Secrets & Lies

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Secrets & Lies
film poster
Directed by	Mike Leigh
Produced by	Simon Channing-Williams
Written by	Mike Leigh
Starring	Brenda Blethyn Marianne Jean-Baptiste Timothy Spall Phyllis Logan Claire Rushbrook Michele Austin Lee Ross
Music by	Andrew Dickson
Cinematography	Dick Pope
Editing by	Jon Gregory
Distributed by	October
Release date(s)	September 18 1996
Running time	142 min
Language	English
Budget	$4.5 million
IMDb profile

Secrets & Lies is a 1996 British film which tells the story of a successful black woman named Hortense Cumberbatch who, while tracing her family history, discovers that her mother, Cynthia Rose Purley, is a lower-class white woman. Cynthia's brother, Maurice Purley, is a photographer who is married to a petty house-proud suburban housewife. Directed by Mike Leigh, the movie stars Brenda Blethyn and Marianne Jean-Baptiste.

Although Leigh is also credited for writing the screenplay, most of the performances were actually improvised, with Leigh telling each of the actors about their roles, and had them make up their own lines.

The film was 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.

The film also won the 1996 Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

Secrets and Lies was partly filmed in Whitehouse Way of Southgate, London.

[edit] Cast

Timothy Spall - Maurice Purley
Phyllis Logan - Monica Purley
Brenda Blethyn - Cynthia Rose Purley
Claire Rushbrook - Roxanne Purley
Marianne Jean-Baptiste - Hortense Cumberbatch
Elizabeth Berrington - Jane
Michele Austin - Dionne
Lee Ross - Paul
Lesley Manville - Social Worker
Ron Cook - Stuart
Emma Amos - Girl with Scar
Brian Bovell - Hortense's Brother
Trevor Laird - Hortense's Brother
Claire Perkins - Hortense's Sister-in-Law (as Clare Perkins)
Elias Perkins McCook - Hortense's Nephew

[edit] Trivia

The entirety of the Heaven's Gate cult went to see this movie on March 19, 1997: several days before their mass suicide.[1].

DVD cover.

The film was a massive critical success. It has a high 93% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 8.7 which is significantly higher than the average rating for most other films.
The emotional scene in the bar with Cynthia and Hortense, when Cynthia realises that she is indeed Hortense's mother, is filmed in a single uninterrupted shot of almost 8 minutes.