The Secret Path (1999) (TV)

Director:

Bruce Pittman

Writers (WGA):

Rose Mary Evans (book)
Bill C. Davis (teleplay) ...

Release Date:

4 April 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A drama about a young, neglected white girl in the rural South who, with the help of an unlikely couple, finds the solace and nurturing needed to transform her downtrodden life.

Plot Keywords:

Based On Book

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Della Reese	...	Honey
Crystal Bernard	...	Marie Foley
Madeline Zima	...	Jo Ann Foley (age 14)
Yvonne Zima	...	Jo Ann (age 7)
Ron White	...	Hank Foley
Yolanda King	...	Ms. Evelyn
Ossie Davis	...	Too Tall
Brenda Bazinet	...	Grandma Foley
William Greenblatt	...	Bobby Foley (child)
Lynda Mason Green	...	JoAnn age 40 (as Lyn Mason Green)
David Roemmele	...	Bobby age 15
Zachary Bennett	...	Young Paul
Johnie Chase	...	Dr. Joe
Aimée Castle	...	Lydia (as Aimee Castle)
Vince Corazza	...	Karl

Also Known As:

Chasing Secrets (UK) (USA) (working title)
The Silent Path

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Robert Greenwald Productions

every now & then a surprise comes out of the blue

This was an unadvertised gem put on in Australia as a trivial midday movie.

Viewing it reminded me of the impact that "Colour Purple" had when I watched it among a large audience many years ago. That movie profoundly affected me & others around me I observed. But this movie that I'd never heard of, clearly makes a similar impact but in its unique way on its individual subject matter.

I cannot understand why it was not glorified for the inspiring & dramatic suspense that unfolds effortlessly as the characters each do their thing, acting & reacting like ping pong balls in a vacuum. Nothing is contrived. But the willful spirit of the young girl who initially bewilders her wise Negro friends she meets by chance, proves to be a catalyst of emotion, both for the participants on screen, & viewers who are drawn to be MORE than passive detached observers.

"Chasing Secrets" ("The Secret Path") surely will leave a massive impact upon the soul of most anyone who dares to be open to a wonderfully uplifting experience of the best in humanity, even in such strongly adverse circumstances. One of the few times I have ever felt so moved was when I read Harper Lee's classic novel "To Kill A Mockingbird" which has echoed through my heart & soul occasionally, like a welcomed breeze, over the 20-25 years since!

The passion of this beautiful Negro lady, as protagonist of exceptional insight in her pain & past, supported by her soul-mate & husband in their lives of accumulated hardship, activated by her young unlikely friend evolving, transform the injustice layered in the drama, but even more so, the viewer, as the comments of other viewers here at the IMDb website, likewise reflect.

This magnificent movie is not to be missed!