Secrets & Lies (1996)

[Akijama]

https://www.criterion.com/films/29202-secrets-lies

DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
New 2K digital restoration, supervised by director Mike Leigh and director of photography Dick Pope, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray
New conversation with Leigh and composer Gary Yershon
New interview with actor Marianne Jean-Baptiste
Audio interview with Leigh from 1996 conducted by film critic Michel Ciment
Trailer
English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

New cover by Eric Skillman

Writer-director Mike Leigh reached new levels of expressive power and intricacy in his ongoing contemplation of unembellished humanity with this resonant exploration of the deceptions, small and large, that shape our relationships to those we love. When Hortense (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), a Black optometrist who was adopted as a child, begins the search for her birth mother, she doesn’t expect that it will lead her to Cynthia (Brenda Blethyn, winner of the Cannes Film Festival’s best actress award), a desperately lonely white factory worker whose tentative embrace of her long-lost daughter sends shock waves through the rest of her already fragile family. Born from a painstaking process of rehearsal and improvisation with a powerhouse ensemble cast, Secrets & Lies is a Palme d’Or–winning tour de force of sustained tension and catharsis that lays bare the emotional fault lines running beneath the surface of everyday lives.

[bookcase]

I haven't seen this since the theater, but I recall loving it tremendously. I don't buy a lot of CC, but this is one I will.

[Hazel Motes]

Top 3 Mike Leigh. Stoked for this.

[BluCollector13]

Finally. I've been waiting for Criterion to do this one since I first saw this film five years ago.

[Rizor]

Great movie! One of Leigh's best. It's been a while, probably haven't seen it in about 20 years! Glad to see it's getting a revival.

In the early 2000s, I was turned onto the work of Mike Leigh through segments on Roger Ebert's show and his writings. I believe he was particularly fond of this film. https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/s...-and-lies-1996

[ChrisJ89]

Criterion has already put out three of his earliest films: Meantime, Life is Sweet and Naked, so this is great news. If Criterion can just get the rights to High Hopes, it would be great to have all of my top 5 Mike Leigh films in my collection.

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by ChrisJ89

Criterion has already put out three of his earliest films: Meantime, Life is Sweet and Naked, so this is great news. If Criterion can just get the rights to High Hopes, it would be great to have all of my top 5 Mike Leigh films in my collection.

They also did this:

[sharif.ahmed]

Any word on this getting a Region B release?

[sharif.ahmed]

Originally Posted by sharif.ahmed

Any word on this getting a Region B release?

I've just received email confirmation from Criterion there is a Region B release due in April!

[Jado3Dhead]

Great to see Mike Leigh's films getting the Criterion treatment. I hope we get Bleak Moments eventually.

[BenOswald]

Acclaimed (and recently knighted) Cinematographer Roger Deakins had Leigh & Dick Pope on his podcast where they discussed Secrets & Lies + other collaborations:

https://teamdeakins.libsyn.com/mike-...inematographer

"Team Deakins has the pleasure of sitting down with the long time collaborative team of Mike Leigh and Dick Pope. What a great conversation! Mike shares with us his method of working and delineates the difference between his work and that of the directors John Cassavetes and Ken Loach. We learn the importance of having the right location and being able to return to the location during the course of the shoot. As the film is an “ongoing investigation” of what it will be according to Mike, Dick shares how amazing the experience is when he sees the blocked scene play out on location for the first time. Mike speaks on his way of working with actors. We also learn why on the film Peterloo, which involved a lot of scenes with a lot of extras and battles, they chose not to do storyboards. Both Mike and Dick talk about the specifics of their collaboration and how it has strengthened over years. A fascinating look into a very special relationship between a director and cinematographer."

[Member-496152]

Is the transfer of the Criterion the same as the already released Region B release? I don't know whether to upgrade this or not but if it is a considerable difference I might.

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by MidnightMovies

Is the transfer of the Criterion the same as the already released Region B release? I don't know whether to upgrade this or not but if it is a considerable difference I might.

It's the same master. There are some differences in contrast/grading, but that's a matter of preference.

[DVD Phreak]

Any older folks here remember Mike Leigh's "A to Z speech" at an award show?

During the award season for Secrets & Lies in 1997, Mike Leigh made what I thought was a memorable and memorably long speech at the Independent Spirit Awards on "The A to Z of filmmaking." His speech lasted over 20 minutes, from "A is for art,... B is for this,... C is for that..." all the way to Z. I watched it live, and the audience was noticeably impatient and restless. But I thought it was an absolute bad-ass thing to do at the time, and I had always hoped to see it again.

Finally, that speech has been uploaded to YouTube at the official channel. Below is the full ceremony that year, and Leigh's speech starts at 14:00.

12th annual Spirit Awards ceremony - FULL SHOW | 1997 | Film Independent - YouTube