6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
One of Britain s leading psychiatrists has committed suicide. His teenage daughter (Pamela Franklin) is convinced that her father was murdered - and enlists the help of one of her father s patients, news reporter Alex Stedman (Stephen Boyd) to uncover the truth. As Stedman delves into the lives of his three suspects a tormented art dealer (Richard Attenborough), a beautiful, lonely woman (Diane Cilento) and one of Britain s most respected judges (Jack Hawkins) he has to battle with his own, re-emerging psychological terrors and unravel The Third Secret.
Starring: Stephen Boyd, Jack Hawkins (I), Richard Attenborough, Diane Cilento, Pamela FranklinDrama | 100% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
Music: LPCM Mono
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Between 1961, when she made a rather auspicious feature film debut as one of the maybe, maybe not disturbed children in The Innocents, and 1969, when as a most definitely disturbed teenager she came close to stealing The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie from its ultimately Academy Award winning star Maggie Smith, Pamela Franklin was arguably one of the more formidable younger actresses working in the film industry. More or less halfway through the decade of the sixties, Franklin had another showcase role in The Third Secret, a kind of potboiler featuring Stephen Boyd as Alex Stedman, an American journalist working in British television as a commentator. Stedman also suffers from psychological issues which have led him to the care of a famous analyst named Leo Whitset (Alan Copley), who as the film opens is found mortally wounded from a gunshot to the head, an injury which leads to his death which in turn is deemed a suicide. Whitset’s daughter Catherine (Pamela Franklin) is convinced her father was in fact murdered by one of his patients, and she enlists the aid of Stedman to figure out what happened. The film’s marketing tagline suggested that the addled Stedman might actually be searching for himself, so to speak, in that he might have been the one to have pulled the trigger, but is instead so dissociative that he doesn’t realize it. Suffice it to say, there is a dissociative character involved (more than one, arguably), but as another kind of analyst, the critic Neal Sinyard, avers in his comments on the film included on this disc as a supplement, there are so many dangling plot threads in this screenplay that even the proffered “answers” may only end up engendering more questions.
The Third Secret is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Powerhouse Films' Indicator imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Some of the supplements included on this release suggest this was one of the last, and perhaps the very last, black and white films shot in CinemaScope. Lensed by the great Douglas Slocombe, The Third Secret looks great by and large in this presentation. Contrast is solid, and black levels appropriately deep, and while the grain was just a bit heavier than I personally was expecting for a large format offering, it resolves nicely throughout. Detail levels are commendable, with some of the fine patterns on some of the mid-century fabrics looking precise and almost palpable at times. There are some very minor signs of age related wear and tear, and some of the opticals can look a bit rough at times.
The Third Secret features a nice sounding LPCM Mono track. The film is generally a talk fest, with occasional ambient environmental effects placed in the background of the sound mix when scenes are outdoors (which is actually quite a bit of the time). The plaintive score by Richard Arnell also sounds full bodied throughout.
Franklin more or less matriculated to television as the sixties gave way to the seventies (kind of incredibly, she evidently shot a pilot in 1971 in the United States for a proposed spin-off of Green Acres which perhaps fortunately, for her if for no one else, was never picked up for series), but films like The Third Secret prove what a really arresting screen presence she was. It's the performances that really make The Third Secret click, and even when they're portraying ill defined characters, Attenborough, Hawkins and Cilento bring a lot of energy to their roles. Boyd is still on the stiff side, but his interactions with the compelling Franklin have warmth and sincerity. Technical merits are solid and the supplementary package outstanding, for those who are considering a purchase.
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