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Secret (2007 film)
Encyclopedia
Secret is a 2007 Taiwanese
romance film
. It is the directorial debut feature film of Taiwanese
musician Jay Chou
, who also stars as the male lead and co-wrote the movie.
The Secret Original Soundtrack
was released by JVR Music on 13 August 2007.
In 2007 it received six nominations at the 44th Golden Horse Awards and won Outstanding Taiwanese Film of the Year, Best Original Song for "不能說的祕密" (Secret) by Chou and Best Visual Effects. It was also nominated for Best Asian Film at the 27th Hong Kong Film Awards
in 2008.
Filming for the movie began in January 2007 and was completed in March. Despite previous experience in filming music video
s, Chou admits that movies are much more challenging due to storyline complexity and time constraints.
Because Chou was worried that people might question if he actually directed the film himself, he even refused veteran director Andrew Lau Wai Keung
to visit him during shooting. However, Chou says that he did send a pilot film to Lau afterwards.
Chou has announced his plans to direct a sequel to the film and plans to invite Andy Lau
to star in it.
), a music student majoring in piano, transfers to Tamkang (Danjiang) Secondary School. It is a school famous for musically talented students, especially in piano. On the first day of school, as he wanders through the piano building, he hears a mysterious melody being played that leads him to Lu Xiaoyu (Kwai Lun-mei
), another piano major. When he asks her about the song she was playing, she tells him that it is a secret that cannot be told. The two develop a relationship that is clouded in mystery. When Xianglun tells Xiaoyu about the demolition of the piano building on graduation day, she teaches him the mysterious song.
However, when a mis-passed note leads to Xianglun accidentally kissing another student Qing Yi (Alice Tzeng
), Xiaoyu disappears for five months, only to return on graduation day and mysteriously disappear again. Xianglun asks around and discovers from Xiaoyu's mother and his father (Anthony Wong Chau-sang) that Xiaoyu was actually a student from the class of 1979, who graduated 20 years ago. His father tells him she claimed she traveled forward in time to the present with the help of a piano piece called "Secret" that she played on an old piano in the piano building. She had fallen in love with Xianglun, but the only barrier is that, in the present, the first person she sees on each trip is the only person that can see her.
When Xiaoyu saw Qing Yi kiss Xianglun, she returned to her normal time. During her absence at home, her story spread and everyone believed that she was mentally ill. Remembering that the piano room would be destroyed on graduation day of 1999, she tried time travel
ing to see Xianglun one last time, but she spotted Xianglun wearing Qing Yi's bracelet. Believing that Xianglun now belonged to Qing Yi, Xiaoyu returns to her own time with a heavy heart. Due to an asthma attack, while writing on her desk trying to leave a message to the boy she loves, Xiaoyu dies. Xianglun sees the writing on the desk and desperately tries to write back using white out
but when he gets no response he rushes to Xiaoyu's house only to find her room empty. Xiaoyu's mother finally recognises Xianglun as the boy her daughter had drawn a picture of twenty years before and Xianglun learns the truth about her time travels.
After finally learning of Xiaoyu's story, Xianglun realizes that the piece that she taught him was "Secret", which had the power to take the pianist forward or backward in time depending on the tempo at which it is played. He rushes off to the piano room, which is about to be torn down. Xianglun's father retrieves the manuscript of the musical piece that Xiaoyu had given to him for safekeeping, then realises that Xiaoyu had written a secret message for Xianglun. Meanwhile, Xianglun enters the piano building and as the demolition begins, Xianglun starts to play "Secret" from memory, recalling something Xiaoyu told him while teaching him the piece: "I always play it that fast when I go back". Just before the piano room is completely destroyed, Xianglun travels back to 1979. He sees Xiaoyu, and she sees him and smiles, but doesn't seem to know him. The last scene is when the 1979 Tamkang (Danjiang) Secondary School graduation picture is taken, in which Xianglun and Xiaoyu are present. As the old piano and the piano building have been destroyed, Xianglun stays forever in the past with Xiaoyu.
LoveHKFilm.com agrees that Chou is not the best male lead for a romantic role, he is not able to produce the range of emotions needed to touch moviegoers. Instead, the female lead Kwai Lun Mei was praised for her excellent acting. The critic regards the film as a nice, romantic, fairly good picture and that Jay Chou directs with an able hand. Cinematography and art direction was also praised for its beauty, as well as the movie score. The critic regards the illogical story as the biggest disadvantage for the film, saying that the plot often does not follow its own rules, creating logical gaps. The supporting actors were found to be boring, with the exception of Anthony Wong, who was praised for his acting diversity. According to the critic, there is a certain chemistry between Chou and Kwai but their dialogues lack depth and emotions, largely due to Chou's inability to act well. He regarded Chou as a likable, charming presence but utterly without any passion on screen, being too distant in his emotions.
Asianmovieweb is surprised to see Chou as a good director but dismisses him as an actor. The soundtrack is praised for its beauty as well as the cinematography and the attention Chou paid to tiny details. The critic also mentioned the logical gaps in the story being very distracting.
Variety
regarded the movie surprisingly good, with decent acting (apart from Chou) and praised the music as well. The critic sees South Korean cinematic influences in Secret and compared the style of the movie to early Hollywood pictures from the 1940s and Taiwanese pictures from the 1970s.
movieXclusive.com states that it is rare to see such a well directed picture from a musician-turned-director but Chou is able to "pull it off". Casting choices were praised especially with regard to Anthony Wong and Kwai Lun Mei, the latter being praised for her ability to create a secretive air around herself. The best part of the movie according to the critic is the "onslaught of piano performances" that were compared to action scenes of Jet Li
and Tony Jaa
. However, the critic was not satisfied with the editing and pacing of the movie but nevertheless regarded the film as a successful piece of art.
Combustible Celluloid named Secret one of the "most enchanting, captivating features" of the 2008 San Francisco International Film Festival
.
in 2008.
Cinema of Taiwan
The history of Chinese-language cinema has three separate threads of development: Cinema of Hong Kong, Cinema of Mainland China and Cinema of Taiwan . Taiwanese cinema grew up outside of the Hong Kong mainstream and the censorship of the People's Republic of China.Taiwanese cinema is deeply rooted...
romance film
Romance film
Romance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus...
. It is the directorial debut feature film of Taiwanese
Taiwanese people
Taiwanese people may refer to individuals who either claim or are imputed cultural identity focused on the island of Taiwan and/or Taiwan Area which have been governed by the Republic of China since 1945...
musician Jay Chou
Jay Chou
Jay Chou is a Taiwanese musician, singer-songwriter, music and film producer, actor and director who has won the World Music Award four times. In 1998 he was discovered in a talent contest where he displayed his piano and song-writing skills. Over the next two years, he was hired to compose for...
, who also stars as the male lead and co-wrote the movie.
The Secret Original Soundtrack
Secret (soundtrack)
Secret Original Soundtrack is the soundtrack album for the 2007 Taiwanese romance film, Secret, directed and co-written by Jay Chou; starring Chou, Kwai Lun-mei, Anthony Wong and Alice Tzeng....
was released by JVR Music on 13 August 2007.
In 2007 it received six nominations at the 44th Golden Horse Awards and won Outstanding Taiwanese Film of the Year, Best Original Song for "不能說的祕密" (Secret) by Chou and Best Visual Effects. It was also nominated for Best Asian Film at the 27th Hong Kong Film Awards
27th Hong Kong Film Awards
Ceremony for the 27th Hong Kong Film Awards was held on 14 April 2008 in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and hosted by Sandra Ng, Carol Cheng and Sammi Cheng. Winners in nineteen categories were unveiled, with film The Warlords being the year's biggest winner.The nominees were announced on 2 February...
in 2008.
Production
The film tells a "simple but very beautiful" love story, which Chou denies was adapted from his personal experiences. When the film debuted, Chou admitted that he drew from childhood experience for the plot, although his personal story was not as romantic.Filming for the movie began in January 2007 and was completed in March. Despite previous experience in filming music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s, Chou admits that movies are much more challenging due to storyline complexity and time constraints.
Because Chou was worried that people might question if he actually directed the film himself, he even refused veteran director Andrew Lau Wai Keung
Andrew Lau
Andrew Lau Wai-Keung is a Hong Kong cinematographer and filmmaker. Lau began his career in the 1980s and 1990s, serving as a cinematographer to filmmakers such as Ringo Lam, Wong Jing and Wong Kar-wai. In the 1990s, Lau decided to have more creative freedom as a cinematographer by becoming a film...
to visit him during shooting. However, Chou says that he did send a pilot film to Lau afterwards.
Chou has announced his plans to direct a sequel to the film and plans to invite Andy Lau
Andy Lau
Andy Lau MH, JP is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer, actor, and film producer. Lau has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maintaining a successful singing career at the same time...
to star in it.
Cast
| Actor | |Character | Relationships |
|---|---|---|
| Jay Chou Jay Chou Jay Chou is a Taiwanese musician, singer-songwriter, music and film producer, actor and director who has won the World Music Award four times. In 1998 he was discovered in a talent contest where he displayed his piano and song-writing skills. Over the next two years, he was hired to compose for... |
Ye Xianglun (葉湘倫) | A music student majoring in piano and lives with his father |
| Kwai Lun-mei Kwai Lun-mei Kwai Lun-Mei is a Taiwanese actress. She started her acting career in the movie Blue Gate Crossing as Meng Ke Rou. Lun-Mei then appeared in a few more movies before she went on to gain more recognition in the movie Secret directed by Jay Chou, which Kwai acted as the female lead, Lu Xiao Yu with... |
Lu Xiaoyu (路小雨) | A music student who lives with her mother |
| Anthony Wong Chau-sang | Xianglun's father (小倫爸爸) | Xianglun's father and the discipline teacher at his school |
| Alice Tzeng Alice Tzeng Alice Tzeng was born on 22 April 1984. She is a Taiwanese Golden Horse Award nominated actress.-Career:Alice debuted as a model and starred in a few advertisements. She also appeared on Taiwanese entertainment show Guess Guess Guess hosted by Jacky Wu.... |
Qing Yi (晴依) | Xianglun's classmate who is in love with him |
| Devon Song | Aba (阿宝/阿寶) | Xianglun's friend and member of the rugby team often seen together with Alang |
| Huang Junlang (黄俊郎) | Alang (阿郎) | Xianglun's friend and captain of the rugby team often seen together with Aba |
| Yuhao Zhan | Yu Hao (雨豪) | A music student and talented piano player, nicknamed "Prince of the piano", he had a "piano battle" with Xianglun |
Synopsis
Ye Xianglun (Jay ChouJay Chou
Jay Chou is a Taiwanese musician, singer-songwriter, music and film producer, actor and director who has won the World Music Award four times. In 1998 he was discovered in a talent contest where he displayed his piano and song-writing skills. Over the next two years, he was hired to compose for...
), a music student majoring in piano, transfers to Tamkang (Danjiang) Secondary School. It is a school famous for musically talented students, especially in piano. On the first day of school, as he wanders through the piano building, he hears a mysterious melody being played that leads him to Lu Xiaoyu (Kwai Lun-mei
Kwai Lun-mei
Kwai Lun-Mei is a Taiwanese actress. She started her acting career in the movie Blue Gate Crossing as Meng Ke Rou. Lun-Mei then appeared in a few more movies before she went on to gain more recognition in the movie Secret directed by Jay Chou, which Kwai acted as the female lead, Lu Xiao Yu with...
), another piano major. When he asks her about the song she was playing, she tells him that it is a secret that cannot be told. The two develop a relationship that is clouded in mystery. When Xianglun tells Xiaoyu about the demolition of the piano building on graduation day, she teaches him the mysterious song.
However, when a mis-passed note leads to Xianglun accidentally kissing another student Qing Yi (Alice Tzeng
Alice Tzeng
Alice Tzeng was born on 22 April 1984. She is a Taiwanese Golden Horse Award nominated actress.-Career:Alice debuted as a model and starred in a few advertisements. She also appeared on Taiwanese entertainment show Guess Guess Guess hosted by Jacky Wu....
), Xiaoyu disappears for five months, only to return on graduation day and mysteriously disappear again. Xianglun asks around and discovers from Xiaoyu's mother and his father (Anthony Wong Chau-sang) that Xiaoyu was actually a student from the class of 1979, who graduated 20 years ago. His father tells him she claimed she traveled forward in time to the present with the help of a piano piece called "Secret" that she played on an old piano in the piano building. She had fallen in love with Xianglun, but the only barrier is that, in the present, the first person she sees on each trip is the only person that can see her.
When Xiaoyu saw Qing Yi kiss Xianglun, she returned to her normal time. During her absence at home, her story spread and everyone believed that she was mentally ill. Remembering that the piano room would be destroyed on graduation day of 1999, she tried time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
ing to see Xianglun one last time, but she spotted Xianglun wearing Qing Yi's bracelet. Believing that Xianglun now belonged to Qing Yi, Xiaoyu returns to her own time with a heavy heart. Due to an asthma attack, while writing on her desk trying to leave a message to the boy she loves, Xiaoyu dies. Xianglun sees the writing on the desk and desperately tries to write back using white out
Correction fluid
A correction fluid is an opaque, white fluid applied to paper to mask errors in text. Once dried, it can be written over. It is typically packaged in small bottles, and the lid has an attached brush which dips into the bottle...
but when he gets no response he rushes to Xiaoyu's house only to find her room empty. Xiaoyu's mother finally recognises Xianglun as the boy her daughter had drawn a picture of twenty years before and Xianglun learns the truth about her time travels.
After finally learning of Xiaoyu's story, Xianglun realizes that the piece that she taught him was "Secret", which had the power to take the pianist forward or backward in time depending on the tempo at which it is played. He rushes off to the piano room, which is about to be torn down. Xianglun's father retrieves the manuscript of the musical piece that Xiaoyu had given to him for safekeeping, then realises that Xiaoyu had written a secret message for Xianglun. Meanwhile, Xianglun enters the piano building and as the demolition begins, Xianglun starts to play "Secret" from memory, recalling something Xiaoyu told him while teaching him the piece: "I always play it that fast when I go back". Just before the piano room is completely destroyed, Xianglun travels back to 1979. He sees Xiaoyu, and she sees him and smiles, but doesn't seem to know him. The last scene is when the 1979 Tamkang (Danjiang) Secondary School graduation picture is taken, in which Xianglun and Xiaoyu are present. As the old piano and the piano building have been destroyed, Xianglun stays forever in the past with Xiaoyu.
Reception
According to Cinema Online, Chou does a better job behind the scenes than in front of the camera. The pace of the story is satisfying, cinematography is beautiful and Chou is able to convey the magic of music: "You leave the cinema with the image of Chou's fingers dancing over the piano keys, creating that extraordinary music. It will be the image of Chou playing the piano one-handed, playing two pianos at the same time, and playing the piano with his upturned face in dream-like bliss. That is what makes this movie worth the watch. As I said, its salvation. Music, so it seems, really can be magical."LoveHKFilm.com agrees that Chou is not the best male lead for a romantic role, he is not able to produce the range of emotions needed to touch moviegoers. Instead, the female lead Kwai Lun Mei was praised for her excellent acting. The critic regards the film as a nice, romantic, fairly good picture and that Jay Chou directs with an able hand. Cinematography and art direction was also praised for its beauty, as well as the movie score. The critic regards the illogical story as the biggest disadvantage for the film, saying that the plot often does not follow its own rules, creating logical gaps. The supporting actors were found to be boring, with the exception of Anthony Wong, who was praised for his acting diversity. According to the critic, there is a certain chemistry between Chou and Kwai but their dialogues lack depth and emotions, largely due to Chou's inability to act well. He regarded Chou as a likable, charming presence but utterly without any passion on screen, being too distant in his emotions.
Asianmovieweb is surprised to see Chou as a good director but dismisses him as an actor. The soundtrack is praised for its beauty as well as the cinematography and the attention Chou paid to tiny details. The critic also mentioned the logical gaps in the story being very distracting.
Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
regarded the movie surprisingly good, with decent acting (apart from Chou) and praised the music as well. The critic sees South Korean cinematic influences in Secret and compared the style of the movie to early Hollywood pictures from the 1940s and Taiwanese pictures from the 1970s.
movieXclusive.com states that it is rare to see such a well directed picture from a musician-turned-director but Chou is able to "pull it off". Casting choices were praised especially with regard to Anthony Wong and Kwai Lun Mei, the latter being praised for her ability to create a secretive air around herself. The best part of the movie according to the critic is the "onslaught of piano performances" that were compared to action scenes of Jet Li
Jet Li
The fame gained by his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Li acquired his screen name in 1982 in the Philippines when a publicity company thought his real name was too hard to pronounce...
and Tony Jaa
Tony Jaa
Tatchakorn Yeerum , formerly Panom Yeerum , better known in the West as Tony Jaa, in Thailand as Jaa Panom, is a Thai martial artist, actor, choreographer, stuntman, director, and monk...
. However, the critic was not satisfied with the editing and pacing of the movie but nevertheless regarded the film as a successful piece of art.
Combustible Celluloid named Secret one of the "most enchanting, captivating features" of the 2008 San Francisco International Film Festival
San Francisco International Film Festival
San Francisco International Film Festival is the oldest continuously running film festival in the Americas. Organized by the San Francisco Film Society, the International is held each spring for two weeks, presenting an average of 150 films from over 50 countries...
.
Awards and nominations
Secret won three awards out of seven nominations from the 44th Golden Horse Awards in 2007 and 27th Hong Kong Film Awards27th Hong Kong Film Awards
Ceremony for the 27th Hong Kong Film Awards was held on 14 April 2008 in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and hosted by Sandra Ng, Carol Cheng and Sammi Cheng. Winners in nineteen categories were unveiled, with film The Warlords being the year's biggest winner.The nominees were announced on 2 February...
in 2008.
| Year | Award | |Nomination | Result | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 44th Golden Horse Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Alice Tzeng Alice Tzeng Alice Tzeng was born on 22 April 1984. She is a Taiwanese Golden Horse Award nominated actress.-Career:Alice debuted as a model and starred in a few advertisements. She also appeared on Taiwanese entertainment show Guess Guess Guess hosted by Jacky Wu.... |
||
| Best Visual Effects | Victor Wong , Eddy Wong, Yiu Ming Cheung, Donnie Lai | ||||
| Best Original Score | Terdsak Janpan and Jay Chou | ||||
| Best Original Song | "不能說的‧祕密" (Secret) by Jay Chou released in Secret Secret (soundtrack) Secret Original Soundtrack is the soundtrack album for the 2007 Taiwanese romance film, Secret, directed and co-written by Jay Chou; starring Chou, Kwai Lun-mei, Anthony Wong and Alice Tzeng.... |
||||
| Outstanding Taiwanese Film of the Year | Secret | ||||
| Outstanding Taiwanese Filmmaker of the Year | Jay Chou | ||||
| 2008 | 27th Hong Kong Film Awards 27th Hong Kong Film Awards Ceremony for the 27th Hong Kong Film Awards was held on 14 April 2008 in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and hosted by Sandra Ng, Carol Cheng and Sammi Cheng. Winners in nineteen categories were unveiled, with film The Warlords being the year's biggest winner.The nominees were announced on 2 February... |
Best Asian Film | Secret |