Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

MamaGravity good back-story, and good acting

Tacticalin An absolute waste of money

Alasdair Orr Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

HotToastyRag If this movie didn't come out the same year as Rosemary's Baby, I'd wonder what possessed anyone to make it. I'll chose to believe everyone wanted to help launch Mia Farrow's spooky movie by releasing a similar film at the same time. That's my standard for recommending this movie: if you actually liked Rosemary's Baby, rather than just appreciated it, then you can feel free to watch Secret Ceremony.Elizabeth Taylor's daughter is dead, and Mia Farrow's mother is dead. Miraculously, Liz looks like Mia's mom, and Mia reminds Liz of her daughter. Somehow they find each other, bond quickly, and become enmeshed in each other's strange, sick lives. This is a very weird film, with unexplained plot points, melodramatic acting, and mentally-ill characters. Mia repeatedly reenacts a rape scene while she's alone. She calls Liz "Mom" and takes a bath with her, and the two girls giggle about what nuisances men and sex are. Robert Mitchum costars as Mia's stepfather, but unless he, too, wanted to support Rosemary's Baby, I don't know why he agreed to be a part of this movie.This movie is so strange, awful, and convoluted, it makes the 1968 horror flick seem like a Mister Rogers' episode. If I'd cared enough about it, I would have been seriously disturbed, but thankfully, I didn't let the film get the better of me.Kiddy warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to some very strange and upsetting content, I wouldn't let my kids watch it.

duffjerroldorg What an unexpected, odd, treat. Films that travel undetected, spotted by accident - as it was in my case. I was reading about this startling Argentinean writer, Marco Denevi, when I discovered that one of his short stories had been adapted for the screen, directed by Joseph Losey of "The Servant" fame and with a cast to die for. Elizabeth Taylor as a prostitute that takes advantage of a peculiar girl, played with real zest by Mia Farrow who mistakes her for her mother, and Robert Mitchum, as the disruptor. This classy if bizarre production also includes Pamela Brown and Peggy Ashcroft in the cast. I enjoyed the weirdness thoroughly. It unsettled me and made me wonder how this film had been received in 1968. Apparently not very well. The one thing that made people talk about Secret Ceremony at the time was an infamous still with Elizabeth Taylor and Mia Farrow in a bathtub together. For lovers of the odd and unique this is a real treat.

dbdumonteil I saw "the girl in the park" yesterday and although it featured Sigourney Weaver's moving performance ,I couldn't help but be struck by the similarities with Losey's forgotten movie: Sigourney Weaver was in search of a long lost daughter whereas Mia Farrow is in need of a mother.Farrow is impressive in her performance which was outstripped by the success of "Rosemary's baby" -in which she is terrific too-.As soon as we see her ,we feel how irrational she is.Her smiles,her gentleness ,her tenderness have something spooky.Ther's also an attic where the characters try to invent a brand new past for themselves.Liz Taylor and Robert Mitchum are as good as Farrow and the movie is one of Losey's sleepers,almost in the same league as his overlooked "Monsieur Klein" (another case of mistaken identity)

The_Void Secret Ceremony has an excellent central cast in Elizabeth Taylor, Mia Farrow and Robert Mitchum, but unfortunately it really misses out in the most important area; that being the story, as while the film features a handful of interesting themes and ideas, it never really seems to know what it wants to be and this results in a film that just feels completely pointless and thus will leave most viewers feeling cold. The film is based on a short story by Marco Denevi and primarily focuses on the idea of how people handle great loss. We focus on a young girl named Cenci, who prowls the streets since the death of her mother. She's looking for a woman to call her mother and finds that in look-alike Leonora, a prostitute who, coincidently, just happens to have lost her daughter also. Cenci takes Leonora back to her house and while it soon becomes apparent that Cenci is a few cards short of a full deck; the pair soon form a strange and playful mother and daughter bond. Things are going quite well for the pair until Cenci's stepfather, Albert, turns up...The source material is a short story, and at over a hundred minutes; I wouldn't call Secret Ceremony a short film, which largely seems to be one of the problems. Director Joseph Losey (who previously made the underrated Hammer Horror classic The Damned) gives the story too much time and since there isn't actually a lot of ideas; the film does soon start to drone on. The only real saving grace is the performances. Elizabeth Taylor gives a strong leading performance as always and manages to keep things at least slightly interesting. Mia Farrow is also good; although not as good as she was for Roman Polanski in the same year in the masterpiece Rosemary's Baby. It's a different and challenging role, however, and it gives the actress a chance to show her range. The real standout is Robert Mitchum as the detestable stepfather - he plays up to the role brilliantly. It becomes obvious very early on in the film that there's not going to be a point made at the end; and unfortunately, the film delivers on that promise. Overall, there really isn't many reasons to bother with this film; and I don't recommend anyone goes out of their way to find it.