The Secret (1979 film)
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| The Secret | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Film poster | |
| Directed by | Ann Hui |
| Written by | Joyce Chan |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | David Chung (鍾志文) |
| Edited by | Yu Chan-fung (余燦峰) |
| Music by | Lam Manyee |
Release date |
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Running time |
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| Country | Hong Kong |
| Language | Cantonese |
The Secret (Chinese: 瘋劫) is a 1979 Hong Kong thriller film directed by Ann Hui. It is Hui's debut feature film.[1]
The plot is based on the "Double Corpse Murder Case" that happened on Mount Lung Fu in 1970.[2]
Production
The film was loosely based on a real-life double murder in Pok Fu Lam in May 1970.[3] As reported by the South China Morning Post on 18 May 1970, a young man and woman were found dead on a hill on Pok Fu Lam Road the night before. The couple had been strangled, and had their hands bound behind them.[4]
Release and reception
The Secret was released in Hong Kong on 1 November 1979.[5] According to a positive review by Asian Movie Pulse, The Secret is a "bright debut for a directress that managed to analyse Hong Kong identity within the frame of a commercial success".[2]
Accolades
The film received two awards at the 17th Golden Horse Awards: Best Cinematography (David Chung), and Best Film Editing (Yu Chan-fung). It also earned three nominations for Best Narrative Feature, Best Director (Hui), and Best Original Screenplay (Chan).[6]
Post-release
In 2017, the Hong Kong Film Archive restored The Secret using newly-discovered footage. Missing scenes and the film's dialogue track were sourced from Betacam and VHS copies of the film.[3] The runtime of the restored version is 90 minutes, five minutes longer than the edited version.[7][8] The Hong Kong Film Archive later issued the restored version on Blu-ray in 2019, re-releasing a second edition in 2022.[9]
