Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15117 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-01-05
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 107 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Secretary is a kinky love story featuring a standout performance by Maggie Gyllenhaal, an offbeat young actress in her first starring role. Gyllenhaal plays Lee, a nervous girl who compulsively cuts herself, but who then gets a job as a secretary for Edward, an imperious lawyer (James Spader, an old hand at tales of perverse affection). Edward's reprimands for typos and spelling errors begin with mild humiliation, but as Lee responds to his orders--which are driven as much by his own anxieties and fears as any sense of order--the punishments escalate to spankings, shackles and more.

Secretary walks a fine line: it finds sly humour in these sadomasochistic doings without turning them into a gag and it takes Lee and Edward's mutual desires seriously without getting self-righteous or pompous. Certainly not a movie for everyone, but some people may be unexpectedly stirred up by this smart and steamy tale of repressed passion. --Bret Fetzer

DVD Description
When Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhaal - Donnie Darko, Adaptation) gets a job as a secretary in a small firm, she does her best to please. But her new boss (James Spader - Stargate, Crash) finds fault with her typing and administers a rather unconventional kind of punishment. Soon Lee realizes that she is not only becoming the perfect secretary, but also the woman she always wanted to be. Daring, sexy and provocative, this award-winning film is a must for anyone who’s ever had a hard day at work …

Special Features

• Star and Director’s CVs
  
• Scene selection
  
• Making of … documentary
  
• James Spader interview
  
• Maggie Gyllenhaal interview
  
• Director and Writer audio commentary
  
• Original theatrical trailer
  
• TV spots
  
• Trailer reel

DVD Technical Information:

• Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
  
• Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic 1.77:1
  
• Running Time: 100 minutes approx.
  
• Language: English
  
• PAL
  
• Disc Format: DVD-9
  
• Region Code: 0 (All)

Customer Reviews

Secretary
A deeply thought-provoking film, dealing in a masterly and subtle way with the dark side of human sexuality. The psychological damage shown by the two protagonists is realistically and convincingly portrayed, highlighting their humanity through the use of both humour and pathos. The ending is perhaps a little contrived, but nevertheless this is a film which you will keep on thinking about long after you have seen it.

*Secretary*
'Secretary' begins by throwing us into the life of Lee, a compulsive self-mutilator who lands herself a job as an eccentric lawyer's secretary after being released from the psychiatric institution. Quite a lot to stomach already, then the story develops into a tale of love at first sight with a seriously sadomasochistic twist, as Lee is immediately drawn to her domineering boss. He in turn seems to share the same feelings but is apparently incapable of forging relationships, therefore the only way they experience their romance is through darkly comical S&M experiences. Morally wrong perhaps but director Steven Shainburg portrays the fetish theme in a surprisingly gentle light allowing the film to continue as a love story in one way or an other.

Whilst 'Secretary' is slightly out there on a proverbial limb, the aim was not to shock but to portray love from a perspective outside of the social norms. On that note it succeeds and while criticisms do exist over the morality of one torture replacing an other, the general tone of the film is surprisingly optimistic and romantic.

Maggie Gyllenhaal shines with a breakthrough role as the submissive Lee with a turn which saw her achieve a Golden Globe nomination. Her energetic performance most certainly deserved more as she played a very challenging role down to an almost perfection.
It was a routine walk in the park for James Spader, almost a veteran on the indie scene. Nevertheless he was still very impressive as Mr. Grey, the obsessive lawyer as he surprisingly manages to force the audience into building up an odd likeness of his character despite all of his odd eccentricities.

Sadomasochism is a tricky subject but 'Secretary' approaches it carefully, avoiding offence and the shock factor. Shainburg has also done a brilliant job in creating these two characters but making them very human by not alienating them. If you have been looking for a rom-com in the vein of 'The Wedding Planner' or even 'The Wedding Singer', then it's likely to be a safe bet not to go near 'Secretary'. However if you are not afraid to experience a much darker romantic comedy with an other twist added onto that then this might just be your thing.

8/10

Taking romance movies back from the schmultz-merchants!
Secretary does what somebody should have done a long time ago. It's a romance that pushes the point that not every couple is the pastel-shaded sunshine couple that you get in most rom-coms, calling each other pet names and sitting in on Sunday with the papers. Secretary is dark, witty, funny, romantic and genuinely fresh. If you're looking for a standard romcom, or if you've made any assumptions due to the film's title, think again. If you're a fan of subversive, brave and honest cinema than I can't recommend Secretary highly enough.