Product Information
After her release from hospital following treatment for self-harming Lee Holloway gets a job as a secretary to a lawyer, Mr Grey. It's not too long before she begins an affair with him but he suddenly loses interest. She now has to fight to regain the relationship which had been based on masochistic submission...Product Identifiers
ProducerSteven Shainberg, Amy Hobby, Andrew Fierberg
EAN5023965344823
eBay Product ID (ePID)3965708
Product Key Features
ActorJeremy Davies, Maggie Gyllenhaal, James Spader, Lesley Ann Warren
Film/TV TitleSecretary
DirectorSteven Shainberg
LanguageEnglish
Run Time107 Mins
Aspect Ratio1.77 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Release Year2004
FormatDVD
FeaturesWidescreen, Star And Director CVS\Scene Selection\Making Of\James Spader Interview\Maggie Gyllenhaal Interview\Director And Writer Audio Commentary\Original Theatrical Trailer\TV Spots\Trailer Reel
GenreGeneral, Comedy
Additional Product Features
Number of Discs1
Certificate18
ComposerAngelo Badalementi
Additional InformationThe masochist says to the sadist, "Hurt me." The sadist replies, "No." Everybody's happy. This strange balance plays heavily into the Steven Shainberg-directed SECRETARY, based on a short story by Mary Gaitskill. Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is a troubled young woman with a secret, destructive addiction fueled by her mother's overprotectiveness and her father's alcoholism. Sheltered and wholly dependent on other people, Lee's only form of self-expression is in this private, painful habit. That is, until she meets her new boss, the lawyer E. Edward Gray (James Spader), who hires her as his secretary. It is exciting for Lee to hold down a job, even if she is a basket case in the office. Mr. Gray watches Lee, studies her, and slowly begins to correct both her typing errors and her personality flaws. At first Mr. Gray's dominance appears scary and overbearing, a true threat to Lee's naive, fragile psyche. But as the film carefully develops these unique characters, revealing their odd strengths and weaknesses, it becomes delightfully clear that Lee and Mr. Gray can genuinely help each other. SECRETARY is a bright, atmospheric movie that shines a light on the "fun" in this dysfunctional relationship, while using brilliant performances by Gyllenhaal and Spader to illustrate the benefits of sadomasochistic love.
ReviewsSight and Sound - ...Essentially this is a two-hander, with Spader and Gyllenhaal playing off each other superbly..., New York Times - ...SECRETARY, a small groundbreaking comedy, is a contemporary Cinderella story with a kink and a wink..., Los Angeles Times - ...SECRETARY is a genial romance that maintains a surprisingly buoyant tone throughout..., Premiere - ...[A] pleasingly twisted black comedy....Gyllenhaal is an absolute revelation in the title role -- brave, goofy, and ultimately, mind-boggingly sexy..., Rolling Stone - ...A film of startling humor and feeling....Spader and Gyllenhaal are electric, bringing SECRETARY all the power and compassion it needs..., Movieline - ...[Gyllenhall] gives a performance of remarkable gutsiness....[She] plays her role with sensuality as well as sensitivity..., USA Today - ...SECRETARY is just too original to be ignored..., Film Comment - ...Spader hasn't shown so much twisted depth since SEX, LIES, AND VIDEOTAPE, and Gyllenhaal's performance is a dynamic force to be reckoned with..., Entertainment Weekly - ...There's a word for an actress who can go from nervous to winsome to raunchy to romantic in a heartbeat and get you to adore her the whole time. The word is star...
ScreenwriterSteven Shainberg, Erin Cressida Wilson
AuthorMary Gaitskill
Format DescriptionDVD 9
Sound sourceDolby Digital 5.1 Surround
Movie/TV TitleSecretary