The Secret Book
Encyclopedia
The Secret Book is a Macedonian
feature film
combining the detective
, thriller and conspiracy fiction
genres, based on "Secret Book" , a real mystical book written by the Bogomils with Glagolitic
letters (the first Slav alphabet, made by SS. Cyril and Methodius
).
Bogomil ideas, carried back to France
and Italy
from the Balkans by refugees or returning crusaders
in the 11th century, became the basis of the Cathar
heresy. Like them, the Bogomils were massacred by the church and their name almost burned from history.
) is a passionate explorer, a man who devoted all his life to the quest of the original "Secret Book", a book that exists as a legend in several religions and heresies, and was a holy book for the Bogomils, written in Glagolitic
script.
Led by the strange messages from the Balkans brought to him by doves, he chooses his son Chevalier (Thierry Fremont) to search where he stopped. The messages are sent from Macedonia by Pavle Bigorski, a man that identifying himself with the authentic author of "The Secret Book" from the Middle Ages
.
The book is supposed to contain the principle of good and evil and the principle of power, jumping across the time barrier and touched the essence of the Quest for the roots of Truth.
Bigorski has three brothers, symbolizing the three regions inhabited by ethnic Macedonians. Each brother represents some aspect of the Macedonian spirit (faith, rebellion towards the social evil, defense of honour).
and Ohrid
in Macedonia, and Balchik
in Bulgaria
.
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
combining the detective
Detective fiction
Detective fiction is a sub-genre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator , either professional or amateur, investigates a crime, often murder.-In ancient literature:...
, thriller and conspiracy fiction
Conspiracy fiction
The conspiracy thriller is a subgenre of thriller fiction. The protagonists of conspiracy thrillers are often journalists or amateur investigators who find themselves pulling on a small thread which unravels a vast conspiracy that ultimately goes "all the way to the top"...
genres, based on "Secret Book" , a real mystical book written by the Bogomils with Glagolitic
Glagolitic alphabet
The Glagolitic alphabet , also known as Glagolitsa, is the oldest known Slavic alphabet. The name was not coined until many centuries after its creation, and comes from the Old Slavic glagolъ "utterance" . The verb glagoliti means "to speak"...
letters (the first Slav alphabet, made by SS. Cyril and Methodius
Saints Cyril and Methodius
Saints Cyril and Methodius were two Byzantine Greek brothers born in Thessaloniki in the 9th century. They became missionaries of Christianity among the Slavic peoples of Bulgaria, Great Moravia and Pannonia. Through their work they influenced the cultural development of all Slavs, for which they...
).
Bogomil ideas, carried back to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
from the Balkans by refugees or returning crusaders
Crusaders
The Crusaders are a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Christchurch that competes in the Super Rugby competition. They are the most successful team in Super Rugby history with seven titles...
in the 11th century, became the basis of the Cathar
Cathar
Catharism was a name given to a Christian religious sect with dualistic and gnostic elements that appeared in the Languedoc region of France and other parts of Europe in the 11th century and flourished in the 12th and 13th centuries...
heresy. Like them, the Bogomils were massacred by the church and their name almost burned from history.
Synopsis
Pierre Raymond (Jean-Claude CarrièreJean-Claude Carrière
Jean-Claude Carrière is a screenwriter and actor. Alumnus of the École normale supérieure de Saint-Cloud, he was a frequent collaborator with Luis Buñuel...
) is a passionate explorer, a man who devoted all his life to the quest of the original "Secret Book", a book that exists as a legend in several religions and heresies, and was a holy book for the Bogomils, written in Glagolitic
Glagolitic alphabet
The Glagolitic alphabet , also known as Glagolitsa, is the oldest known Slavic alphabet. The name was not coined until many centuries after its creation, and comes from the Old Slavic glagolъ "utterance" . The verb glagoliti means "to speak"...
script.
Led by the strange messages from the Balkans brought to him by doves, he chooses his son Chevalier (Thierry Fremont) to search where he stopped. The messages are sent from Macedonia by Pavle Bigorski, a man that identifying himself with the authentic author of "The Secret Book" from the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
.
The book is supposed to contain the principle of good and evil and the principle of power, jumping across the time barrier and touched the essence of the Quest for the roots of Truth.
Bigorski has three brothers, symbolizing the three regions inhabited by ethnic Macedonians. Each brother represents some aspect of the Macedonian spirit (faith, rebellion towards the social evil, defense of honour).
Location
The movie was shot in 2002 and 2003 on location in BitolaBitola
Bitola is a city in the southwestern part of the Republic of Macedonia. The city is an administrative, cultural, industrial, commercial, and educational centre. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba and Nidže mountains, 14 km north of the...
and Ohrid
Ohrid
Ohrid is a city on the eastern shore of Lake Ohrid in the Republic of Macedonia. It has about 42,000 inhabitants, making it the seventh largest city in the country. The city is the seat of Ohrid Municipality. Ohrid is notable for having once had 365 churches, one for each day of the year and has...
in Macedonia, and Balchik
Balchik
Balchik is a Black Sea coastal town and seaside resort in the Southern Dobruja area of northeastern Bulgaria. It is located in Dobrich Oblast and is 42 km northeast of Varna...
in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
.
External links
- Official site
- Cannes, Cathars and conspiracy by Fiachra Gibbons (Guardian)
- Finally “Peaceful Shooting” Starts In Ohrid (Reality Macedonia, April 14, 2002)