Rouge is embarassing. Talk about bad casting. I just don't get it, all these big directors babbling on about how great she is. What do they know that we don't I wonder?
haha.
Comment by Morgan Bell
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Comment by Cibbuano
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Ruby, I also find Kidman quite appalling. I suspect that her PR manager keeps her out of the public eye enough, and into the right types of films that people consider her A-list. She's done some miserable movies, though.