The Secret Cinema

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The Secret Cinema
Directed by Paul Bartel
Written byPaul Bartel
Produced by
  • Paul Bartel
  • Bob Schulenberg
Starring
  • Amy Vane
  • Philip Carlson
  • Barry Dennen
  • Connie Ellison
  • Gordon Felio
  • Estelle Omens
CinematographyFred Wellington
Edited bySam Moore
Music byThe Rusty Nails
Production
company
Hacienda-Tropicana-Madness
Distributed by The Film-Makers' Cooperative
Release date
  • 1966 (1966) [1]
Running time
30 min.
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$5,000

The Secret Cinema is a short black-and-white film produced, written, and directed by Paul Bartel, and released in 1966, gaining somewhat wider distribution in 1968. [2] [3] The film is about a woman who is manipulated by people around her so a director can film her to screen the results in a theater. [4] The film is described as voyeuristic or surveillance film, though obviously staged.

Contents

Plot summary

Jane (Amy Vane) is a secretary whose daily activities are being secretly filmed, with the knowledge and assistance of those who are closest to her. She's sexually harassed by her corpulent boss, Mr. Troppogrosso (Gordon Felio), humiliated by her boyfriend, given the gaslight treatment by the people around her, etc. The film is then shown in theaters. She is starting to suspect that something isn't quite right.

Notes

See also

References

  1. "Paul Bartel's Film Premieres in London". The Montclair Times. 1 December 1966 via Newspapers.com.
  2. Kevin, Thomas (30 May 1968). "Two Film 'Exercises' on Cinematheque Screen". The Los Angeles Times.
  3. Canby, Vincent (2 May 1968). "Films for Film's Sake". The New York Times.
  4. Kammerer, Dietmar (July 2010). "Surveillance Feature Films" (PDF). The Surveillance Studies Network. p. 17. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  5. "Preserved Projects". Academy Film Archive.