IMDb > Scandal (1989)
Scandal
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Videos (see all 2 NEW)
Scandal (1989) -- Sinematurk - Trailer (Flash)
Scandal (1989) -- Clip: Those lazy hazy days of summer song

Overview

User Rating:
6.3/10   1,965 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 10% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Writer:
Michael Thomas (written by)
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Contact:
View company contact information for Scandal on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
28 April 1989 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | History more
Tagline:
The Story That Seduced The World Is Now The Most Controversial Film Of The Year. more
Plot:
An English bon-vivant osteopath is enchanted with a young exotic dancer and invites her to live with him... more | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 1 nomination more
User Comments:
Surprising and moving more (20 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

John Hurt ... Stephen Ward

Joanne Whalley ... Christine Keeler (as Joanne Whalley-Kilmer)

Bridget Fonda ... Mandy Rice-Davies

Ian McKellen ... John Profumo
Leslie Phillips ... Lord Astor (Bill)

Britt Ekland ... Mariella Novotny
Daniel Massey ... Mervyn Griffith-Jones
Roland Gift ... Johnnie Edgecombe
Jean Alexander ... Mrs. Keeler
Alex Norton ... Detective Inspector
Ronald Fraser ... Justice Marshall
Paul Brooke ... John, Detective Sgt.
Jeroen Krabbé ... Eugene Ivanov (as Jeroen Krabbe)
Keith Allen ... Kevin, Reporter Sunday Pictorial

Ralph Brown ... Paul Mann
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for strong sexuality, and for language.
Runtime:
115 min | USA:106 min | Canada:111 min
Country:
UK
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Fujicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby
Certification:
Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Iceland:16 | South Korea:18 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | UK:18
Filming Locations:
London, England, UK

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Jean Alexander filmed her cameo in a day. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: When Christine arrives back at Heathrow from Spain after the scandal breaks, there's a modern illuminated sign in the background as she walks from the gate. more
Quotes:
Stephen Ward: All Russians are spies, it's how they're brought up. more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Empire of the Censors (1995) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
Nothing Has Been Proved more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
14 out of 16 people found the following comment useful.
Surprising and moving, 18 October 2005
Author: LewisJForce (gunghomonro@yahoo.com) from Wolverhampton, England

I saw this for the first time last night on Channel 4. I've never sought out the film before because I assumed that it would be an uninvolved telling of an uninteresting piece of British history. I was wrong.

The piece works on several levels, as they say. First, the period evocation is excellent. I became interested in this era after reading an interesting book on slum landlord Peter Rachmann a few years back (he is a minor character here). Christine Keeler was a figure who inhabited both the pot and ska parties of London's impoverished immigrant community and the bedrooms of the most powerful men in the land, and this breadth and contrast gives the film sufficient scope to successfully capture the energy and feel of the time.

Second, the handling of character development is exemplary. The film surprises you by gradually shading in the relationship between Keeler and Stephen Ward, until their completely believable 'love affair' becomes the focus in the moving finale. Joanne Whalley and John Hurt are both exceptional as Keeler and Ward, turning in subtle and detailed performances. These characters are contradictory and ambiguous, the kind of complex human beings who could quite easily be reduced to type by lesser actors.

Third, the film is made with real heart and intelligence. It is sympathetic to its characters and it strives to understand them, and thus help us to understand them. The director, Michael Caton-Jones frames and cuts with brilliant understatement, making potent and witty use of contemporary music throughout. I really didn't expect the seamless technique and low-key accretion of detail employed here, and it kept me fascinated.

The tone of the picture is just right. A kind of compassionate sadness. We come to feel the real injustice of the moral and social hypocrisy bought to bear without being assaulted by it, and as noted before, the ending is powerful and affecting. It would appear that tabloid scumbags were as pernicious an influence then as they are now, and the observations thereon are as relevant as ever.

If I had to find fault with the film, it would be this: Ian McKellen models perhaps the least convincing bald pate in the history of cinema as John Profumo. So much so, that, for me, it impacts negatively on his otherwise notable performance. Its a minor flaw all told.

I was surprised. I was impressed. I was moved. If you happen upon the film, sit down and watch it. You will be rewarded.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Scandal (1989)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Bridget Fonda with a British accent XenaUK
BEES IN A JAR DURING ORGY!?!??!!?? robbyyashowtime
Palace Pictures / Nik Powell niceguy_2106
Uncut + Uncensored missing scene? victorbarlow
The song Ivanov sings... dani_mckinley
One of the best films ever and a missing scene dani_mckinley
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