Le Secret (1974) - film review

In a mysterious secure establishment, a prisoner named David effects a remarkable escape.  Convinced that he is being pursued, he flees to the open countryside.  Here, he meets a reclusive writer, Thomas, who lives in an isolated country house with his young wife, Julia.  The couple offer to take David in for a few days and the fugitive reluctantly agrees to stay.  Having formed a bond of trust with Thomas, David reveals that he is on the run from the authorities, and that he has discovered a state secret that puts all of their lives in danger.  Although Thomas believes the mysterious stranger, Julia is more suspicious and soon becomes convinced that he is a madman who will kill both of them...

Although somewhat low key and simplistic, this film is a well-crafted psychological thriller which has little difficulty maintaining the viewer’s attention throughout.  This is down mainly to some impressive performances from Jean-Louis Trintignant and Philippe Noiret, but the direction and script are also, unusually, top-notch for this genre of French cinema.  The small cast allows plenty of room for character development, an important requirement for a thriller, where the tension derives mainly from the fears and prejudices in its main characters, making this a truly traumatic experience for the audience.

The film reflects very well a prevailing mood in French society at the time (the early 1970s) about the extent to which the State would cover up and protect its secrets.  This real-life paranoia and unresolved ambiguity leaves a strong mark on this film, in which the spectator is incapable of deciding whether the mysterious prisoner is telling the truth or not.  The film does not let up the suspense until the very last minute, revealing its own secret with shocking, chilling cynicism.

© James Travers 2001

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What a superb suspense movie.  You have to see this movie, it keeps you guessing right up until the end. Throughout the movie, you are just never sure whether the main character David is an escaped psycho or not.  I just wish I could get a hold of this on DVD.
John Costello (Blackburn, UK) 

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