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Review of "Notes on a Scandal"
The word “lesbian†itself is never uttered in the film at all, but nearly every other term that suggests deviant female sexuality is employed to describe Barbara. She is called a witch; she is called a vampire. Even worse, she is called a spinster and a virgin — something that is simply pathetic for a woman at her advanced age. In Notes on a Scandal, all of the stereotypical qualities of the psychotic lesbian stalker are laid upon the character of Barbara Covett. The character of Sheba does not fare much better. She is married to a much older man and has a sexual affair with a teenage student. She is practically the main character in a morality play that warns women to make an appropriate match with a man, or else risk becoming a dried-up old spinster with lesbian stalker tendencies. But the vast majority of critics who have reviewed Notes on a Scandal — which has been nominated for three Golden Globe Awards — lavish praise on the film, completely ignoring the thick thread of sexism and homophobia that binds this thriller together. Dave Edelstein of New York magazine writes tolerantly, “Anyone who has ever felt possessive about a friend will recognize him- or herself in Barbara Covett's covetousness.†Newsweek says that Barbara is “a deliciously nasty piece of work.†And Time praises Notes on a Scandal as “the perfect antidote to all those warm, forgiving schoolboy dramas we've endured through the years.†Though several critics acknowledge that Barbara is “a scheming lesbian†(Time) and that the film pulls out “the obsessive lesbian-stalker angle†(Variety), only Kirk Honeycutt of the Hollywood Reporter is clued in to the sexism in the script: “in tone and theme, the film has all the hallmarks of playwright-screenwriter Marber's stark, uncompromising misanthropy, if not misogyny,†he writes. And perhaps it is not surprising that so far the only review to point out the film's problematic portrait of a lesbian is The Advocate, which notes somewhat mildly, “the role does not in any way fit the notion of a politically correct gay character.†Political correctness, it is true, is not a hallmark of Notes on a Scandal. But can the skill of Dench and Blanchett — who do deliver excellent performances — excuse the problematic story itself? Is there room for a film in which a stereotypical, psychotic lesbian exists and, in fact, is rendered larger-than-life in all her wicked, shocking glory? For me, there was nothing “delicious†about Notes on a Scandal. After leaving the screening, I felt distinctly disturbed — and not in a good way. Perhaps I lack a sense of humor. Or perhaps I simply haven't seen enough of this year's earnest, Oscar-chasing films to be able to praise Notes on a Scandal as “a satisfyingly nasty awards-season tonic†(Variety). Notes on a Scandal was extremely disheartening. One year after Brokeback Mountain brought a gay love story to mainstream audiences, featuring mainstream actors and a mainstream director, where is the lesbian equivalent? We get Notes on a Scandal, starring the Oscar-winning Judi Dench and the Oscar-winning Cate Blanchett. You couldn't ask for a more stellar cast. But the story itself seems to claw its way up from the dusty 1950s and '60s, when films like The Children's Hour underscored the perversity of lesbianism. When I left the screening room after watching Notes on a Scandal, I thought to myself: I would never, ever, recommend this movie to anyone who has even the slightest difficulty with accepting lesbianism. The problem is this: Notes on a Scandal is very well made. It has the ring of truth that only A-list actors can bring to an art film. It is, in fact, so convincingly professional that most critics can easily overlook the stereotypes embedded in the film, blinded by the glamour of Dench and Blanchett's skillful acting. But Dench and Blanchett do not excuse the film. Notes on a Scandal is one of the most sexist and homophobic films I have ever seen. |
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News, Reviews & Commentary on Lesbian and Bisexual women in Entertainment and the Media
computer issues.
The Children's Hour
annoying review
I do not understand where you saw any homophobic views in this movie. It depicts a much disturbed english teacher that imagine to fill the void of her life by vampiring the one of another teacher.
As you recalled the movie even tries to prevent any homophobic shortcuts by never mentionning the word "lesbian" and introducing a comprehensive and gay-friendly sister in the picture.
Do you really expect every single movie to be a lesbian romance?
My point of view is not that there are too many good movies depicting mental-ill lesbians but that there are too many bad movies depicting ladies in love (loving annabelle, imagine you and me etc.).
The Scandal of "Notes On A Scandal"
WOW! Thank you for your review. The only word of mouth I had heard about this movie was that it was "GREAT!" Unfortunately, Dench and Blanchette were their brilliant selves. The plot was a disaster. The viewer even starts to feel like the sexually exploited 15 year old boy would have been better off if Dench had not squealed on them. And, as for images of Lesbians----YIKES it's "Well of Loneliness" meets "Jagged Edge" and that's really not fair to "Well of Loneliness." Where were the outcries??? This movie is one of the worst defamations for Lesbians I have seen in a long time. Does ANYONE know someone like this???? I've known some bitter Lesbians, some crazy Lesbians, some lonely Lesbians, even exploitive Lesbians, but I have never even heard of someone who schemed in such a consciously malicious way. So, the struggle continues. We are out here loving and living and defending our right to BE.
not sure I agree
I thought the movie was neither awesome nor terrible, and I finished it without the feeling that characters were stereotypical. (...except maybe for the teacher-student affair scenario.) I thought the potential for sexual tension between Barbara and Sheba was considerably down-played. Where it could have been used to make Barbara seem perverse, her sexual orientation was left undefined. I saw her as needy and narcissistic rather than sexually closeted.
I got the feeling that Barbara knew her own sexual orientation, regardless of whether or not it was openly discussed. Perhaps this is due to the necessity of actors making choices about their characters to resolve ambiguities in the script. Even if the audience is never explicitly told certain traits, the actor must decide them for him/herself in order to thoroughly know the character. Given Judi Dench's extensive training, I suspect she did this in preparation for her role. Whatever choice of sexual orientation Dench made, Barbara knew herself--well enough, in fact, to document all her calculating thoughts. I see Barbara as a painfully self-aware woman. If any part of her personality was kept secret, it was probably because she knew that maintaining her job as a teacher required it. (If you want to talk about stereotypes, find out how schools distrust openly gay teachers.)
My impression of the film is that sexuality is not as integral to the characters' behavior as are loneliness and the human need for validation and companionship. These emotions cross both gender and sexual boundaries. Thus, Sheba seeks to fill a void with an affair with a student, and Barbara seeks to fill a similar void with Sheba. Adulterous affairs are more often a product of some unfulfilled need--not necessarily a sexual one--than they are evidence of closeted shame or exploited stereotypes. I believe parallelism of emotional needs was the thread binding the characters of Barbara and Sheba.
While stereotypes exist in films today, I also believe that if you go looking for them, you will find them. If you are certain that most mainstream media is going to over-generalize homosexuality, suddenly there are offensive portrayals everywhere.
Movie vs. Book
I really agree with your opinion that the movie was strongly homophobic and sent the wrong message about lesbianism. I'm not really sure how people could have possibly missed that message, but not everybody watching it was as aware of the stereotypes, I suppose.
Either way, I only watched the movie last night (which is why I'm commenting so long after the movie came out) because I read the book last week, and it was actually an amazing novel.
The movie cast Barbara's character as obsessive, stalkerish, and almost frightening. In the book, I'll admit she was obsessive, but her actions and reasonings were explained, defended, and therefore understandable. The director of the movie failed to allow her character to shed any light on the origins of her actions.
Another thing I strongly disliked about the movie was that in it, Barbara's ex "companion" filed a restraining order against her. In the novel, they were no longer friends (admittedly, it is hinted that the fault of their falling out lies mostly on Barbara's obsessive tendencies, but the auther never comes out and says that) because Jennifer's fiance filed the restraining order.
I know that with any movie based on a book, there will be changes. I was just disappointed with the contrast between Barbara's character in the movie and the character she was originally intended to be.
Regardless, I have to admit that the movie was extremely well directed, and had I not read the book and had I not had any regard for the poor portrayal and stereotypes of lesbians in the media, I may have actually enjoyed it.