kijii This is one of those movies in which its title really encapsulates what it is all about. But, to only say THAT would be a HUGE understatement!!Dame Judi Dench plays an old maid schoolteacher, Barbara Covett, who teaches in a modern private English school. Dench does the narration throughout the movie so, in a very real sense, we are taken into HER mind as she observes the motives, personalities, and weakness of the students and teachers that she comes into contact with. The narration is witty, digging, and cuts like a knife into the hidden treasure chests of the people around her. It doesn't take us long to find out that Barb is no ordinary sweet old spinster.As the story opens, Barb meets and observes the school's new art teacher, Sheba Hart (Cate Blanchett). Sheba tries to fit in but soon encounters a melee with some of her male students in the library. Barb intervenes and the two become friends. When Sheba invites Barb to her home, she finds an unconventional family: an older husband, a sassy daughter, and a 14-year-old son with Down's Syndrome. As Shebra opens up her personal problems to Barbara, the two become friends. But, the nature of their friendship is tested when Barbara oversees Shebra in an uncompromising situation that could change each of their lives forever. The remainder of the movie examines more about the nature of these two characters. It is full of twists and turns that often leave you breathless. This is a fine example of a British thriller in which there may be one, or potentially has two femmes fatales.Aspects of this movie worth noting are the great screenplay enhanced by the minimalism of Philip Glass' musical score--perfect for this type of movie! The sound seemed a little loud in the theater where we were, but that might have been intentional because it only added to the drama.The story is taunt and the camera work is tight, rarely pulling back very far. This leaves us little time to rest or reflect, thus pulling us further and further into the story with each new discovery.

g-bodyl Notes on a Scandal is a film on what I would like to call the modern day "Fatal Attraction." Both movies relate to themes regarding sex and romance with dire consequences, although the effects are not as large in this film. This is a thinking thriller and each character in the film is multi-layered. In other words, the story at the beginning is not the story at the end, as the plot is always twisting and turning in a new direction. This is a fine thriller with dark themes and to be quite frank, a nail-biting one.Richard Eyre's film is about a cynical history teacher named Barbara Covett who lives in a lonely world. A new art teacher named Sheba Hart is hired and Barbara decides to take her under her wings. But when Barbara discovers a scandalous affair involving one of the students, Barbara uses this opportunity to reach new heights.The acting is phenomenal. Judi Dench seems to do well in the roles as the ladies you don't want to cross. She as Barbara was excellent, even if her character is mirthless. Cate Blanchett as Sheba is likewise fantastic as the much younger Sheba. Although she did something immoral, you still feel sympathy for her. Bill Nighy has a couple great scenes as Sheba's husband. However, the kid who played Sheba's lover was quite annoying.Overall, Notes on a Scandal is a excellent, passionate thriller about obsessions and control. It is about how one incident can lead to a plethora of incidents and some beyond control. It is interesting to see where such dark passion can lead you. This is a top-notch, nail-biting thriller that has two perfect performances from Dench and Blanchett. There haven't been many quality romance thrillers these days, but this is one to watch. I rate this film 9/10.

craig-hopton Why is a relationship between an a teacher and a young boy an interesting topic to make a movie out of? Simple - it's not. A mid-life crisis infatuation isn't something I would normally want to take two hours out of my life to watch on the telly.And indeed I was close to giving up on Notes on a Scandal. Cate Blanchett puts in a good turn as the confused attractive teacher Sheba Hart but it's just not that interesting a character. Bill Nighy is poor as the husband and Andrew Simpson is disappointingly dull as the young boy.Thank goodness then for Judi Dench. She absolutely steals the show with her portrayal of the jealous, grumpy older teacher Barbara Covett who becomes the confidante of Hart and indeed turns out to be even more infatuated with her than the schoolboy was. It's a nuanced but powerful performance - classic Dench - and transforms a terrible movie into a half- decent one. It becomes a psychological study into attraction and a fairly compelling one at that.All in all a good movie but not a personal favourite of mine.

l_rawjalaurence We have become so accustomed to seeing Judi Dench in likable parts (PHILOMENA, MRS. BROWN), it's nice to see her playing a thoroughly unsavory person in her best role as a villain since MACBETH on television in the mid-Seventies. She plays an experienced teacher at an Islington school who befriends married art teacher Sheba (Cate Blanchett) and ostensibly tries to help Sheba through difficult times, as the younger woman embarks on an affair with student Steven (Tom Georgeson). However it transpires that Barbara's motives are very different, as she turns out to be an obsessive, concerned solely with herself and blaming others if they should reject her. Her narcissism is revealed in two ways - through her incessant writing down of her thoughts in diaries, and in her attempts to woo the viewers' favor through voice-over narration. Neither strategy actually succeeds, but Barbara still manages to emerge from her friendship with Sheba unscathed, which is more than can be said for Sheba herself, who has to try and pick up the pieces of her marriage to Richard (Bill Nighy) and re-establish her relationship with daughter Polly (Juno Temple). Shot in drab colors by director Richard Eyre, NOTES ON A SCANDAL shows how a fundamentally lonely person tries her best to compensate for a drab lifestyle, yet only succeeds in destroying others. We would like to feel sympathetic towards her - it is Dench, after all - but she is so vindictive in her attitudes that she disqualifies herself immediately. Dench is particularly good at registering anger through a single expression - a pursing of the lips, a flash of the eyes. Patrick Marber's screenplay gets a little intense sometimes, with over-intrusive music by Philip Glass, but the film remains riveting viewing throughout its comparatively short running-time.