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Secret Defense

Play trailer Poster for Secret Defense 1999,  2h 53m,  Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist 92% 12 Reviews Tomatometer 82% 250+ Ratings Popcornmeter
92% Tomatometer 12 Reviews 82% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
When a brilliant scientist (Sandrine Bonnaire) discovers that her father did not die accidentally but was murdered by a family friend, she swears vengeance. However, she soon finds herself deeply embroiled in a mystery of lust and intrigue. And when she discovers the truth about her father, it threatens to shake her very foundations in this fascinating thriller.

Critics Reviews

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Richard Brody The New Yorker Feb 3, 2014
With suave and feline images by the cinematographer William Lubtchansky, Rivette offers a virtual documentary on modern bourgeois solitude ... Go to Full Review
Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader Nov 12, 2007
The brooding intimations of Greek tragedy are part of what keeps this 170-minute thriller fascinating throughout. Go to Full Review
J. Hoberman Village Voice Nov 13, 2001
Hermetic and somewhat opaque, this perfectly symmetrical tragedy is not for every taste. For those willing to enter the Rivette zone, however, it's a chess puzzle devised by a grand master. Go to Full Review
Kathy Fennessy Video Librarian Magazine Jul 27, 2023
3/5
The entire cast rises to the occasion, particularly [Sandrine] Bonnaire, who was on a roll in the 1990s, though the fatalistic tone rarely lifts. Go to Full Review
Film4 Staff Film4 Nov 12, 2007
Thanks to Bonnaire's characteristically intelligent performance, the circumlocutions hold some interest, proving again that since her discovery by Pialat she has become the most uncompromising of French actresses. Go to Full Review
Ken Fox TV Guide Nov 12, 2007
3.5/4
The film will either draw you in (as Rivette's best films can), or simply wear you out. Go to Full Review
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Secret Defense

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Cast & Crew

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Jacques Rivette

Director

Sandrine Bonnaire

Sylvie

Laure Marsac

Véronique

Jerzy Radziwiłowicz

Walser

Grégoire Colin

Paul

Françoise Fabian

Geneviève

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Secret Defense

Secret Defense (1998) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis When a brilliant scientist (Sandrine Bonnaire) discovers that her father did not die accidentally but was murdered by a family friend, she swears vengeance. However, she soon finds herself deeply embroiled in a mystery of lust and intrigue. And when she discovers the truth about her father, it threatens to shake her very foundations in this fascinating thriller.
Director
Jacques Rivette
Producer
Martine Marignac, Maurice Tinchant
Screenwriter
Pascal Bonitzer, Emanuelle Cuau, Jacques Rivette
Distributor
Pierre Grise Distribution, Artificial Eye
Production Co
La Sept Cinema, Pierre Grisé Productions
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
French (France)
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 1, 1999, Original
Release Date (DVD)
Mar 14, 2023
Runtime
2h 53m
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