The Secret Book (2006)

The search for the Secret Book of the Bogomils brings Guy Chevalier (Thierry Fremont) to Macedonia. There, he is haunted by the spirit of the Gardian of the book and followed by unknown ... See full summary »

Director:

Vlado Cvetanovski

Writers:

Ljube Cvetanovski, Jordan Plevnes

Stars:

Jean-Claude Carrière, Thierry Frémont, Labina Mitevska

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jean-Claude Carrière	...	Pierre Reymond
Thierry Frémont	...	Chevalier
Labina Mitevska	...	Lydia
Vlado Jovanovski	...	Bigorsky
Kiril Ristoski	...	Legionary (as Kiril Ristevski)
Meto Jovanovski	...	Father Andrei
Vladimir Svetiev	...	American
Petar Mircevski	...	Pigeon Keeper
Aleksandar Caminski	...	Taxi Driver
Djordji Jolevski	...	Nepoznatiot (as Gjorgji Jolevski)
Liljana Veljanovska	...	Frenchwoman
Arna Shijak	...	Silver-hair Girl
Joana Popovska	...	Hotelier
Dimitar Zozi	...	Guardian
Petar Temelkovski	...	Father

Storyline

The search for the Secret Book of the Bogomils brings Guy Chevalier (Thierry Fremont) to Macedonia. There, he is haunted by the spirit of the Gardian of the book and followed by unknown forces. Little by little, he starts loosing his mind and his identity.

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Genres:

Drama

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User Reviews

A beautiful, haunting philosophical tale.

The movie explodes into action with a sequence that could have been filmed by the Monty Python crew: a grotesque mediaeval person emerges from the muddy pond where he was hiding, then (still covered with mud) frantically flees through a forest. But we are in for many surprises...

That first image is not the only one that has ingrained itself into my memory: the whole movie leaves a lasting impression, full of images that stay in the mind and continue to fascinate and intrigue. Sometimes breathtakingly beautiful, often moving, but pervaded with a sly, surreal humour. In this apparently simple tale - a young man on a quest for the truth contained in the "secret book" of the Bogomils - we are led to explore the fragile boundaries between sanity and insanity.

The casting is excellent, from the major roles to the many secondary characters, and the high quality of Thierry Arbogast's photography deserves a special mention. There is an undeniable kinship with the work of Luis Buñuel: I wonder if Jean-Claude Carrière (scriptwriter for many of Buñuel's films) who plays here the role of Pierre Reymond, had a hand in the script.

I can count myself lucky to have caught this film at the Mannheim film festival. I hope it gets the chance to be seen by a wider audience.

Details

Official Sites:

official site Official site

Country:

Republic of North Macedonia

Language:

Macedonian English French Russian German

Release Date:

September 2006 (Republic of North Macedonia)

Also Known As:

A titkos könyv

Company Credits

Production Co:

Studios

Technical Specs

Color:

Color