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Cérémonie secrète

Original title: Secret Ceremony
  • 1968
  • 13
  • 1h 49m
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
2.8K
YOUR RATING
Elizabeth Taylor and Mia Farrow in Cérémonie secrète (1968)
Erotic ThrillerPsychological DramaPsychological ThrillerDramaThriller

A penniless woman meets a strange girl who insists she is her long-lost mother, and becomes enmeshed in a web of deception, and perhaps madness.A penniless woman meets a strange girl who insists she is her long-lost mother, and becomes enmeshed in a web of deception, and perhaps madness.A penniless woman meets a strange girl who insists she is her long-lost mother, and becomes enmeshed in a web of deception, and perhaps madness.

  • Director
    • Joseph Losey
  • Writers
    • Marco Denevi
    • George Tabori
  • Stars
    • Elizabeth Taylor
    • Robert Mitchum
    • Mia Farrow
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.3/10
    2.8K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Joseph Losey
    • Writers
      • Marco Denevi
      • George Tabori
    • Stars
      • Elizabeth Taylor
      • Robert Mitchum
      • Mia Farrow
    • 54User reviews
    • 45Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 BAFTA Awards
      • 3 nominations total

    Photos40

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    Top cast11

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    Elizabeth Taylor
    Elizabeth Taylor
    • Leonora
    Robert Mitchum
    Robert Mitchum
    • Albert
    Mia Farrow
    Mia Farrow
    • Cenci
    Peggy Ashcroft
    Peggy Ashcroft
    • Hannah
    Pamela Brown
    Pamela Brown
    • Hilda
    Robert Douglas
    Robert Douglas
    • Sir Alex Gordon
    • (uncredited)
    George Howell
    • First Cleaner
    • (uncredited)
    Penelope Keith
    Penelope Keith
    • Hotel Assistant
    • (uncredited)
    Roger Lloyd Pack
    Roger Lloyd Pack
    • Cleaner
    • (uncredited)
    Angus MacKay
    Angus MacKay
    • Vicar
    • (uncredited)
    Michael Strong
    Michael Strong
    • Dr. Walter Stevens
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Joseph Losey
    • Writers
      • Marco Denevi
      • George Tabori
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews54

    6.32.8K
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    Featured reviews

    dbdumonteil

    A ghost of a mother

    I saw "the girl in the park" yesterday and although it featured Sigourney Weaver's moving performance ,I couldn't help but be struck by the similarities with Losey's forgotten movie: Sigourney Weaver was in search of a long lost daughter whereas Mia Farrow is in need of a mother.Farrow is impressive in her performance which was outstripped by the success of "Rosemary's baby" -in which she is terrific too-.As soon as we see her ,we feel how irrational she is.Her smiles,her gentleness ,her tenderness have something spooky.Ther's also an attic where the characters try to invent a brand new past for themselves.Liz Taylor and Robert Mitchum are as good as Farrow and the movie is one of Losey's sleepers,almost in the same league as his overlooked "Monsieur Klein" (another case of mistaken identity)
    7baker-9

    Interesting, much underrated film

    "Secret Ceremony" was critically lambasted on its release - undeservedly so. Having come on the heels of another Elizabeth Taylor/Joseph Losey collaboration - the truly awful "Boom" - I suppose the critics were sharpening their knives again.

    Admittedly, "Secret Ceremony" is probably an acquired taste. I first saw it on network TV in its mutilated form, with new non-Losey scenes filmed to supposed "explain" what was happening. Nevertheless, what remained of the original film was good enough that I sought out the uncut original.

    The story is bizarre but consistently intriguing, and the Taylor/Farrow combination works. Taylor is very good in this film; I think it's one of her best performances (her scene at the very end is excellent). I highly recommend this film for those with eclectic, adventurous tastes.
    8duffjerroldorg

    A Gothic Triangle

    What an unexpected, odd, treat. Films that travel undetected, spotted by accident - as it was in my case. I was reading about this startling Argentinean writer, Marco Denevi, when I discovered that one of his short stories had been adapted for the screen, directed by Joseph Losey of "The Servant" fame and with a cast to die for. Elizabeth Taylor as a prostitute that takes advantage of a peculiar girl, played with real zest by Mia Farrow who mistakes her for her mother, and Robert Mitchum, as the disruptor. This classy if bizarre production also includes Pamela Brown and Peggy Ashcroft in the cast. I enjoyed the weirdness thoroughly. It unsettled me and made me wonder how this film had been received in 1968. Apparently not very well. The one thing that made people talk about Secret Ceremony at the time was an infamous still with Elizabeth Taylor and Mia Farrow in a bathtub together. For lovers of the odd and unique this is a real treat.
    6Progbear-4

    An odd film

    This is a somewhat weird psychological drama about a mentally troubled young woman (Mia Farrow) who mistakes Liz Taylor's character for her dead mother. The situation is complicated by the fact that Farrow's character also resembles Taylor's dead daughter. Though the premise is a bit contrived, it becomes a bit touching as Taylor eventually becomes protective and concerned about the girl, who is being victimized by her own family. The film does suffer from several major flaws, most notably the appearance of Robert Mitchum, painfully miscast as Farrow's lecherous stepfather. Probably one of Taylor's most daring and least embarrassing roles from this period, she also looks surprisingly good here.
    5cassiewright-89520

    Oddball Thriller

    It's hard to find words to describe Secret Ceremony. It's definitely a film that you'd be surprised the likes of Taylor, Farrow, and Mitchum would be interested in being a part of, but their commitment to the material is admirable.

    Taylor plays a homeless who has a chance encounter with a creepy young woman played by Farrow who stalks her because she reminds her of her dead mother. Luckily for Farrow, she reminds Taylor of her dead daughter and the two start living together in Farrow's mansion. Needless to say, things just keep getting creepier from there.

    The big issue with this film is that we don't know Taylor's character well enough to figure out why she'd ever been desperate or crazy enough to go off and live with a complete stranger, especially one as creepy and obviously disturbed as Farrow. This weak motivation makes everything that happens after it feel unearned and, frankly, boring.

    There are some interesting and creepy ideas sprinkled throughout including a dollop, but it's not as interesting as it could have been.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      When this movie aired on NBC several years later, it was not only heavily edited to sanitize some of the seamier sexual suggestions, but also included newly shot footage (none involving any of the actors or actresses who appeared in the actual movie: Michael Tolan, Paul Rogers), including a prologue and epilogue in which a psychiatrist character discussed the characters' failings and attempted to explain away the truncated movie's many plot holes. Amongst other major changes was the profession of Leonora Grabowski (Dame Elizabeth Taylor), who somehow morphed from a prostitute in the theatrical release to a wig model in the television version.

      Of the TV version, director Losey said: "not one person connected artistically with the film was consulted or involved in those changes. They're absurd...completely destroyed the rhythm, intention and content of the film...absolutely reversing the meaning of the film."
    • Goofs
      Moving shadow of the camera on the door-frame as it moves from Lenora's room to Cenci's room at the hotel in the Netherlands.
    • Quotes

      Cenci: You let nanny and the cook go.

      Leonora: I did?

      Cenci: Fired them ruthlessly.

    • Alternate versions
      Network TV version is eight minutes shorter than the theatrical release, removing some scenes and featuring alternative footage for others.
    • Connections
      Referenced in L'Abominable Docteur Phibes (1971)

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    FAQ16

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 21, 1969 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Secret Ceremony
    • Filming locations
      • Debenham House, Addison Road, Holland Park, London, England, UK(Lenora & Cenci go to this house at No. 8 after the cemetery - aka Peacock House)
    • Production company
      • World Film Services
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $3,200,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $1,133
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 49m(109 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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