Secrets & Lies
Encyclopedia
Secrets & Lies is a 1996 British film directed by Mike Leigh
and starring Brenda Blethyn
, who won the award for Best Actress
at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival
. The film won numerous other awards, including the Palme d'Or
, and received five Academy Award nominations.
optometrist, who is adopted and has chosen to trace her family history and discovers that her birth mother, Cynthia Purley, is a working class
, 'downwardly immobile', white woman. She also meets her and later meets Cynthia's brother, Maurice Purley, a photographer, and his wife Monica, and Cynthia's daughter Roxanne, a street cleaner.
After being warned by public officials about the troubles Hortense could face by tracking her birthmother down, she continues her investigation and is baffled to learn that her birth mother is white but does not resent her and wants to know more about her own past.
At the Purley's it is evident that severe tensions exist between Roxanne and her mother. Both are frustrated with one another and getting on one another's nerves. Maurice and Monica also experience domestic tensions. Monica comes across as abrupt, but later scenes reveal that she suffers from severe menstrual cramps
and Monica makes concerted efforts to placate matters and be contrite. Things are also not well between Maurice and his sister, they are a bit awkward with one another but both look forward to celebrating Roxanne’s birthday party. Cynthia refers to Maurice affectionately as her little brother and asks him when he is going to shave as she always does. It is clear that Cynthia somehow can survive by the money she receives from Maurice.
Hortense rings Cynthia and asks for a 'Cynthia Rose Purley', and starts talking about a baby "Elizabeth Purley', born in 1968. Cynthia realises that Hortense is her daughter whom she gave up for adoption and hangs up the phone. Hortense is still determined to find out more about her background. She rings Cynthia again and manages to convince her to meet with her. When they finally do, Cynthia feels that a grave mistake has been made. Hortense convinces Cynthia to have a cup of tea. Hortense asks Cynthia to look at a document; she then begins to cry and then states that she is ashamed. Hortense then wants to know who her father is, to which Cynthia refuses to answer.
After a while Hortense and Cynthia have struck up a friendship, which is somewhat noticed by Roxanne after seeing her mother going places but not knowing where, since Cynthia is rather secretive about it. Cynthia mentions the birthday party for Roxanne, she also gives Hortense a gift.
Cynthia asks Maurice if she can bring a “mate from work” to Roxanne's party. Cynthia relays this information to Hortense who replies that she would feel a bit awkward. Despite these feelings, she agrees to attend and pose as a colleague from work.
The day of the barbecue arrives and Monica makes an effort for everyone to feel welcome. Cynthia makes incisive remarks in passing, but making sure that Monica hears them, about the seemingly high expenses that she makes in her house instead of concentrating of giving Maurice a child. Maurice tells Roxanne that she has a good brain and should be in college. Roxanne does not take this suggestion seriously. Everyone gathers for the barbecue and Maurice prepares the food. During the meal Hortense answers many questions which are naturally put to her by the other guests. Hortense says that she is pursuing medical research and endeavors to be evasive.
When Roxanne blows out her birthday candles Cynthia begins to act in an exceptionally nervous manner. She slips that Hortense is her daughter. Everyone dismisses this claim and states that she has had too much to drink. Roxanne is horrified and storms out of the house. Maurice attempts to placate matters by confronting Roxanne at a nearby bus stop. Maurice attempts to convince Roxanne to speak to her mother again and Cynthia apologises to her profusely. Cynthia then explains that she got pregnant at fifteen and her father sent her away and after the adoption she never expected Hortense to come back. Cynthia then accuses Monica of being selfish. Maurice reveals that Monica is physically incapable of having children. Maurice then loses his temper and states that he has spent his whole life trying to make people happy and that he cannot take it anymore because they all hate each other. After witnessing all this Hortense tries to leave but Maurice stops her admiring her courage for trying to find her own past, although he will not reveal who her father was either.
After a while things have calmed down and Hortense is free to visit Cynthia and Roxanne at their home. Hortense reveals that she always wanted a sister. Roxanne reveals that she would be happy to introduce Hortense as her half-sister notwithstanding the long explanations that it would entail.
, most of the performances were improvised: Leigh told each of the actors about their roles, and let them create their own lines.
Secrets and Lies was partly filmed in Whitehouse Way, Southgate, London
.
The emotional scene in the bar, in which Cynthia realises that she is indeed Hortense's mother, was filmed in a single uninterrupted take
of almost 8 minutes. Brenda Blethyn was not told beforehand that Hortense is black, making her reaction in this scene more authentic.
with an average rating of 8.7.
The film won the prestigious Palme d'Or
and Best Actress
(Brenda Blethyn
) awards at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival
, and Golden Globe
and BAFTA
Best Actress awards.
The film was also nominated for Academy Awards
for Best Actress in a Leading Role
(Brenda Blethyn
), Best Actress in a Supporting Role
(Marianne Jean-Baptiste
), Best Director
, Best Picture
and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.
Influential film critic Roger Ebert
entered the film to his Great Movies collection in 2009.
, which used it as a vehicle to raise awareness of sealed birth records in the United States and Canada. (See No More Secrets and Lies: Bastard Nation's Positive Picket(November 1996 - March 1997)
Director Mike Leigh and actress Brenda Blethyn met with Bastard Nation activists at a positive picket in Beverly Hills on March 10, 1997, where they were presented with Bastard Nation T-shirts.
Mike Leigh
Michael "Mike" Leigh, OBE is a British writer and director of film and theatre. He studied theatre at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and studied further at the Camberwell School of Art and the Central School of Art and Design. He began as a theatre director and playwright in the mid 1960s...
and starring Brenda Blethyn
Brenda Blethyn
Brenda Anne Blethyn, OBE is an English actress who has worked in theatre, television and film. Blethyn has received two Academy Award nominations, two SAG Award nominations, two Emmy Award nominations and three Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
, who won the award for Best Actress
Best Actress Award (Cannes Film Festival)
The Best Actress Award is an award presented at the Cannes Film Festival. It is chosen by the jury from the 'official section' of films at the festival. It was first awarded in 1946.-Award Winners:-External links:* * ....
at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival
1996 Cannes Film Festival
-Jury:*Francis Ford Coppola *Nathalie Baye *Greta Scacchi, actrice *Michael Ballhaus *Henry Chapier *Atom Egoyan *Eiko Ishioka *Krzysztof Piesiewicz *Antonio Tabucchi...
. The film won numerous other awards, including the Palme d'Or
Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...
, and received five Academy Award nominations.
Plot
The film tells the story of Hortense Cumberbatch, a successful blackBlack British
Black British is a term used to describe British people of Black African descent, especially those of Afro-Caribbean background. The term has been used from the 1950s to refer to Black people from former British colonies in the West Indies and Africa, who are residents of the United Kingdom and...
optometrist, who is adopted and has chosen to trace her family history and discovers that her birth mother, Cynthia Purley, is a working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
, 'downwardly immobile', white woman. She also meets her and later meets Cynthia's brother, Maurice Purley, a photographer, and his wife Monica, and Cynthia's daughter Roxanne, a street cleaner.
After being warned by public officials about the troubles Hortense could face by tracking her birthmother down, she continues her investigation and is baffled to learn that her birth mother is white but does not resent her and wants to know more about her own past.
At the Purley's it is evident that severe tensions exist between Roxanne and her mother. Both are frustrated with one another and getting on one another's nerves. Maurice and Monica also experience domestic tensions. Monica comes across as abrupt, but later scenes reveal that she suffers from severe menstrual cramps
Dysmenorrhea
Dysmenorrhea is a gynecological medical condition of pain during menstruation that interferes with daily activities, as defined by ACOG and others. Still, dysmenorrhea is often defined simply as menstrual pain, or at least menstrual pain that is excessive...
and Monica makes concerted efforts to placate matters and be contrite. Things are also not well between Maurice and his sister, they are a bit awkward with one another but both look forward to celebrating Roxanne’s birthday party. Cynthia refers to Maurice affectionately as her little brother and asks him when he is going to shave as she always does. It is clear that Cynthia somehow can survive by the money she receives from Maurice.
Hortense rings Cynthia and asks for a 'Cynthia Rose Purley', and starts talking about a baby "Elizabeth Purley', born in 1968. Cynthia realises that Hortense is her daughter whom she gave up for adoption and hangs up the phone. Hortense is still determined to find out more about her background. She rings Cynthia again and manages to convince her to meet with her. When they finally do, Cynthia feels that a grave mistake has been made. Hortense convinces Cynthia to have a cup of tea. Hortense asks Cynthia to look at a document; she then begins to cry and then states that she is ashamed. Hortense then wants to know who her father is, to which Cynthia refuses to answer.
After a while Hortense and Cynthia have struck up a friendship, which is somewhat noticed by Roxanne after seeing her mother going places but not knowing where, since Cynthia is rather secretive about it. Cynthia mentions the birthday party for Roxanne, she also gives Hortense a gift.
Cynthia asks Maurice if she can bring a “mate from work” to Roxanne's party. Cynthia relays this information to Hortense who replies that she would feel a bit awkward. Despite these feelings, she agrees to attend and pose as a colleague from work.
The day of the barbecue arrives and Monica makes an effort for everyone to feel welcome. Cynthia makes incisive remarks in passing, but making sure that Monica hears them, about the seemingly high expenses that she makes in her house instead of concentrating of giving Maurice a child. Maurice tells Roxanne that she has a good brain and should be in college. Roxanne does not take this suggestion seriously. Everyone gathers for the barbecue and Maurice prepares the food. During the meal Hortense answers many questions which are naturally put to her by the other guests. Hortense says that she is pursuing medical research and endeavors to be evasive.
When Roxanne blows out her birthday candles Cynthia begins to act in an exceptionally nervous manner. She slips that Hortense is her daughter. Everyone dismisses this claim and states that she has had too much to drink. Roxanne is horrified and storms out of the house. Maurice attempts to placate matters by confronting Roxanne at a nearby bus stop. Maurice attempts to convince Roxanne to speak to her mother again and Cynthia apologises to her profusely. Cynthia then explains that she got pregnant at fifteen and her father sent her away and after the adoption she never expected Hortense to come back. Cynthia then accuses Monica of being selfish. Maurice reveals that Monica is physically incapable of having children. Maurice then loses his temper and states that he has spent his whole life trying to make people happy and that he cannot take it anymore because they all hate each other. After witnessing all this Hortense tries to leave but Maurice stops her admiring her courage for trying to find her own past, although he will not reveal who her father was either.
After a while things have calmed down and Hortense is free to visit Cynthia and Roxanne at their home. Hortense reveals that she always wanted a sister. Roxanne reveals that she would be happy to introduce Hortense as her half-sister notwithstanding the long explanations that it would entail.
Cast
- Timothy SpallTimothy SpallTimothy Leonard Spall, OBE is an English character actor and occasional presenter.-Early life:Spall, the third of four sons, was born in Battersea, London. His mother, Sylvia R. , was a hairdresser, and his father, Joseph L. Spall, was a postal worker...
as Maurice Purley - Phyllis LoganPhyllis Logan-Education:Logan was educated at Johnstone High School in Johnstone, Renfrewshire, Scotland. After school, she graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama with the James Bridie Gold Medal in 1977.-Career:...
as Monica Purley - Brenda BlethynBrenda BlethynBrenda Anne Blethyn, OBE is an English actress who has worked in theatre, television and film. Blethyn has received two Academy Award nominations, two SAG Award nominations, two Emmy Award nominations and three Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
as Cynthia Rose Purley - Claire RushbrookClaire RushbrookClaire Rushbrook is an English film and television actress best known for her lead and support roles in various episodic television series.-Background:...
as Roxanne Purley - Marianne Jean-BaptisteMarianne Jean-BaptisteMarianne Raigipcien Jean-Baptiste is a British actress and singer of Antiguan and St. Lucian heritage.-Early life:...
as Hortense Cumberbatch - Elizabeth Berrington as Jane
- Michele AustinMichele AustinMichele Austin is a British actress best known for her role as PC Yvonne Hemmingway on ITV's The Bill, for which she won the Screen Nation award for best television actress in 2005....
as Dionne - Lee RossLee Ross (actor)Lee Ross is an English professional actor best known for his role as Dodger in Dodger, Bonzo and the Rest. He has also starred in, Press Gang, Secrets & Lies, The Catherine Tate Show and most recently as Owen Turner in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.-Career:His first acting role was as Fat Sam in...
as Paul - Lesley ManvilleLesley ManvilleLesley Manville is an award-winning English actress.-Early life:Born in Brighton, Manville was raised in Hove, East Sussex, one of three daughters of a taxicab driver. Training as a soprano singer from age 8, she twice became under-18 champion of Sussex...
as Social Worker married to Autense D'Acrcordu - Ron CookRon CookRon Cook is an English actor who has been active in the theatre, film and television since the 1970s. He is from South Shields, Co Durham, England and is a graduate of Rose Bruford College.- Stage appearances :...
as Stuart - Emma Amos as Girl with Scar
- Brian BovellBrian BovellBrian Bovell is an English actor.He has appeared regularly on television since 1980, as well as featuring in the cult film Babylon released the same year. He has also appeared in the play Where There Is Darkness in 1981, winning the 1982 London Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Supporting...
as Hortense's Brother - Trevor LairdTrevor LairdTrevor Laird is an English actor.Born in London, Laird appeared in the 1979 film Quadrophenia as Ferdy, a drug supplier for the main character Jimmy. His breakthrough role was in the 1980 cult classic Babylon. He also appeared in the 1986 Doctor Who serial Mindwarp as the guard commander Frax...
as Hortense's Brother - Claire Perkins as Hortense's Sister-in-Law (as Clare Perkins)
- Elias Perkins McCook as Vardan Petrosian
Production
Although Leigh is credited with writing the screenplayScreenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
, most of the performances were improvised: Leigh told each of the actors about their roles, and let them create their own lines.
Secrets and Lies was partly filmed in Whitehouse Way, Southgate, London
Southgate, London
Southgate is an area of north London, England, primarily within the London Borough of Enfield, although parts of its western fringes lie within the London Borough of Barnet. It is located around north of Charing Cross. The name is derived from being the south gate to Enfield Chase...
.
The emotional scene in the bar, in which Cynthia realises that she is indeed Hortense's mother, was filmed in a single uninterrupted take
Long take
A long take is an uninterrupted shot in a film which lasts much longer than the conventional editing pace either of the film itself or of films in general, usually lasting several minutes. It can be used for dramatic and narrative effect if done properly, and in moving shots is often accomplished...
of almost 8 minutes. Brenda Blethyn was not told beforehand that Hortense is black, making her reaction in this scene more authentic.
Awards
The film was a critical success. It has a 94% approval rating on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
with an average rating of 8.7.
The film won the prestigious Palme d'Or
Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...
and Best Actress
Best Actress Award (Cannes Film Festival)
The Best Actress Award is an award presented at the Cannes Film Festival. It is chosen by the jury from the 'official section' of films at the festival. It was first awarded in 1946.-Award Winners:-External links:* * ....
(Brenda Blethyn
Brenda Blethyn
Brenda Anne Blethyn, OBE is an English actress who has worked in theatre, television and film. Blethyn has received two Academy Award nominations, two SAG Award nominations, two Emmy Award nominations and three Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
) awards at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival
1996 Cannes Film Festival
-Jury:*Francis Ford Coppola *Nathalie Baye *Greta Scacchi, actrice *Michael Ballhaus *Henry Chapier *Atom Egoyan *Eiko Ishioka *Krzysztof Piesiewicz *Antonio Tabucchi...
, and Golden Globe
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama
The Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture - Drama was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as a separate category in 1951...
and BAFTA
50th British Academy Film Awards
The 50th BAFTA Film Awards, given by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts on 29 April 1997, honoured the best films of 1996.Anthony Minghella's The English Patient won the award for Best Film. Secrets & Lies won the "Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film"...
Best Actress awards.
The film was also nominated for Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for Best Actress in a Leading Role
Academy Award for Best Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
(Brenda Blethyn
Brenda Blethyn
Brenda Anne Blethyn, OBE is an English actress who has worked in theatre, television and film. Blethyn has received two Academy Award nominations, two SAG Award nominations, two Emmy Award nominations and three Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
), Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
(Marianne Jean-Baptiste
Marianne Jean-Baptiste
Marianne Raigipcien Jean-Baptiste is a British actress and singer of Antiguan and St. Lucian heritage.-Early life:...
), Best Director
Academy Award for Directing
The Academy Award for Achievement in Directing , usually known as the Best Director Oscar, is one of the Awards of Merit presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to directors working in the motion picture industry...
, Best Picture
Academy Award for Best Picture
The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the motion picture industry. The Best Picture category is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible not only...
and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.
Influential film critic Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
entered the film to his Great Movies collection in 2009.
- BAFTA
- Best Actress - Brenda Blethyn - WON
- Best Film
- Best British Film - WON
- Best Screenplay - WON
- Best Supporting Actress
Positive pickets
This film was the subject of "positive pickets" by the adult adoptee rights organization Bastard NationBastard Nation
Bastard Nation is a North American adult adoptee political advocacy and support organization. It was founded in 1996 by denizens of the Usenet newsgroup alt.adoption Shea Grimm, Damsel Plum, Marley Greiner and Lainie Petersen...
, which used it as a vehicle to raise awareness of sealed birth records in the United States and Canada. (See No More Secrets and Lies: Bastard Nation's Positive Picket(November 1996 - March 1997)
Director Mike Leigh and actress Brenda Blethyn met with Bastard Nation activists at a positive picket in Beverly Hills on March 10, 1997, where they were presented with Bastard Nation T-shirts.