Scandal [DVD]

Released to generally positive reviews in 1989, Scandal tells the true story of the Profumo Affair of 1963, a political scandal that eventually saw the collapse of the Conservative Government.
Christine Keeler, an exotic dancer meets and becomes socially involved with social-butterfly Dr.Stephen Ward who in turns introduces her to lifestyle of glamour, riches and high society.
Christine Keeler meets Jack Profumo ( the Minister of War for the Conservative Government ) at a pool party hosted at Cliveden, a mansion owned by Lord Astor, during a weekend in which she also meets a Russian Naval Attache, and with whom she both promptly, starts affairs.
However, things soon turn sour and nobody's life will be the same...
Some have argued over the authenticity of events that are shown ( Christine Keeler herself dismissed the film purely as a work of fiction in her memoirs ) but there is no denying that its rich and hypnotic cinematography, intelligent dialogue , nostalgic soundtrack and compelling performances make up for any doubts over the relevance on whether what we are watching is what " actually happened ".
Scandal was originally intended to be a made for tv series, but NO tv station would touch the delicate subject matter and in the end it was upto the now defunct Palace Video to distribute the film.
Directed by Michael Caton-Jones, who would go on to direct Memphis Belle and Rob Roy.
Starring John Hurt as Stephen Ward, Joanne Whalley ( then Kilmer ) as Christine Keeler, Bridget Fonda in her first substantial film role playing Christine's friend Mandy Rice-Davies ( she incidentally has some of the best one liners too ) and Sir Ian McKellen plays Jack Profumo.
Featuring cameos from Roland Gift,Jeroen Krabbe, Britt Ekland and Leslie Phillips.
A scene in which Christine & Mandy are shown getting ready for a night out is played to the sound of " Apache " by The Shadows, and for some, maybe worth the price of this DVD alone.

Really looked forward to this but sadly it's still the cut version of the film I already owned. I hoped I might finally have got the uncut version I first watched on VHS but it was not to be. A great film none the less and one of John Hurt's finest performances for my money.

I recall watching this film when it was first released in 1989 and enjoying it then, so why on earth it took so long for it to be released onto DVD, I don't know! As you're no doubt aware, this film tells the story of the 'Profumo' affair of the early 1960s where a good time/call girl, Christine Keeler (Joanne Whalley)has a concurrent affair with a Russian Spy and the War Minister, John Profumo (Ian McKellen). Society osteopath/glorified pimp Stephen Ward is portrayed by John Hurt and Christine's partner in crime, Mandy Rice-Davies is played by Bridget Fonda. The attention to period detail is excellent, as is the acting of all of the main leads, although I was a little distracted by Ian McKellen's stick on hairpiece! The soundtrack is fantastic too and Dusty Springfield's rendition of the Pet Shop Boys' penned 'Nothing Has Been Proved' is beautifully haunting.

It's worth watching if you're a fan of well-acted dramas. Like all good films it spurs the viewer on to read up more about the background on the internet.