The story of the psychotic old stalking lesbian!!

This week it was back to the Picture House for Notes On A Scandal with the uber-wonderful Jame Dudi (or Dame Judi Dench to those of you not in the know!)

Dench stars as Barbara Covett, a domineering and lonely old History teacher at a north-London school. Apart from her cat, Portia, she is alone, without friends or confidantes but all this appears set to change when the posh, young, beautiful Sheba Hart (Cate Blanchett) joins the school as the new art teacher. Barbara feels Sheba to be a kindred spirit and loyal friend; her special friend.

Barb intertwines herself into the lives of Sheba and her family; her writer husband Richard (played by Bill Nighy) and their two children (stroppy teenage daughter, Polly & younger son Ben, affected by Downs Syndrome). Sheba senses the loneliness and need for a friend in Barb, and her warm and welcoming nature shine through as she fills that void in Barb’s life. But then there is Steven Connolly (played by Irish newcomer Andrew Simpson); the attractive 15 year old student who Sheba takes under her wing. When she enters into an affair with the boy, it can only lead to disaster when Barbara finds out. When it becomes clear that Barbara wants more than Sheba is able to give, a commitment above and beyond that of friendship, obsessive Barbara uses her knowledge of the affair to wield a controlling power over her friend which threatens to tear apart the lives of those involved.

All of this is recorded in Barbara’s extensive and exhaustive collection of diaries. It’s here that the audience is shown the deeper and often, delusional thoughts of the aging teacher. Her belief that the intensity of her feelings for ‘S’ are mirrored by the younger woman, her despise for the family she believes binds her against her will from moving on and, later, the act of sheer evil which causes the lives of those around her to unravel, are all dutifully written down. This proves to be Barbara’s undoing when her dreams are shattered by a forthright explosion of emotion from Sheba following her discovery of the diaries.

Notes On A Scandal is a psychological thriller, adapted for screen from Zoë Heller’s Booker Prize-nominated novel of the same name by Patrick Marber, whose previous works include Closer, and directed by Richard Eyre who worked with Dench previously on Iris.

Dench and Blanchett both deliver wonderful performances; the chemistry and tension between the two actresses is integral to making the story believable. The careers of Dench and Blanchett bear a remarkable resemblance to one another. Both Academy-Award-winning actresses started out in theatre. Dench played Ophelia in a 1957 production of Hamlet; Blanchett played the same role in a Sydney production in 1993. Both actresses played Queen Elizabeth I in the same year and they each won an award for her portrayal (Blanchett a BAFTA for Shekhar Kapur’s ELIZABETH and Dench an Oscar for SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE) Both woman have been seen in a range of roles, showing what seems to be an effortless ability to move between the classics to contemporary urban pieces. Notes On A Scandal brings the two together on screen for the first time and the result is, in short, a brilliant piece of cinema.

TA x

Ah, how I liked this film. Jame Dudy was indeed fantastic in her cold, bitter, twisted, lesbanian role, and sometimes you just had to laugh at how twisted and stupid her manipulations became. Kate was good in her role as Sheba (CAT FOOD!), and Bill Nighy once again successfully plays himself (I'm not a fan of his really...) It's a riveting story, and keeps you enthralled throughout, which unfortunately makes the film feel far to short and unsatisfying!

3.5 Stars - John