''Secrets'' is a 1983 British

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

film directed by

Gavin Millar Gavin Millar (11 January 1938 – 20 April 2022) was a Scottish film director, critic and television presenter. Biography Millar was born in Clydebank, near Glasgow, the son of Tom Millar and his wife Rita (née Osborne). The family relocated ...

and produced by

David Puttnam David Terence Puttnam, Baron Puttnam, CBE, HonFRSA, HonFRPS, MRIA (born 25 February 1941) is a British film producer, educator, environmentalist and former member of the House of Lords. His productions include ''Chariots of Fire'', which wo ...

. It was originally shown as part of Puttnam's

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

anthology series ''First Love''.

Plot

In the fall of 1963, Louise is a 13-year-old girl who lives with her widowed mother. Before she is set to leave for boarding school, she discovers a box belonging to her late father. The box contains secret documents in additions to condoms, but Louise thinks they are balloons. She also learns her father was a member of the secret order of Freemasons. While at boarding school, Louise attempts to explain to friends what the Freemasons are. The girls form their own version of a Masonic club. Meanwhile, Louise’s mother finds the box in Louise’s room and inadvertently thinks her daughter is sexually active. Louise learns her parents’ marriage was not what she thought it was.

Production

Goldcrest Films Goldcrest Films is an award-winning independent British distribution, production, post production, and finance company. Operating from London and New York, Goldcrest is a privately owned integrated filmed entertainment company. Goldcrest Films ov ...

invested £461,000 in the movie and received £620,000 earning them a profit of £159,000.

Cast

*Helen Lindsay as Mother * John Horsley as Dr. Jefferies *Anna Jones as Louise *Daisy Cockburn as Sydney *Rebecca Johnson as Trottie *Lucy Goode as Jane *Richard Tolan as Paul *Carol Gillies as Miss Quick *Jane Briers as Miss Strickland *Judith Fellows as Elderly Teacher *Georgine Anderson as Matron *Cynthia Grenville as Miss Johnson *Elizabeth Choice as Miss Jones Wallace *Matyelok Gibbs as Miss Lane

Reception

In a review of the film, the ''

Santa Cruz Sentinel The ''Santa Cruz Sentinel'' is a daily newspaper published in Santa Cruz, California, covering Santa Cruz County, California, and owned by Media News Group. Ottaway Community Newspapers, a division of Dow Jones & Company bought the paper in 1982 ...

'' wrote ''Secrets'' is "not large enough to fill a movie screen in any way, shape or form ... but it is kind of sweet". Rebecca Lieb of ''

The Film Journal ''Film Journal International'' was a motion-picture industry trade magazine published by the American company Prometheus Global Media. It was a sister publication of ''Adweek'', '' Billboard'', ''The Hollywood Reporter'', and other periodicals. ...

'' called the film "a light, entertaining, and often very funny comedy...enhanced with an acute sense of what it's like to be 13 and discovering sex".

References

External links

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''Secrets''
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''Secrets''
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Letterboxd Letterboxd is an online social networking service co-founded by Matthew Buchanan and Karl von Randow in 2011. It was launched as a social app focused on sharing opinions about, and love of film, and is maintained by a small team in Auckland, Ne ...

{{First Love (Channel 4) 1983 television films 1983 films Films directed by Gavin Millar 1983 comedy films Films set in 1963 British teen comedy films 1980s coming-of-age comedy films 1980s teen comedy films Films about puberty Films set in boarding schools 1980s English-language films 1980s British films