''The Secret'' (French title ''Le Secret'') is a 1974 French film, directed by

Robert Enrico Robert Georgio Enrico (13 April 1931 – 23 February 2001) was a French film director and scriptwriter best known for making the Oscar-winning short ''An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge'' (1961). He was born in Liévin, Pas-de-Calais, in the nort ...

Synopsis

At the start we see "David"

Jean-Louis Trintignant Jean-Louis Xavier Trintignant (; 11 December 1930 – 17 June 2022) was a French actor. He made his theatrical debut in 1951, and went on to be regarded as one of the best French dramatic actors of the post-war era. He starred in many classic fi ...

as a prisoner in some sort of torture chamber, a row of cells whose occupants, in straitjackets, are chained to their beds. David manages to escape from custody. On the run, he arrives at the home of a couple living in an isolated farmhouse (

Marlène Jobert Marlène Jobert (born 4 November 1940) is a French actress and author. Life and career Jobert was born in Algiers, Algeria, to a Sephardic Jewish and Pied-Noir family, the daughter of Eliane Azulay and Charles Jobert, who served in the French A ...

and

Philippe Noiret Philippe Noiret (; 1 October 1930 – 23 November 2006) was a French film actor. Life and career Noiret was born in Lille, France, the son of Lucy (Heirman) and Pierre Noiret, a clothing company representative. He was an indifferent student and ...

). He claims that he is in possession of an important secret, one that he came across by chance, that is so terrible that the authorities will do anything to protect it. He predicts, correctly, that the state will soon mobilize all its resources to find him, using as a cover story the claim that a paranoid killer is on the loose from an asylum. The couple are unsure whether to believe him, but give him some assistance. Whether David is an unlucky but innocent fugitive or is the psychopath described by the police and press remains a mystery until the last moment of the film.

Other

Étienne Becker Étienne Becker (1 May 1936, Paris, France – 11 December 1995, Paris) was a French Director of Photography The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or re ...

is the

Director of Photography The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...

External links

* 1974 films French thriller films Films scored by Ennio Morricone 1970s thriller films Films about conspiracy theories Films directed by Robert Enrico 1974 drama films 1970s French films {{1970s-France-film-stub