Un secret (2007)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Claude Miller

Writers:

Philippe Grimbert (novel)
Claude Miller (writer)

Release Date:

3 October 2007 (France)

Genre:

Drama | War

Plot:

A 15-year-old boy unearths a shocking family secret. |

Plot Keywords:

Secret | Family Secret | Jewish | Birth | Marriage

Awards:

2 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Cécile De France	...	Tania Stirn / Grimbert
Patrick Bruel	...	Maxime Nathan Grinberg / Grimbert
Ludivine Sagnier	...	Hannah Golda Stirn / Grinberg
Julie Depardieu	...	Louise
Mathieu Amalric	...	François Grimbert à 37 ans
Nathalie Boutefeu	...	Esther
Yves Verhoeven	...	Guillaume
Yves Jacques	...	Le commandant Béraud
Sam Garbarski	...	Joseph
Orlando Nicoletti	...	Simon Grinberg à 7 ans
Valentin Vigourt	...	François Grimbert à 7 ans
Quentin Dubuis	...	François Grimbert à 14 ans
Myriam Fuks	...	La mère d'Hannah
Robert Plagnol	...	Robert Stirn
Michel Israel	...	Le père d'Hannah

Also Known As:

A Secret (International: English title) (festival title) (USA) (new title)

Runtime:

Argentina:105 min

Country:

France

Language:

French | Yiddish | German | Hebrew

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Argentina:13 | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB)

Filming Locations:

Baraize, Indre, France

Company:

Canal+

Trivia:

Eva Green was considered for the role of Tania and Pascal Elbé for the role of Maxime

Movie Connections:

References La grande illusion (1937)

Soundtrack:

Les Valseuses

A real surprise

Having read the comments on this site, after having heard a friend (whose opinions aren't always reliable) say I must see it, I expected a marginally good picture when I rented the DVD. OK, I thought, another personal story about French and German anti-Semitism in WW II. This time my friend was right! A Secret was a knockout. It hit home and revived childhood memories. And it's as much or more about pre-WW II & post-WW II as it is about during. I won't repeat what others have rightly said about the uniformly excellent acting or the directing or the photography, etc. Among the things that hit home to me were the child's (or children's) point of view--SO on target--and the very different types of Jews portrayed in this film. Even though I "knew" (intuited) what would happen to some characters, what actually did happen was better than my imaginings. Its reference to the big illusion (La grande illusion) was apt (as well as the one character who actually saw it). More than one illusion is shattered by this pic, which like my friend I highly recommend.