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24 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format: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.
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.
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
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.
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.
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This film is a curious mixture of fascinating scandal and some quite dated acting. Perhaps the fascination is because it was a sex and politics scandal which hit the headlines before the country became liberated by the antics of the 'swinging' sixties. As such the intrigue and twists and turns of the story are really quite compelling.
What does not seem to sit so well is some of the quite stilted acting. Towards the end John Hurt produces some of the finest acting of his career, but early in the film he does not seem so comfortable with lines he has to say - "little baby" being a case in point - somehow the sincerity is missing.
As a launchpad for Joanne Whalley (as she was then) it is superb. Her acting is direct and quite natural and it is not difficult to find her portrayal of Christine Keeler to be quite convincing. The same cannot be said for some of the acting of Ian McKellern or Bridget Fonda - in both cases it is often overdone and even quite uncomfortable.
The pricipal theme music "Nothing has been proved" is a real classic sung by Dusty Springfield, supported by the Pet Shop Boys. Its haunting and enigmatic sound adds an intriguing dimension which leaves a lasting impression on the film.
It is the ending which carries the most weight and genuinely holds the interest. By this time the principal players have begun to matter - you can feel for them. John Hurt pulls out all the stops and we really start to care for his character as Stephen Ward - though of course we don't know if it are right to do so - after all, it's only a film!
What does not seem to sit so well is some of the quite stilted acting. Towards the end John Hurt produces some of the finest acting of his career, but early in the film he does not seem so comfortable with lines he has to say - "little baby" being a case in point - somehow the sincerity is missing.
As a launchpad for Joanne Whalley (as she was then) it is superb. Her acting is direct and quite natural and it is not difficult to find her portrayal of Christine Keeler to be quite convincing. The same cannot be said for some of the acting of Ian McKellern or Bridget Fonda - in both cases it is often overdone and even quite uncomfortable.
The pricipal theme music "Nothing has been proved" is a real classic sung by Dusty Springfield, supported by the Pet Shop Boys. Its haunting and enigmatic sound adds an intriguing dimension which leaves a lasting impression on the film.
It is the ending which carries the most weight and genuinely holds the interest. By this time the principal players have begun to matter - you can feel for them. John Hurt pulls out all the stops and we really start to care for his character as Stephen Ward - though of course we don't know if it are right to do so - after all, it's only a film!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Stylish nostalgia
A very stylish, visually ravishing, moving, thought-provoking account of the Profumo affair. Great cast, with the young Whalley particularly charismatic. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Alexander Gillan
SCANDAL DVD
My favourite film. Well worth the money. Joanne Whalley and Bridget Fonda are brilliant. Plus many other big names star in this film.
Published 2 months ago by kjb
Unimpressed
I'd hoped for an intelligent movie. Alas... this made me feel dirty and voyeuristic, but I suppose the title should have prepared me for the fact that this would be an exploration... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Cherry
Saw it when it first came out
John Hurt, Joanna Whalley Kilmer, Briget Fonda and an ever so good Leslie Phillips make this must see film. Ian McKellen is also good as Mr Profumo! Read more
Published 8 months ago by A. D. Gherson
good & interesting film
Betrayal, scandal, but in the end who is to blame and what was proven - that is for you to decide!
Published 9 months ago by Ieshia Domir
top film,wrong sound
I will not dwell on how great this film is,like everyone else I think it is one of the best british films made,but I wish either the film industry or dvd firms would get the... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Mrgvase
scandal
I liked it very much.It was just as I remembered and brought memories of the events when they originally occurred.
Published 13 months ago by gma
Still the cut version
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... Read more
Published 15 months ago by lotus s2
Good film that is readily available on DVD at long last
I had eagerly awaited an affordable DVD release of this film, as I really liked it when I saw it in the cinema around the time of its release all those years ago. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Michael Knight
must see
I was entranced by this story as a youngster reading the newspapers at the time. This film bought it all to life.
Published 16 months ago by peteroz
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