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 enlarge | Director: Richard Eyre
Actors: Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett, Tom Georgeson, Michael Maloney, Joanna Scanlan
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.98
Buy Used: $1.19
You Save: $18.79 (94%)
New (61) Used (88) from $1.19
Rating:  160 reviews
Sales Rank: 4153
Format: Ac-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 92 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: FOXD2243898D
UPC: 024543438915
EAN: 0024543438915
ASIN: B000NIVJFY
Theatrical Release Date: 2006
Release Date: April 17, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: PLEASE READ: DVD is in a white sleeve - NO INSERT AND NO CASE. DVD has been professionally resurfaced. Ships first class.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 16-20 of 160
 Absolutely 5 Stars March 17, 2008
Julia
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Subject matter aside which will offend some .. This is a *glorious* film watching experience. Just gorgeous!
Brilliant. One hundred percent bloody brilliant. Cate Blanchett is excellent, really excellent. Judi Dench, however, is a tour de force. WOW!! How she escaped the oscar I have NO idea. She is phen-o-menal.
All the supporting actors fit well. Love the young man .. he did a great job, which is hit and miss with the younger actors.
The script is absolutely flawless and really achingly beautiful at times. Someone put a lot of thought and heart into this. This movie flows. Repeat ... It is a gloriously well done film!!
Amazing. March 16, 2008
Nicole Bradshaw (Jackson, MS USA)
Dame Judy Dench and Cate Blanchette are masterful in this film about two educators and their secrets.
Barbara (Dench) is a rather prickly teacher at a high school. She is not liked by the other faculty members, but she has been at the school for a long time (she's on the cusp of retirement) and the kids fear/respect her. Enter Sheba (Blanchette), the young, beautiful, wispy new art teacher. Barbara, who's looking for a way to end her solitude, strikes up a friendship with Sheba.
As the story unfolds, we begin to suspect that Barbara is angling for much more than friendship with the pretty new instructor. And when Barbara discovers that Sheba is engaging in a love affair with a 15-year-old student, she is at first angry, and then devilishly delighted, as she can use the secret to further enmesh herself in the life of her new "friend."
Barbara is one of the best characters I've seen on the screen in a while. First of all, she's our narrator, so we are privy to her innermost thoughts (which can be arresting, abhorrent, understandable, etc., at different points in the film). She's cunning. She's deperately lonely. She's almost parasitic in her need for "companionship." She is a woman of action. And Dench plays her fully, with a truth, a roundness, and a believability that one rarely sees in anti-heros.
And, not incidentally, Barbara is a woman of a certain age. It is refreshing and wonderful to see such a vibrant character written for a woman old enough to retire. There aren't enough parts like this out there for older, more accomplished actresses. Blanchette is amazing to watch in this, but Dench truly steals the show.
As the viewer, you begin to sense what is coming. And yet, it is fascinating to see all the strands of the web come together as the end of the film nears. The score is also very cleverly used to heighten this effect. A must-see.
Oh Wow. March 14, 2008
Willie Montgomery (Denmark,South Carolina)
That's right.Oh wow.Talk about the mother of sex scandals involving school teachers and their students,this movie hit the nail right on the head.Admitt it.We did had a crush on our favorite school teachers.The performance by Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench was in my opinion,OSCAR.I would give one to each of them.Here in the United States we would think it our problem.But we are now seeing it worlwide.I got a funny feeling this will not be the last movie about a teacher student sex scandal.
 Not what I was expecting. Watch for the acting *possible spoiler* March 7, 2008
LuvBooks (DC)
I watched this movie last weekend On Demand, and after waiting so long and having people hype it up for me, I was very let down. The acting was top notch, given what they had to work with, but beyond that, it wasn't worth the hype.
I couldn't connect w/any of the characters. For me, everything was on the surface. Yes, Cate and Dame Dench did a good job, but they almost seemed to be phoning it in. I couldn't feel a thing for either one of these women. I'm gonna assume that we were to feel for CB's character, but she had zero redeeming qualities. Her affair sickened me, and when she had her first scene w/the student, I had to check IMDb to check his age. He was 20, I think, but looked so young that it creeped me out and turned my stomach.
And there was no resolution to the story. Dench's character just moved on to another victim. Waste of time, and it makes me hesitant to read the book.
Performance Magic!!!! February 21, 2008
Raider Jack (San Francisco, CA United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
"Notes on a Scandal" is a superb showcase for the mighty acting talents of Judi Dench & Cate Blanchett. They absolutely complemented each other - neither one taking anything away from the other's performance.
The story revolves around two female school teachers, one, hopelessly involved with one of her students, the other, hopelessly involved with the other teacher. It is also a rather scathing look at the dark side of love.
An even more interesting observation is that quite frankly, neither character was a sympathetic one. Cate's character, Sheba, was less so simply because she knew better - to become sexually involved with one of your students is simply exercising very poor judgement. Moreover, there was no real indication why she allowed/needed this to happen - there was no real issue in her marriage to support her having an affair. Somehow her revelation that the marriage was "somewhat boring" is, unfortunately not even remotely sufficient enough to understand/explain her behavior...(her son had Downs Syndrome, for godsakes....)
Judi's character, Barbara, began as somewhat sympathetic until she decided to use her friend's secret to her advantage - all in the name of love. Even after learning of the unfortunate demise of a similar relationship, this does not at all excuse her vindictive, obsessive actions.
The emotional rollercoaster provided here was certainly enough to keep one interested in what happens to these two women.
However, the real prize is watching these two wonderful actresses bring such a tenuous situation to film. They do so quite admirably.
I hiiiiiiiiiiiighly reccommend!!!
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