Notes on a Scandal

Theatrical Release Date: 2006 12 22 (USA - Limited) / 2007 01 26 (USA)

UPC: 024543438915

Studio: 20th Century Fox

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Brief Nudity, Adult Situations, Profanity, Sexual Situations]

Summary: Lust, jealousy, and revenge come cloaked in the guise of friendship in this psychological drama. Barbara Covett (Judi Dench) is a history teacher at a high school in London; while elderly Barbara is very bright, she's also severe and domineering, with a strong personality that tends to put people off. Barbara also takes a voyeuristic delight in recording the actions of those around her in her diary in the most minute detail. When Sheba Hart (Cate Blanchett), a bright and attractive woman in her mid-thirties, is hired as the school's new art teacher, Barbara believes she may have found someone worthy of her friendship, though she's soon disappointed to discover that Sheba has a husband and two children, a lifestyle that she finds offensively bourgeois. However, Barbara's obsessive interest in Sheba is rewarded when the younger teacher confesses that one of her students, Steven (Andrew Simpson), has developed an obviously sexual interest in her. However, in fact, Steven's crush on Sheba is hardly one-sided, and in time Barbara discover that the two have been making love on a regular basis for months. When circumstances turn Barbara against Sheba, she uses what she knows about the affair to destroy the life of her "friend." Based on the novel by Zoe Heller, Notes on a Scandal also stars Bill Nighy. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Category: Drama

Awards: Best Picture – National Board of Review Best Actress (Runner-up) – Boston Society of Film Critics Best Actress (Runner-up) – New York Film Critics Society Best Picture – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Actress – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actress – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama – null Best Supporting Actress – null Best Screenplay – null Best Actress – Toronto Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actress – Toronto Film Critics Association Best Supporting British Actor – London Film Critics Association Best British Actress – London Film Critics Association Best Actress – London Film Critics Association Best Adapted Screenplay – Chicago Film Critics Association Best Actress – Chicago Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actress – Chicago Film Critics Association Best Original Score – Chicago Film Critics Association Best Actress - Drama – Satellite Awards Best Supporting Actress – Satellite Awards Best Original Score – Satellite Awards Best Picture – Southeastern Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actress – Phoenix Film Critics Association Best Actress – Screen Actors Guild Best Supporting Actress – Screen Actors Guild Best Supporting Actress – Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Best Supporting Actress – Dallas/Fort Worth Film Critics Association Best Actress – National Society of Film Critics Best Actress – Online Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actress – Online Film Critics Association Best Original Score – Online Film Critics Association Best British Film – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Adapted Screenplay – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Actress – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Actress – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Supporting Actress – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Music Score – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Adapted Screenplay – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Teddy Ballot Volkswagen Audience Award – Berlin International Film Festival Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Moti – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Screenplay – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama – Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Features: Commentary by director Richard Eyre
Notes on a Scandal: The Story of Two Obsessions featurette
Notes on a Scandal: Behind the Scenes featurette
A Conversation With Cate Blanchett and Bill Nighy featurette
In Character With Cate Blanchett featurette
Webisodes

Notes on a Scandal

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 04/17/2007

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Theatre Wide-Screen

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DDS2.0 Dolby Digital w/ 4 channels, DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo

Runtime: 92 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,Spanish,French

Subtitles: English,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1 -- Notes on a Scandal
1. Main Titles/Progress [:28]
2. The Novice [:11]
3. Sunday Lunch [2:44]
4. Gold Star Day [:59]
5. Terrible Discovery [4:41]
6. Sheba's Gem [1:53]
7. Seductive Secret [5:04]
8. A Private Matter [:57]
9. Christmas [2:38]
10. Attachments [:18]
11. Betrayal [2:43]
12. The End of the Affair [3:01]
13. New Phase [:17]
14. Priorities [1:12]
15. Vengeance [5:07]
16. Restraining Order [1:14]
17. Broken Family [4:13]
18. Notes on a Scandal [2:04]
19. Mending Fences [3:42]
20. Moving On/End Titles [:33]

Derek Armstrong

Oscar nominations figured to fly with the pairing of the two leads in Notes on a Scandal -- Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett, widely considered among the finest thespians of their respective generations. And sure enough, both were nominated for this frequently uncomfortable t?te-?-t?te, which could have been hyped as a boxing match between acting heavyweights. But the votes from their peers were no mere knee-jerk reactions to seeing their names -- each does remarkably subtle work here. While Dench's part is the more overtly juicy, allowing her to plumb the depths of bitterness inspired by rejection, Blanchett may actually have the more complicated role. Her picture-perfect bourgeois life is a sham cover for a panoply of insecurities, and at times her performance is like witnessing a bizarre anachronism -- a woman of such elegant beauty and universal appeal having rough sex with her student by the train tracks. This commingling of traits in the same character may have given some viewers pause, and at times Richard Eyre's film comes across as topical and simplistic. However, seeing the characters' barely contained rage finally erupt at each other is worth the price of admission. Notes on a Scandal joins a fine tradition of films that explore the emotional minefield of unbalanced friendships. The actresses navigate these traps through an uneasy collection of carefully modulated social responses and calculated manipulation, which are ultimately undone by moments of reckless insult or unforgivable trespass. The film cleverly invites viewers to shift loyalties multiple times during the story -- all while working toward the inevitable conclusion that both women are irredeemable. Given the delicious build-up, Notes on a Scandal concludes too tidily, with too little catharsis. But just watching Dench and Blanchett practice their craft is the antidote to any narrative imperfections. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Richard Eyre  Director 
Robert Fox  Producer 
Philip Glass  Composer (Music Score) 
Redmond Morris  Executive Producer 
Scott Rudin  Producer 
Patrick Marber  Screenwriter 
Raymond Morris  Executive Producer 
Judi Dench  Actor 
Cate Blanchett  Actor 
Bill Nighy  Actor 
Andrew Simpson  Actor 
Phil Davis  Actor 
Michael Maloney  Actor 
Juno Temple  Actor 
Max Lewis  Actor 
Joanna Scanlan  Actor 
Julia McKenzie  Actor 
Shaun Parkes  Actor 
Tom Georgeson  Actor 
Edna Kennedy  Actor 
Syreeta Kumar  Actor 
Wendy Nottingham  Actor 
Tameka Empson  Actor 
Leon Skinner  Actor 
Debra Gillett  Actor 
Barry McCarthy  Actor 
Adrian Scarborough  Actor 
Jill Baker  Actor 
Diana Berriman  Actor 
Alice Bird  Actor 
Benedict Taylor  Actor 
Miranda Pleasence  Actor 
Jonathan Speer  Actor 
Stephen Kennedy  Actor 
Derbhle Crotty  Actor 
Catherine Drew  Actor 
Anne-Marie Duff  Actor 

Country: UK,USA