Secret Friends Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Secret Friends Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 28, 2020

Dennis Potter's "Secret Friends" (1991) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include a remastered trailer for the film; new video interview with actor Ian McNeice; new video interview with critic/editor Graham Fuller; and vintage promotional materials. The release also arrives with a 36-page illustrated booklet featuring writings on the film and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The man who was losing his mind

I’ll kill the little bitch. Well, with such an opening line you are basically going all in, without leaving yourself any room for errors. After it, and very quickly, you have to start doing some really good work to convince that its timing was right and delivery justified. You have ten, at the most fifteen minutes to engage the audience the right way, or your entire project is toast.

Alan Bates immediately goes to work to accomplish precisely that. His character is an aging man on a train who has started panicking because he is losing control of his mind. He remembers bits about himself, his beautiful wife (Gina Bellman), and some of their mutual friends, but it isn’t enough to calm him down. Across him a pair of businessmen (Ian McNeice and Davyd Harries) are visibly perplexed by his odd outbursts, but choose to remain silent observers of his misery because they are afraid that he may turn violent. An equally perplexed waiter stops by and politely asks if there was something wrong with the grilled fish he served half an hour ago, but quickly realizes that his client hasn’t even noticed it. He is on the verge of a complete nervous breakdown because he is unable to remember how he got on the train, where he is going and why.

Is this enough to get the audience to care about the man and whatever it is that is happening in his head? Absolutely, and going forward he becomes an even more attractive character.

Now the man begins describing his meetings with a beautiful prostitute and the strange games they played together. They were both equally committed to them -- he was in for the thrills while she liked the big bucks he paid her. But wait, wait. Was she really a prostitute? Or was she the girl that became his wife? Hold on. Maybe she was both, and together they played their fantasies to keep their relationship exciting. If so, how despicable. If the man had such a dirty mind it is probably best that he is losing it now because the damn pervert needs to go.

At this point the man’s memories are all over the place, and it is absolutely impossible to tell if they are real or his angry mind is simply punishing him for unintentionally exposing its kinky secrets. But does it actually matter? It is clear now that there is a battle going on between the man and his mind, so as long as there is a clear winner at the end it will all make perfect sense.

The final third of the film is the most unhinged but also the funniest. Then again, it depends how you define funny because a lot of it is in fact directly related to the man’s misery. He cries, screams, and begs for forgiveness, and more often than not looks completely broken. His memories and kinky fantasies then merge, permanently overwhelm him and turn his world upside down. But has he lost the battle with his mind, or is it all part of an unusual strategy that would deliver surprising yet decisive victory?

Dennis Potter’s one and only film, Secret Friends, has such a wicked sense of humor that from time to time it feels like it was conceived by a closeted masochist-turned-skilled psychologist. It produces a ton of hilarious situations but loves to stick its finger in the spiritual wounds of its characters. It does not matter if a few may not be entirely legit, the film enjoys identifying them and at the right moment they all become suitable targets. (Hint: the man on the train isn’t the only character with unusual secrets).

Bates’ performance is likeable but does not always feel right. A lot of the sobbing, for instance, looks seriously overdone; he could have done a lot more to sell his twisted urges as well. (For what it’s worth, this writer believes that Bob Hoskins would have done a much better job selling the emotions swings of this complex character). Fortunately, Bellman ‘s transformations look great. Frances Barber, who plays a close friend, also leaves a lasting impression.

Secret Friends Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Secret Friends arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

I don't know when the remaster that was used to produce this release was prepared, but the film looks really good in high-definition. There are a few areas where some fine nuances should be better defined, with the most obvious examples occurring during darker footage, but this is a minor complaint because the overall delineation and clarity of the visuals are very strong. The color grading is convincing as well. The primaries are solid but not overdone and there are very good ranges of supporting nuances. If there is room for additional balance improvements I don't see it at the moment, or at least I don't think that it would be meaningful enough to alter the current color scheme. Image stability is outstanding. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Secret Friends Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

When the current remaster was prepared the audio was obviously transferred with great care as well because clarity, depth, and stability are outstanding. Also, there are absolutely no traces of age-related imperfections in the upper registers, where older films tend to exhibit weaknesses. There are no encoding anomalies to report.

Secret Friends Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a remastered trailer for Secret Friends. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Ian McNeice: Bon Viviant - in this new video interview, Ian McNeice recalls what it was like to work with Dennis Potter and Alan Bates during the making of Secret Friends. In English, not subtitled. (6 min, 1080p).

• Graham Fuller: Keeping Secrets - in this new program, Graham Fuller, editor of Potter on Potter, deconstructs Secret Friends and some of the more prominent themes in Dennis Potter's work. In English, not subtitled. (10 min, 1080p).

• Image Gallery - a gallery of original promotional materials for Secret Friends. (1080p).

• Booklet - an exclusive 36-page booklet with a new essay by Jeff Billington, Dennis Potter on the making of Secret Friends, an extract from Potter on Potter, an overview of critical responses, and film credits.

Secret Friends Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I don't know precisely what was happening in Dennis Potter's life when he made Secret Friends -- and apparently there was a lot -- but this film strikes me as a darkly humorous confession that divulges a lot if seen from the right angle. For example, I am pretty sure that the odd relationship between Alan Bates and Gina Bellman's characters incorporates bits of real fantasies and revelations, and that the former's maddening struggle to find peace with his past isn't entirely scripted. I could be wrong, but my instincts are telling me that the film was supposed to send a message, and perhaps to multiple recipients. I liked its wicked sense of humor a lot, but while viewing it I could not stop thinking whether Bob Hoskins, or another equally temperamental actor, would have made it wilder and more attractive. As it is, it feels like a distant, much more conservative British relative of Roman Polanski's Bitter Moon. RECOMMENDED.