The Family Secret

1951 | 85 minutes | 5.7 ★ (11)

The Family Secret

Videos

User Reviews

See more
CS

CinemaSerf

26 April 2022

"David" (John Derek) returns home one night to the home of his parents just before they receive the terrible news of the death of his best friend after what appears to be a drunken brawl. His lawyer father "Howard" (Lee J. Cobb) smells a bit of a rat and right from the get-go, we are aware of precisely what happened - and family loyalties are soon to be tested. These strains only worsen when an illegal bookie - already of interest to the police - is charged with murder and his wife asks Cobb to save him from the chair. Thus far, it's all fairly simple, neat and tidy but sadly the plot now takes a few silly turns as "David", his would-be-girlfriend "Lee" (Jody Lawrence) and serendipity get hold of the plot and it really loses it's way. Had it just been left as a family drama, it might have worked better - but Henry Levin just didn't have enough story here to string this out for all but ninety minutes, and by the end the whole scenario was disappointing. Cobb looks largely disinterested in the whole thing and I'm afraid I felt much the same way.

More Like This

Class Action

Class Action

A liberal activist lawyer alienated his daughter Maggie years ago when she discovered his many affairs. Now a conservative corporate lawyer, Maggie...

See more
A Fish Called Wanda

A Fish Called Wanda

While a diamond advocate attempts to steal a collection of diamonds, troubles arise when he realises he’s not the only one after the collection.

See more
Bridget Jones's Diary

Bridget Jones's Diary

Bridget Jones is an average woman struggling against her age, her weight, her job, her lack of a man, and her various imperfections. As a New...

See more
A History of Violence

A History of Violence

An average family is thrust into the spotlight after the father commits a seemingly self-defense murder at his diner.

See more
Anatomy of a Murder

Anatomy of a Murder

Semi-retired Michigan lawyer Paul Biegler takes the case of Army Lt. Manion, who murdered a local innkeeper after his wife claimed that he raped...

See more
No End

No End

1982, Poland. A translator loses her husband and becomes a victim of her own sorrow. She looks to sex, to her son, to law, and to hypnotism when...

See more
Murder in the First

Murder in the First

A young, inexperienced public defender is assigned to defend an inmate accused of committing murder while behind bars.

See more
The Savages

The Savages

A sister and brother face the realities of familial responsibility as they begin to care for their ailing father.

See more
Attorney for the Defense

Attorney for the Defense

A lawyer is haunted by a previous case in which he manipulated evidence and convicted an innocent man.

See more
Scream

Scream

A year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a masked killer who targets her and her friends by using scary movies as...

See more
The Trap

The Trap

Mladen and Marija are an ordinary and happy married couple of the "middle class" of the society in which they live as tenants. Mladen works as a...

See more
Das Glück ist eine Insel

Das Glück ist eine Insel

Three for Jamie Dawn

Three for Jamie Dawn

Three jurors are ripe for bribery by the lawyer of a playgirl up for murder.

See more
Lemon Tree

Lemon Tree

Salma Zidane, a widow, lives simply from her grove of lemon trees in the West Bank's occupied territory. The Israeli defence minister and his wife...

See more
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Outlaw Jesse James is rumored to be the 'fastest gun in the West'. An eager recruit into James' notorious gang, Robert Ford eventually grows...

See more
Michael Clayton

Michael Clayton

A law firm brings in its "fixer" to remedy the situation after a lawyer has a breakdown while representing a chemical company that he knows is...

See more
A Tale of Two Cities

A Tale of Two Cities

British barrister Sydney Carton lives an insubstantial and unhappy life. He falls under the spell of Lucie Manette, but Lucie marries Charles...

See more
The Blind Goddess

The Blind Goddess

Even though Big Bill Devens is a powerful politician, he still sticks to his working man's roots. His wife walked out on him 20 years before and...

See more
No Man's Land

No Man's Land

Pan Xiao, a young lawyer, goes to a rural small village settled in the western desert lands of China to handle the case of a falcon poacher who has...

See more
Texas Heart

Texas Heart

A California lawyer, hiding out in a small Texas town while on the run from the mob, risks exposure when he decides to defend a local man he...

See more