Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett both received Oscar nods along with screenwriter Patrick Marber for Notes On A Scandal. This adaptation of Zoë Heller's best-selling novel translated to the screen as a "psychological thriller of rare delicacy" and arguably the best film to date from director Richard Eyre. Although not quite a blockbuster, it was a tale of obsession that had sticking power at the box office.

Exposing The Scandal

Three featurettes blend snippets of behind-the-scenes footage with interviews dissecting the complex women at the heart of this unusual narrative. Zoë Heller explains how her novel exploited the device of an "unreliable narrator" to create intrigue, whilst Marber talks about the challenges of modifying that technique for the screen format. As Eyre explains, seeing the women interact on screen enables "a more objective" view of the relationship, and inevitably puts a different slant on events.

Later on, Blanchett addresses the controversial love scenes with a boy half her age (Andrew Simpson). She insists that she couldn't "impose" her own sense of morality, instead approaching Sheba as a lonely woman with "a desperate need to be discovered..." Much of what is discussed in these featurettes is touched upon again in a series of three webisodes. More insights from the writers are also included in these promotional spots, with Marber explaining that he was attracted to the project because it allowed him to "explore women in a completely unsentimental way." He also reckons the story would make a great opera!

Filmmaker's Notes

A conversation with Blanchett and onscreen husband Bill Nighy picks up on a few earlier points. Returning to the subject of love scenes, Blanchett reveals that it can be "a ritual humiliation" for actors who have only just met to jump into bed together. In this case, however, they agree that Eyre's background in theatre allowed for a sense of "camaraderie". Nighy goes as far as to describe the atmosphere on set as "easy, sweet and dreamy." We also discover that Dench likes to unwind between psychotic outbursts by doing crossword puzzles. The next best thing to weaving baskets apparently...

Eyre deconstructs the story in his commentary for the main feature, revealing how the subtext of each scene heightens the tension between Sheba and Barbara. The conversation outside the pub (interspersed with flashbacks) was an especially tricky part of the story because it had to reveal so much about both characters. He talks as well about the logistical challenges of shooting on the streets of Islington in North London. Apart from the obvious interference of people and traffic, the great confrontation between Sheba and Barbara (after the death of Barbara's cat) took ages to shoot because of the changeable English weather. "It's something of a miracle," says Eyre, "that it turned out as it did."

Unfortunately we don't get a glimpse of the few deleted scenes that Eyre refers to in the commentary (including a couple of car stunts!) and the featurettes could have been a bit more cohesive, nonetheless this DVD will have you hooked.

EXTRA FEATURES

Notes On A Scandal DVD is released on Monday 4th June 2007.