I'm Going to Tell You a Secret

I saw this on UK TV last night and really enjoyed it and it left me feeling emotionally touched. It's really like a Truth or Dare Part 2 (as many have said), but the huge difference is Madonna.

Back then she was in her early 30s and doing a larger concert and really had the world at her feet as this amazing female artist who was very fit and very controversial. I was 16/17 that time too, when I was a huge fan of hers. Big posters of her in that famous conical outfit, long blonde ponytail expression, lots of 'suggestive' poses - but even though I was young and my mum was insistent in sitting behind me watching TOD, it never bothered me. I was never discouraged and continued loving Madonna. I think, where she has always been a bit forward, etc, those were the years she was reaching out on a different level, but it all turned against her (the Sex Book, etc). Fast forward a few years and Ray of Light album re-ignites Madonna's flame of fame. She looks good and thou the album seems a little strange with some chant type music, I think she was quickly opening our ears up to see how she was a new person in herself. Ray of Light (song itself) certainly was a club-floor burner. Move on to Music album and I absolutely love it! Drowned World Tour, thou not seen as her best work, was one I actually thoroughly enjoyed……..

…….but onto this documentary, and I have to say the very beginning of it was strange, almost sinister. But rolling on and through it, watching her pick new dancers for the tour (Cloud is absolutely amazing!), to getting ready for stage, etc – you can see Madonna still gets a bit nervous as I feel she strives for a perfect concert all the time, nothing wrong with that, but perhaps it was a bit evident back in TOD it made her seem a little 'bitchy'. But by gawk this woman IS a great entertainer! The costumes are colourful, thou the concert seems a little smaller than Drowned World, it seemed a little more intimate with the fans. Anyhow, watching her in Slane, and she is taking care and making all aware of the rain, etc, when she gets into the car and while driven away mentions about 'suddenly forgetting what she sang and danced too' (or along those lines), maybe I'm imagining things but she looked a little upset? I felt a little emotional with that and the scenes of her sweating etc, and looking a little exhausted. Suddenly it hits you, while she is incredibly flexible and fit and looks great, its easy to forget about her age and possible physical changes coming ahead – you know what I mean. I loved the scenes with her and her kids, and with Guy in Dublin, etc………..and sharing moments with the dancers.

The whole documentary was worth it for me……….now that I remember the old Madonna and see the new one, yes, the lady has changed. I also think marriage and kids have contributed. Her voice is stronger, deeper and sounds better than ever I think. She is not quite the young fit, loud, controversial, rude woman we remember 12 or so years back, but she is still a great singer, dancer, entertainer – in fact I commend Madonna on coming as far as she has, all the highs and lows, etc….she is still a top person, many of the public have been rude and wanting her to retire and say she looks terrible – I say she looks terrific and is in better shape than a whole lot of us. She is not afraid of trying something new, and never was. Heck I'm almost 30 and still regret never going into dance when I was younger, because when Madonna is on, I seriously want to go to a club and dance all night – she makes me feel alive again.

Maybe any public reading this will think I'm talking rubbish, or don't know what I'm talking about. True, there is a lot to Madonna I don't know, but I like to enjoy the great things in life when they happen 'for the moment', and she is one of them. She is one person I've always enjoyed watching, and at least with her videos and concerts you ARE guaranteed fantastic dancers! she is all about fun! If she does happen to ease off or have a last tour as her kids get older, I will always remember this woman, who was never ever boring, and who finally became a better person for herself. Respect!

This film follows Madonna on her 2004 Re-Invention world tour and shows her show, backstage, preparations and her experiences travelling around the different places around the world. I have never been to a gig that is as big as a Madonna show – mostly I have been in mid-sized venues that are just about the music rather than being a spectacular event in the way that artists like Madonna, Prince and U2 are known for.

In this regard the film is pretty strong because it allows me to see the spectacle without having to pay the £50 and stand in a crowded auditorium. The musical numbers are impressive even if there weren't as many as I would have liked; I'm not a Madonna fan per se but she does have good tunes and her delivery is something else. The problem with the film is that it goes beyond the shows and behind the scenes with her, her family and her dancers. For me the problem was Madonna herself because she came across as rather insincere and rather full of emotional and spiritual babble. She shows this in the way she talks and the very New Age and American displays of emotion throughout – some viewers will no doubt see this as honesty and frankness in front of the camera but for me it was liked they had cherry picked all the moments of forced sincerity and put them into the film (did I mention Madonna was the executive producer?).

This is bad for most of the film but is never worse than the final 20 minutes when she goes to Israel. This final section is pompous and so annoying that it almost totally cancelled out the musical numbers (which did seem to be long ago by this stage). It is hard to take her seriously – she speaks to the dancers as if she were the wisest woman on earth (probably because her dancers seem to look at her as some sort of cross between Jesus and the Virgin Mother). I don't mean to be too hard because she occasionally is natural during the film (and God knows how she copes with that little b*stard Rocco smashing at everything every other minute) but the overall impression is one of insincerity, religious clichés and the sort of sentences that wouldn't seem out of place in very cheap fortune cookies.

Overall though, fans will love it because it is Madonna doing her thing on stage as well as being honest and "herself" behind the scenes. Those a little less blinded by adoration will still enjoy the stage shows but will probably struggle to swallow a lot of the behind the scenes stuff and religious babble. Madonna is a very talented entertainer who has lasted decades in an industry not designed for artist longevity and I applaud her for that; sadly this film only touches on that compared to the amount of time she spends coming off as the sort of American you would laugh at the second she walked away.

Hello!!! I just bought the DVD "I' m going to tell you a secret" and i watched it with great enthusiasm and extreme admiration the the female pop-star. She -once more- proved that she really is the Queen of Pop, a tremendous trend-setter as far as fashion, politics and religion are concern. Her show was clearly provocative but was extremely inspired and glamorous. Madonna stands alone between two worlds... The stage and her family. There are numerous juxtapositions inside the film...Madonna is spectacular on the stage, but she is also a woman with political and ethical values. I have to admit that perhaps she gave too much emphasis to her being a follower of Caballah, but on the hole the film is great...A must for all Madonna fans and for people who love show business. A graphic and artistic triumph by any means. Generally speaking, I saw a Madonna much more wise, raw,authentic and determined. She has a belief and she stands for it.

Oh, and if you need some extra pop-star glam quality seek for the name Anna Vissi. She is huge...

i FINALLY saw 'i'm going to tell you a secret' tonight from a copy someone had and was absolutely stunned for words when i saw it. i found the whole film enormously riveting and gripping...and yet i am more stunned that there hasn't been more hype about it.

is this because a lot of people still haven't seen it yet? even on IMDb. i have read reviews by people and external reviews by matthew rettenmund (madonna encyclopedia author) and everyone seemed to say it was good but not fantastic.

i actually thought the film was far more ambitious than truth or dare and had a depth missing in first documentary.

i absolutely loved it and cried a couple of times! why has this film not been hyped as much as it should be? any thoughts?

The documentary "I'm Going To Tell You A Secret" is beautifully shot and is quite inspirational. Uplifting and optimistic, it takes you on a journey from the beginning to the end of the creative adventure of this project. It is a more mature Madonna that allows the viewer to see a certain side of her that has long been developing. Those who were expecting something more playful like her other documentary projects, they will be disappointed, but shouldn't be surprised because it is nothing like anything you have seen from Madonna before. Many people will ask, "what is her secret?" Is it metaphoric or was it an attention getter? The documentary is a revelation of the essence of her happiness -- her family and spirituality aside from all things material.