
Leonora Grabowski (Dame Elizabeth Taylor) mourns the death by drowning years earlier of her daughter. She encounters a strange waif-like girl, Cenci Engelhard (Mia Farrow), who bears a strong resemblance to her lost child. Cenci is struck by the great resemblance of Leonora to her own mother, whose death the mentally unstable Cenci has been unable to accept or even acknowledge. The two women quickly develop a symbiotic relationship, moving in and out of the illusion that each... (Full plot summary below)
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Leonora Grabowski (Dame Elizabeth Taylor) mourns the death by drowning years earlier of her daughter. She encounters a strange waif-like girl, Cenci Engelhard (Mia Farrow), who bears a strong resemblance to her lost child. Cenci is struck by the great resemblance of Leonora to her own mother, whose death the mentally unstable Cenci has been unable to accept or even acknowledge. The two women quickly develop a symbiotic relationship, moving in and out of the illusion that each is the lost loved one of the other. The complicating factor is the arrival of Albert (Robert Mitchum), Cenci's stepfather, whose incestuous attachment to her may well be the cause of her mind's unbalance. With Albert's arrival, no one in the strange trio is safe.
Leave your thoughts about Secret Ceremony.
| Chicago ReaderDave KehrIf there's a secret, director Joseph Losey isn't letting the audience in on it. |
| User ReviewMats SAnother movie about a strange relationship |
| User ReviewJess Lone of the oddest movies i have seen and that is truly saying something but it was strangely intriguing |
| User ReviewChristopher SA superbly strange psychodrama from director Joseph Losey. Excellent performances - particularly from a beguiling Mia Farrow and Robert Mitchum at his sardonic best - and an eerie, absorbing atmosphere of restrained intensity. One of Losey's very best, and a true classic that deserves to be better known. |
| User ReviewJames CFacinating film with Elizabeth Taylor in an interesting performance. |
| User ReviewMatthew SWhile this is not a good movie, it has an odd psycho-sexual undertone that makes it surprisingly interesting. |
| User ReviewShawna LUgh... It started because I could relate with the desperate need for a mother and, therefore, felt a connection with Mia Farrow's character--as well as with Liz Taylor's desire to regain a mother-daughter bond. Then, despite hesitation early on, i stuck with it for the opulent settings and because there was hope that this cast and budget would pull through to deliver. It didn't: weird, illogical, depressing, demented, perverted and, of course, a huge waste of time and 1960's film footage. |
| User Reviewmiruna .1st time i iked mia farrow ever. not too much though mitchum oke blank |