Everything about Secret Ceremony totally explained
Secret Ceremony is a
1968 film, produced in
Britain and released by
Universal Pictures. It stars
Elizabeth Taylor,
Mia Farrow,
Robert Mitchum,
Pamela Brown, and
Peggy Ashcroft.
Joseph Losey directed, from a script by
George Tabori.
Plot
Taylor plays a
prostitute despondent over the death of her daughter. Mia Farrow is a lonely young woman who is immediately attracted to Taylor and practically adopts her as her mother. Mitchum, Farrow's stepfather, intrudes into this make-believe mother and daughter relationship, and tragedy ensues.
Reception
Critics
Critical reception of the film has tended to be mixed, with some critics essentially maintaining that it's a bad film but yet one that can be enjoyed due to a certain
camp quality evident in Losey's
mise-en-scène and the actors' performances. However, other film analysts regard the film as compelling because of its deep psychological portraits. Taylor's performance has been characterized as occasionally tacky, but justified by the fact that she's playing a prostitute and mother at the same time. Fans of the film cite its many moments of heart-rending emotional truth in the character, which Taylor conveys effortlessly. The role has been called one of her best ever. Farrow's performance is referred to by fans as outstanding, and Mitchum as the perverted stepfather has been described as nothing short of searing.
The chief set of the film, the house where Farrow lives, was originally a mansion in
Kensington,
London, decorated in the style of
Art Nouveau. Losey was famous for his so-called
baroque style which he put to full use showing off the architecture of the set.
There are apparently varying versions of the film, the result of
Universal Pictures' tampering with Losey's original cut, possibly to de-emphasize the
Lesbian aspects of the Taylor-Farrow relationship. Writer
Harlan Ellison has noted in many articles that Universal Studios executives tend to savage their own films to the point of
vandalism.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Secret Ceremony'.
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