Secrets & Lies (1996)

Director:

Mike Leigh

Writer:

Mike Leigh (written by)

Release Date:

25 October 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Roxanne drives her mother crazy. Maurice never speaks to his niece. Cynthia has a shock for her family. Monica can't talk to her husband. Hortense has never met her mother.

Plot:

Successful black woman traces her birth mother to a lower-class white woman, who denies it; emotions run high as everyone's secrets are exposed.

Plot Keywords:

Shock | Long Take | Birthday Cake | Family Secret | Workplace Stress

Awards:

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 35 wins & 23 nominations

Cast

Timothy Spall	...	Maurice Purley
Phyllis Logan	...	Monica Purley
Brenda Blethyn	...	Cynthia Rose Purley
Claire Rushbrook	...	Roxanne Purley
Marianne Jean-Baptiste	...	Hortense Cumberbatch
Elizabeth Berrington	...	Jane
Michele Austin	...	Dionne
Lee Ross	...	Paul
Lesley Manville	...	Social Worker
Ron Cook	...	Stuart
Emma Amos	...	Girl with Scar
Brian Bovell	...	Hortense's Brother
Trevor Laird	...	Hortense's Brother
Clare Perkins	...	Hortense's Sister-in-Law
Elias Perkins McCook	...	Hortense's Nephew
Jane Mitchell	...	Senior Optometrist (as June Mitchell)
Janice Acquah	...	Junior Optician
Keylee Jade Flanders	...	Girl in Optician's (as Keeley Flanders)
Hannah Davis	...	First Bride
Terence Harvey	...	First Bride's Father
Kate O'Malley	...	Second Bride
Joe Tucker	...	Groom
Richard Syms	...	Vicar
Grant Masters	...	Best Man
Annie Hayes	...	Mother in Family Group
Jean Ainslie	...	Grandmother
Daniel Smith	...	Teenage Son
Lucy Sheen	...	Nurse
Frances Ruffelle	...	Young Mother
Felix Manley	...	Baby
Nitin Ganatra	...	Potential Husband (as Nitin Chandra Ganatra)
Metin Marlow	...	Conjuror
Amanda Crossley	...	Raunchy Woman
Su Elliot	...	Raunchy Woman (as Su Elliott)
Di Sherlock	...	Raunchy Woman
Alex Squires	...	Triplet #1
Lauren Squires	...	Triplet #2
Sade Squires	...	Triplet #3
Dominic Curran	...	Little Boy
Stephen Churchett	...	Man in Suit
David Neilson	...	Man in Suit
Peter Stockbridge	...	Man in Suit
Peter Waddington	...	Man in Suit
Rachel Lewis	...	Graduate
Paul Trussell	...	Grinning Husband
Denise Orita	...	Uneasy Woman
Margery Withers	...	Elderly Lady
Theresa Watson	...	Daughter
Gordon Winter	...	Laughing Man
Jonny Coyne	...	Fiancé (as Jonathan Coyne)
Bonzo	...	Dog
Texas	...	Cat
Peter Wight	...	Father in Family Group
Gary McDonald	...	Boxer
Alison Steadman	...	Dog Owner
Liz Smith	...	Cat Owner
Sheila Kelley	...	Fertile Mother
Angela Curran	...	Little Boy's Mother
Linda Beckett	...	Pin-Up Housewife
Philip Davis	...	Man in Suit
Wendy Nottingham	...	Glum Wife
Anthony O'Donnell	...	Uneasy Man
Ruth Sheen	...	Laughing Woman
Mia Soteriou	...	Fiancée
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Anna Pernicci	...	Waitress (uncredited)

Directed by
Mike Leigh

Writing credits
Mike Leigh		(written by)

Produced by
Simon Channing Williams	....	producer (as Simon Channing-Williams)

Original Music by
Andrew Dickson

Cinematography by
Dick Pope		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
Jon Gregory

Casting by
Susie Parriss		(as Parriss)
Paddy Stern		(as Stern)

Production Design by
Alison Chitty

Art Direction by
Eve Stewart

Set Decoration by
Liz Griffiths		(uncredited)

Costume Design by
Maria Price

Makeup Department
Christine Blundell	....	makeup artist
Kirstin Chalmers	....	assistant hair stylist (as Kirstin Weguelin)
Kirstin Chalmers	....	assistant makeup artist (as Kirstin Weguelin)

Production Management
Georgina Lowe	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Zerlina Hughes	....	third assistant director
Jennie Osborn	....	first assistant director
Josh Robertson	....	second assistant director
Chris Rose	....	first assistant director
Paula Spinks	....	fourth assistant director

Art Department
Hilly Benjamin	....	assistant art director
Jim Booth	....	art department assistant
Paul Cutler	....	chargehand props
Martin Fitzpatrick	....	property pick-up
Liz Griffiths	....	production buyer
Guy Hunt	....	stand-by carpenter
Peter Looby	....	stand-by props
Nic Orlande	....	construction manager
Tom Read	....	dressing props
Nick Rose	....	property master
Guy Rutter	....	stand-by painter
Pete Lennox	....	carpenter (uncredited)

Sound Department
Sue Baker	....	dubbing editor
Orin Beaton	....	boom operator
Mick Boggis	....	sound re-recording mixer
Diane Greaves	....	foley walker
Michelle Greaves	....	foley walker
Loveday Harding	....	boom operator
Derek Holding	....	adr editor
Derek Lomas	....	dialogue editor
Peter Maxwell	....	sound re-recording mixer
George Richards	....	sound recordist
Ted Swanscott	....	adr mixer
Ted Swanscott	....	foley mixer
William Trent	....	foley editor (as Bill Trent)

Visual Effects by
David Smith	....	title opticals: Peerless (as Dave Smith)

Camera and Electrical Department
Graham Baker	....	rigger
Richard Blackmore	....	generator operator
Lucy Bristow	....	focus puller
Alan Coster	....	electrician
Frank Cox	....	best boy
Marco di Giulio	....	electrician
Martin Duncan	....	gaffer
Joe Dunton	....	camera equipment
Joe Dunton	....	camera rental
Simon Mein	....	still photographer
Andy Ormesher	....	rigger
Dan Shoring	....	clapper loader
Colin Strachan	....	camera grip

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Zoe Porter	....	wardrobe trainee (as Zoë Porter)
Jackie Thomas	....	wardrobe assistant
Allison Wyldeck	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Valentina Giambanco	....	second assistant editor
Kate Mackenzie	....	first assistant editor
Steve Mercer	....	trainee editor: FT2
Clive Noakes	....	color timer
Ian Seymour	....	first assistant editor
Victoria Stevens	....	trainee: FT2

Music Department
Chas Dickie	....	musician: cello
Keith Grant	....	music engineer
Michael Laird	....	musician: flugelhorn
Step Parikian	....	music supervisor
Helen Tunstall	....	musician: harp
Ivo van der Worff	....	musician: viola
Chris West	....	musician: double bass

Transportation Department
Bill Nixon	....	unit driver
Bianca Stone	....	transportation
John Stone	....	transportation
Bill Wright	....	unit driver

Other crew
Chris Allies	....	title designer
Mike Carter	....	assistant location manager
Ian Differ	....	trainee: FT2
Graham Easton	....	completion bond: film finances services
Stephanie Fauger	....	production coordinator (as Stephanie Faugier)
Phillip Kenny	....	production executive
David Lewisohn	....	solicitor: Theodore Goddard
Mark Mostyn	....	location manager
Matthew Potts	....	production runner
Deborah Reade	....	assistant to producer
Roger Sampson	....	insurance: Sampson and Allen
Heather Storr	....	script supervisor
Iain Struthers	....	trainee: FT2
Claire Thompson	....	floor runner
Sarah Trowse	....	assistant accountant
Will Tyler	....	production accountant (as William Tyler)
Mark Westaway	....	solicitor: Theodore Goddard
Karen Yeaman	....	trainee: FT2
Raoul B. Reinert	....	legal consultant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Channel Four Films
• CiBy 2000
• Thin Man Films

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Entertainment Finland Oy (1996) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Eurocine (1997) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (1997) (USA) (video)
• Alliance Home Video (1997) (Canada) (video)
• Argentina Video Home (1997) (Argentina) (VHS)
• New Star (1997) (Greece) (video)
• Warner Home Video (1997) (Finland) (VHS)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2000) (2002) (Finland) (TV)
• Plus Video (2010) (Argentina) (DVD)
• AmaFilms (1997) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Cinemussy (Spain)
• LW Editora (Brazil) (DVD)
• October Films
• RCV Film Distribution (Belgium)
• RCV Film Distribution (Luxembourg)
• RCV Film Distribution (Netherlands)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2000) (Finland) (DVD) (cropped to 1.33:1)
• Telefilm Hellas (1998) (Greece) (VHS)
• Versátil Home Vídeo (Brazil) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• AFM Lighting  lighting
• Joe Dunton & Company  camera equipment provided by
• Movietech  camera equipment provided by
• O & A  construction
• Salon  editing equipment
• Sapex Scripts  post-production script services
• Set Meals  catering
• The Creek Music studios - Sunbury, England  music studio
• Tru-Cut  negative cutting

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for language

Runtime:

142 min | USA:136 min

Country:

France | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Belgium:KT | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Hong Kong:IIA | Netherlands:AL | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | USA:R | Iceland:L | South Korea:15

Filming Locations:

Holborn Underground Station, Holborn, London, England, UK

Company:

Channel Four Films

Trivia:

Most of the script was improvised. Writer/director Mike Leigh told each of the actors what his/her part in the story was and they each developed their own characters.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): A statement of Hortense's suggests that her family comes from Barbados, and a stamp on a letter among her adoptive mother's papers is almost identifiable as Barbadian on my DVD, but when she puts on a West Indian accent in one scene, apparently imitating her mother, it sounds like broad Jamaican or generic "West Indian", certainly not Bajan, which is a very distinctive accent.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Cynthia Purley:This is the life, innit sweethearts?

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Zomergasten: Episode #17.1" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Happy Birthday to You

Honesty & Integrity

This is one of my very favorite movies of the last 10, even 20 years. For me, its greatness lies in the resonance of the story lines, the brilliant acting, (Brenda Blethyn, Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Timothy Spall all turned in Oscar-worthy turns, and the rest of the ensemble were all with them), and Mike Leigh's direction.

This is a feast of tremendous acting, by a most talented ensemble who really become their characters. The scenes play out very naturally, and you really feel a part of the story, with special empathy towards - in no particular order - Cynthia, Maurice and Hortense. As the film builds towards a showdown/climax at the birthday party, you can even take a step back and at least sympathize with Roxanne and even, Monica.

This rates 10/10 by this reviewer, who wishes that more directors - if they truly have a good story to tell - will shoot and edit the film in a way that appreciates the audience's intelligence and capacity to feel without being manipulated by a director's avant-garde(??) bag of tricks ...for comparison, perhaps see my scathing review of 21 Grams! What a contrast of styles!!!