Notes on a Scandal (2006)

	Directed by: Richard Eyre	COUNTRY United Kingdom GENRE Drama NORWEGIAN TITLE Notes on a Scandal RUNNING TIME 92 minutes
	Produced by: Robert Fox Andrew Macdonald Allon Reich Scott Rudin
	Written by (based on the novel by Zoe Heller): Patrick Marber

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Barbara Covett	Judi Dench	½
Sheba Hart	Cate Blanchett	½
Richard Hart	Bill Nighy
Steven Connolly	Andrew Simpson
Ted Mawson	Tom Georgeson
Polly Hart	Juno Temple

Review

This is fun and impressive. Directed by the sophisticated Richard Eyre, Notes on a Scandal is something as rare as a kitschy sex thriller with a refined, art-house ambience. It plays heavily on all things arch-English, from the charming aspects (the humour, the class system) to the more negative ones (the ferocious press, the suppressed emotions, the coldness). It combines some of the cheapest tricks of the thriller genre with some of the most timeless, Hitchcockian ones. And it does it blatantly and with plenty of confidence. Eyre is in a playful mood here, toying with the viewer's expectations, while at the same time making some intricate psychological observations.

In the centre of events is Judi Dench, the stage-trained actress who seems to be hitting her prime when most of her contemporaries are well into retirement. Dench, who arguably delivered her best-ever performance in Iris, her previous collaboration with Eyre, has a wonderfully expressive face that can shift from sweet grandma to ice-cold malice in an instant – an ability that is put to the best possible use here. Barbara Covett (not an accidental last name) is both an eerie and heart-rending character. She arguably shares a similar fate to countless women attracted to their own sex throughout history. She's portrayed as an extreme version, yet underneath the Fatal Attraction-esque shell is a deep psychological delve into character by Dench.

Alongside her we find Cate Blanchett in one of the most nuanced roles of her career. Contrast her performance here with her somewhat simple caricature of Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator and decide for yourself which performance is most worthy of an Oscar. There's a lot to Sheba Hart. She's a whirlwind of emotions, and she ultimately pays the price for it, while Eyre asks: what is she really guilty of?

At times, Notes on a Scandal borders on shoddy – and then Eyre brings in some truly great dramatic scenes to counter it, as if it's all part of the plan. This is what makes this film so fascinating. The bottom line is that it all works; Eyre delivers on the suspense, the controversy, the humour, the drama, and the satire. Notes on a Scandal is an extraordinarily rich film, with an unusual abundance of tones and moods. And revelling in the shadow of the two female leads is a truly remarkable Bill Nighy – who provides the film's equilibrium.