Secretary – Imprint/ViaVision

Director: Steven Shainberg
Screenplay: Erin Cressida Wilson
Starring: Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader
Country: United States
Running Time: 111 min
Year: 2002

When it comes to actors who tend to be typecast in films, the first one that always jumps to mind for me is James Spader. He’s carved quite a name for himself as the man in sexually transgressive motion pictures, whether it’s David Cronenberg’s Crash, Steven Soderbergh’s sex, lies and videotape or perhaps most famously in Steven Shainberg’s 2002 cult-classic Secretary. When I heard that Australian boutique label ViaVision were releasing the film on Blu-ray as part of their illustrious Imprint range of titles, I requested a copy as Secretary  has always been a favourite of mine without the Blu-ray release it deserves. The question is, does the film hold up? 

The film follows Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Lee Holloway, a shy, nervous young adult who’s inexperienced in most things in life, after a troubled past. After applying for the role of attorney James Spader’s E. Edward Grey’s secretary, she gets the job and slowly forms a more personal and erotic relationship with Grey than she initially anticipated. 

Immediately, the film captivates with Lee’s departure from a mental hospital, due to her tendencies to self-harm and while many films would make this sort of subject matter over-the-top, cartoonish or ridiculous, Shainberg and writer Erin Cressida Wilson treat it seriously and don’t make Lee’s troubled aspects her entire character. The same can be said for the film and its sexual, BDSM elements. Nowadays, we see films like Fifty Shades of Grey (which has been accused of plagiarising multiple elements from Secretary, mind you) or Netflix’s 365 Days which romanticise abusive relationships and exist purely to titillate the audiences, but that’s not what Secretary has in mind. The relationship presented is three-dimensional, compelling and most importantly, human. 

The film’s also hilarious and blends the comedic aspects with the romantic angle superbly, which is something again, makes Secretary stand out amongst the countless films that have attempted to imitate it over the years. All of the performances are great, with Gyllenhaal and Spader being the obvious standouts, but I got a kick out of seeing the one and only Osgood Perkins in a supporting role as Lee’s sister’s husband, Jonathan. Yes, that Osgood Perkins, the same man who’d go on to direct Longlegs twenty two years later. Pair that with an excellently sultry score from frequent David Lynch collaborator, Angelo Badalementi, the excellent screenplay, direction, thoughtfully inspired production design and you have one of the best films of 2002.

If you somehow haven’t seen Secretary yet and it sounds like it’s up your alley, do yourself a favour and check it out. It’s hilarious, erotic, heartfelt and more mature than the promotional material would have led viewers to initially believe. Absolutely recommended.

Film:

Secretary arrived on Blu-ray courtesy of ViaVision’s Imprint label July 3rd. The release is limited to 1,500 units and comes with a lovely slipcover. Visually, it’s the same transfer that people who own Lionsgate’s old Blu-ray will be familiar with, and it looks okay. It’s not the most gorgeous transfer out there and a new restoration would have really benefited the film but it still looks alright. On the audio side of things, there’s one track and it’s an LPCM 2.0 stereo mix, which to my knowledge has never been on a Blu-ray release before and it sounds great. Overall, it’s a decent A/V presentation, with the audio being the real selling point of this release. The following extras are included:

1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray

NEW Audio Commentary by film scholar and editor-at-large of Bright Wall/Dark Room Veronica Fitzpatrick (2024)

Audio Commentary by director Steven Shainberg and writer Erin Cressida Wilson

NEW From Me, But Not Me: Actor Stephen McHattie on Finding the Heart in an Imperfect Father (2024)

NEW A Magical Oasis: Art Director Nick Ralbovsky on Building the Stylish, Sensual World of Secretary (2024)

NEW Shared Fantasy: Producer Andrew Fierberg on Making an Indie Classic (2024)

NEW Using Every Light: Director of Photography Steven Fierberg Frames the Humanity of Secretary (2024)

Cast & Crew interviews with actors James Spader, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and director Steven Shainberg

“Behind the Secretary” – featurette

Trailer

TV Spots

Audio English LPCM 2.0 Stereo

Aspect Ratio 1.78:1

Optional English HOH Subtitles

Limited Edition Slipcase

The new audio commentary by Veronica Fitzpatrick is an interesting listen, and provides an interesting analytical look at the film. Fitzpratrick’s done her research when it comes to the film and it’ll please fans who are interested in hearing an appreciation of the film and its many themes. Recommended.

The archival audio commentary by director Steven Shainberg and writer Erin Cressida Wilson is a decent listen. It’s a tad dry and Shainberg almost sounds like he’s whispering throughout, but it works well enough for the type of film Secretary is. I’m glad to see this ported over from previous releases. 

From Me, But Not Me is a brand new interview with actor Stephen McHattie, who plays Lee’s father in the film. The interview runs for ten minutes and McHattie gives an overview of his career before working on Secretary and what went into bringing his character to the screen. It’s far from the most engaging extra I’ve ever seen, but it’s an alright watch.

A Magical Oasis is a brand new 17 minute interview with art director Nick Ralbovsky who discusses his history in the film industry and how he became attached to Secretary. It’s far more insightful than the last interview and Ralbovsky is a fun personality that’s worth listening to. 

Shared Fantasy is a brand new 17 minute interview with producer Andrew Fierberg and it’s a good watch. Like most of the interviews, he recounts his early career before getting into his experiences financing Secretary. It’s a fun interview that’s worth checking out!

Using Every Light is a brand new 22 minute interview with director of photography Steven Fierberg and it’s a solid watch. Fierberg recounts how he became involved in the industry, working with Dean Cundey early in his career and how artists like Andy Warhol and John Waters influenced him. He’s the most interesting person interviewed for this release and hearing him talk about how Fierberg and the team figured out how the film should look is fascinating stuff. Highly recommended.

The archival cast & crew interviews with actors James Spader, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and director Steven Shainberg run for around 41 minutes and there’s a mixture of older interviews included on the Lionsgate Blu-ray and some other on-set interviews which are from the old Tartan DVD. It’s a solid range of interviews from the trio and I’m glad to see all of these ported over.

Behind the Secretary is a seven minute archival featurette that’s been on most home media releases and it’s a decent EPK. There’s not a whole lot to say about it and most of the interview footage is from the archival interviews included on the disc, but it’s nice to see it included nonetheless. 

A trailer and TV spots are included. 

I was sent a retail copy and the physical package is lovely. The slipcover is high-quality and I’m glad that Imprint used the theatrical poster for the inlay too. It’s a really nice package.

Overall, Secretary is a great time and Imprint’s Blu-ray release of it offers the best home media release the film has seen yet. Packed with a variety of extras, offering great sound and a lovely physical release, the only thing holding this release back is the dated master but the film still looks quite good, nonetheless. Recommended for fans of the film.

Disc/Packaging:

Where to watch Secretary