"Notes on a Scandal" began its life as a 2003 novel by Zoe Heller entitled "What Was She Thinking? Notes on a Scandal." And yes, you may comment that that's quite a long and awkward title for a work of fiction.
What made the book more interesting than most was this: The narrative structure called for the sordid tale of a schoolteacher's affair with one of her young pupils to be told in the form of an insightful and jaundiced diary written by a close friend. The book's nasty and quite subversive achievement was to project the diarist's own interpretation of events back upon herself, which does a lot more than merely turn the tables. It actually turns the diary into an act of confession.
Screenwriter Patrick Marber, who also wrote "Closer," about the brutal and brittle relationships among four people, has taken Heller's novel and, in paring it down, has strengthened the core of the drama.
This is a book -- and a movie -- about loneliness and stupid choices, as well as about loneliness and bitter reactions. The film is not so much directed by Richard Eyre, as it is refereed. It's a catfight the likes of which we haven't seen in the movies in a long, long time. Imagine "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" with predatory felines and you've got the idea.
Of course, there is a rub. I guess there's always a rub. And here it is. The book was caustically funny. The movie is vicious. The book wasn't misogynistic, even though the two central characters were misguided women. The movie does open itself up to charges of misogyny. But how do you tell a story about a twisted woman (who has sex with young children) and an older, nasty, jealous curmudgeon (also female) who plays a cat-and-mouse game with the other because she knows what the younger woman is up to without it being seen as misogynistic?
Remember the movie wherein someone torments another person by whispering "I saw what you did"? Now, in the case of "Notes on a Scandal," the whispering woman is only doing the tormenting because she needs a friend. Ugh. You said it -- with friends like that, who needs enemies?
Does something being labeled as an act of misogyny mean that we would not allow books or movies in which neurotic women participate in unconventional, if not downright outlawed, sexual relationships, and then fight like cats and dogs about it? Well, more like cats. Is just calling the whole thing a catfight misogynist? I'll leave that to the theoretical feminists among you.
The film's story tells of a scandal (delicious to watchers, but not to the participants) provoked by a foolish, and dangerous, affair between a married female schoolteacher and a 15-year-old male student. Neither is unattractive. Cable television news talking heads (including the grotesque, shrieking, misinformed and not-too-bright harridan Nancy Grace) have been debating for weeks the double standard that exists regarding teacher sex with teen students: Man and girl is a speed wagon to hell, woman and boy is sexual awakening.
The arrival of sexy, spunky art teacher Sheba Hart (Cate Blanchett) at a comprehensive high school in north London catches everyone off guard. She's a bit bohemian, dresses like Annie Hall, confuses fellow teachers and drives the sex-obsessed young male students a little bit loco. Picture her sitting at an outdoor cafe in Paris, sipping coffee, offhandedly laughing. If Helen's face could launch a thousand ships, Sheba's aura could launch a thousand adolescent dreams.
One student, Steven Connolly (Andrew Simpson), pursues her with great passion. She's his every fantasy. And teachers sometimes being social workers, he has just the right appeal for Sheba -- he's a little bit talented, comes from an abusive household and is graciously adoring. By the way, I do have to draw attention to the teacher's name: Sheba Hart. It's almost too obvious. Anyway, on the surface, it seems that Mrs. Hart has a contented home life with a lawyer husband several years her senior (Bill Nighy), a teenage daughter suffering from all those awkward teen problems (Juno Temple), and a happy son with Down syndrome (Max Lewis). Is this deck stacked or what?
Enter the narrator (or our diarist), Barbara Covett (Judi Dench), an older history teacher nearing retirement who gladly describes herself as a bit of a "battle-ax." Barbara takes Sheba under her wing. When Ms. Covett (get it: covet) discovers the affair, she assumes the role of mother confessor.
When the affair really boils over, the older woman goes to bat for Sheba. Why? Ah yes, motive! I'll leave the motive for you to discover. But I'll give you a hint. Ms. Covett, in her deluded manner, believes the affair puts the attractive Sheba in her debt. Or even, if you will, under her power.
The battle of the women is underscored with interesting, powerful music by composer Philip Glass, who was last seen hereabouts playing for the public and the Dalai Lama when the Tibetan idol came to the Niagara region.
Dench and Blanchett have both been nominated for Academy Awards for their work in "Notes on a Scandal," Dench for best actress and Blanchett for best supporting actress. There's no denying they are two of the best actresses working in movies today, and they do make their characters quite believable.
Do I think the female hysteria is cranked a bit beyond what it should be? Yes, I do. It creates an unbalance to the rest of the film. Not enough of an unbalance to throw it out of whack, but we're teetering a little too close to smackdown territory. Other characters could have been fleshed out a bit better, especially Sheba's hapless husband. The movie looks good, with superb sets and production accents by designer Tim Hatley and very solid cinematography by Chris Menges.
Oh, one more thing. There is a cat in the movie in a key role. Trust me, it deserves an Oscar nomination, too.
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | January 30 2007 |