The Secret (2006 film)
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| The Secret | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Drew Heriot |
| Produced by | Rhonda Byrne (Executive Producer), Paul Harrington (Producer) |
| Distributed by | Prime Time Productions |
| Release date(s) | March 26, 2006 |
| Running time | 87 mins |
| Language | English |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Secret is a film[1] produced by Prime Time Productions. It consists of a series of interviews and dramatisations related to the "The Law of Attraction." It is distributed through DVD, books, and online (through streaming media). The film has attracted considerable interest and acclaim from primetime media figures such as Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Larry King, Amy Poehler from Saturday Night Live, Pulitzer Prize-winning political columnist Maureen Dowd[2], as well as some criticism in the mainstream press.
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[edit] Synopsis
The Secret, described as a self-help film,[3][4] uses a documentary format to present the "Law of Attraction." This law is the "secret" that, according to the tagline, "has traveled through centuries to reach you." The film features interviews of professionals in the business of promoting, teaching, or writing about the concept of the "Law of Attraction."
As put forth in the film, the "Law of Attraction" principle posits that our feelings and thoughts attract real events in the world into our lives; from the workings of the cosmos to interactions among individuals in their physical, emotional, and professional affairs. The film also suggests that there has been a strong tendency by those in positions of power to keep this central principle hidden from the public. The previews or "clues" to the film, show men who "uncovered the Secret...." On the DVD, Rhonda Byrne, creator, explains that she was inspired to create The Secret after reading the 1910 classic The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles. This title was preceded by numerous other books, including the 1906 book Thought Vibration or the Law of Attraction in the Thought World by William Walker Atkinson[5], editor of New Thought magazine.
[edit] Teachers of the Law of Attraction
The film claims specific historical and contemporary individuals are teachers of the "Law of Attraction" and refers to them as "secret teachers."
[edit] Current secret teachers
The film interviews "Secret teachers" (professionals and authors) in the fields of quantum physics, psychology, metaphysics, theology, philosophy, finance, feng shui, medicine, and personal development, with some of these individuals, at their Web sites, promoting the film and their connection to it. A few of the individuals with only brief appearances do not specifically speak of the "Law of Attraction" in their interviews, so their support of the concepts is based on viewer assumption.
The Secret teachers who focus on The Law of Attraction, are interviewed in the film, and have later been featured on prominent American TV shows, are: John Assaraf, Rev. Michael Beckwith, Dr. John Demartini, Bob Proctor, Jack Canfield, James Arthur Ray, Dr.Joe Vitale, Lisa Nichols, and Marie Diamond. Other teachers involved in the film, who have spoken of their strong belief in the Law of Attraction include Esther Hicks[6] (original edition only), Mike Dooley, Bob Doyle, David Schirmer and Marci Shimoff. Others interviewed in the film, and who voice very similar views without actually using the phrase "Law of Attraction" include: Lee Brower, Hale Dwoskin, Cathy Goodman, Morris E. Goodman, John Gray, John Hagelin, Bill Harris, Dr. Ben Johnson, Loral Langemeier, Denis Waitley, and Neale Donald Walsch
[edit] Post-film interviews of secret teachers
Contributors featured in the film have been interviewed on various TV shows. These comments have been made by them:
- James Ray, interviewed by Harry Smith on The Early Show (CBS), aired Mar. 1, 2007:[7]
- SMITH: If I get this straight, the secret of The Secret is, "ask — believe — receive". Is it as simple as that?
- RAY: Well that's one of the author's interpretations. I believe that you have to think, feel, and act...
- Joe Vitale, on Larry King Live (CNN), "The Secret" episode aired Mar. 8th, 2007:[8]
- CALLER: I'm just curious, where does God come into the whole "Secrets".
- VITALE: God is all of us. God is the secret and everything about it. This is a law from God.
[edit] Past secret teachers
The film also includes quotes by historical figures with Rhonda Byrne, the producer, stating in a voice-over in the film, "I can't believe all the people who knew this; they were the greatest people in history," referring to them as "past secret teachers." The people mentioned include Aristotle, W. Clement Stone, Plato, Isaac Newton, Martin Luther King, Carl Jung, Victor Hugo, Henry Ford, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Robert Collier, Winston Churchill, Andrew Carnegie, Joseph Campbell, Alexander Graham Bell, Ludvig Van Beethoven, Charles Fillmore, Wallace D. Wattles, Thomas Troward, and Charles F. Haanel.
[edit] Releases
[edit] Release dates
The Secret premiere was broadcast through the Internet on March 23, 2006 using Vividas technology. It is still available either on a pay-per-view basis via streaming media (or on DVD at theSecret.tv, the official site for the film). A new extended edition of The Secret was released to the public on October 1, 2006. The Australian television premiere was on Nine Network on Saturday, February 3, 2007.
[edit] Future releases
Plans have been announced to produce a sequel to The Secret and a spin-off TV series.[9]
[edit] Talk show circuit
The Secret has been featured on numerous talk and news shows, including:
- Two special episodes of the Larry King Live Show on November 2, 2006[10] and November 16, 2006[11]. The episodes are called "The Power of Positive Thoughts" and "The Power of Positive Thinking."
- On December 1, 2006, comedienne Ellen DeGeneres followed suit by presenting two of The Secret teachers on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
- Oprah Winfrey presented two episodes on The Secret: "Discovering The Secret" [12] on February 8, 2007 and "The Reaction" [13] on February 16, 2007.
- The Today Show[14] with Matt Lauer interviewed James Ray and reported Rhonda Byrne canceled her appearance at the last minute the day of the show, February 27, 2007.
- The Montel Williams Show presented Jack Canfield and real life stories of the Law of Attraction in an episode titled "Unlocking Secrets to Success"[15] on March 12, 2007.
- On March 29, 2007 Oprah Winfrey invited Law of Attraction expert and channel Esther Hicks to discuss the controversy of "The Secret Behind The Secret" on her radio station.[16]
- On April 5, 2007 XM Radio's "Talk to Me with Oprah Winfrey" announced the second part of the weekly series on "The Secret" titled "Esther Hicks and the Law of Attraction."[17] Oprah interviews Esther Hicks about her involvement with the original version of "The Secret" and questions "non-physical entities Abraham-Hicks" (channelled by Esther) about 9/11, disease, children, and how they all relate to "The Law of Attraction."
[edit] Marketing campaign
The movie was advertised on the Internet using tease advertising and viral marketing techniques in which The Secret and the specific details of the film were not revealed. Additionally, Prime Time Productions grants written permission to individuals or companies, via application at the official site, to provide free screenings of the film to public audiences. Optionally, the DVD may be sold at these screenings.
The Secret was one of the top five DVDs sold at Amazon during Christmas week, 2006. In February, it topped the Amazon DVD chart. In March, it became the online retailer's number one seller. A book version, also called The Secret reached number one on The New York Times bestseller list. [18] Currently both the book and DVD versions are #1 or #2 at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Borders. Time Magazine reports brisk sales of the DVD through New Age bookstores, and New Thought churches, such as Unity and Agape. [18]
[edit] Criticism
[edit] Editorial coverage
Karin Klein, editorial writer for the Los Angeles Times, called The Secret "just a new spin on the very old (and decidedly not secret) The Power of Positive Thinking [book by Norman Vincent Peale (1952)] wedded to 'ask and you shall receive'." The editorial, in one of its strongest criticisms, asserted Rhonda Byrne "took the well-worn ideas of some self-help gurus, customized them for the profoundly lazy, [and] gave them a veneer of mysticism..."[3]
Journalist Jeffrey Ressner, reporting in Time, writes that some critics are concerned with the film’s attitude toward "using ancient wisdom to acquire material goods." In one example in the film, "a kid who wants a red BMX bicycle cuts out a picture in a catalog, concentrates real hard, and is rewarded with the spiffy two-wheeler."[18]
Jerry Adler of Newsweek notes that despite the film's allusions to conspiratorially suppressed ancient wisdom, the notions presented by the motivational speakers who make up the film's cast have been commonplace for decades. Adler notes that the film is ethically "deplorable," fixating on "a narrow range of middle-class concerns — houses, cars, vacations, followed by health and relationships, with the rest of humanity a very distant sixth." Noting that the scientific foundations of the movie are clearly dubious, the Newsweek article quotes psychologist John Norcross, characterizing it as "pseudoscientific, psychospiritual babble." [4]
Tony Riazzi, columnist for the Dayton Daily News, also questions the merits of The Secret, calling Byrne's background as a reality TV producer a "red flag." He also said that "The Secret's" ideas are nothing more than "common sense. Take out the buzzwords and pseudo religious nonsense about what you 'manifest' for yourself, ignore the vague prose and you get the message that thinking positively serves you better than thinking negatively."[19]
[edit] Aggressive marketing
Since the first release of the DVD, Esther Hicks declined to continue with the project, mentioning contractual issues in a letter to friends. While continuing to speak highly of the film, she acknowledges that "we have been very well paid for our participation with this project... which has amounted to a staggering amount of money". She goes on to say "Jerry and I were uncomfortable with what felt to us like a rather aggressive marketing campaign (just not our style, nothing wrong with it)... allowing them to edit us out was the path of least resistance."[20] As a result of this, scenes which Esther Hicks originally narrated are instead narrated by Lisa Nichols.
[edit] Health claims
ABC news referred to claims that the mind has power over our health as "perhaps the most controversial" in The Secret. They quote Rev. Michael Beckwith, founder of Agape International Spiritual Center in Culver City, Ca, and one of The Secret "teachers" as saying: "I've seen kidneys regenerated. I've seen cancer dissolved." [21]
The film features one man who was paralyzed, mute and on a ventilator after his spine and diaphragm were crushed in an airplane accident. He credits his full recovery to the power of his mind. A similar story is told by another interviewee whose breast cancer went into spontaneous remission without medical intervention. Critics worry that these unusual and remarkable stories will prompt others to avoid medical care, even though the film verbally asserts that traditional medicine should be pursued for serious illness.[citation needed]
[edit] New Age Criticisms
Many so-called 'New Age' practitioners, such as those who use Rebirthing, argue that positive thinking on its own is not enough, that one must also rid oneself of any suppressed subconscious negativity which may obstruct or adversely distort the fulfilment of one's desires [22] [23]. Such practitioners work with a dual approach which on one hand includes cathartic processing to eliminate subconscious blockages and negative imprinting [24], and on the other hand includes a suite of positive thinking techniques. They argue that without clearing out the negatives, positive thinking alone may produce undesired results. For example, someone who strives to attain a $3million bank balance may end up getting these funds as a compensation payout after being hit by a truck and confined to a wheelchair, or losing their spouse in an industrial accident.
[edit] Other remarks
These professional critics of the film and contemporary culture—representing negative critiques of the film—had these closing remarks:
- Jefrey Ressner, at Time, closed his piece with:[18]
- ...as another empowerment teacher, Madonna, sang in her own 1994 hit Secret:"Happiness lies in your own hand."
- Jerry Adler of Newsweek, writing about the producer, Rhonda Bryne:[4]
- ...Irene Izon, [mother to Rhonda Byrne] did offer this assessment to NEWSWEEK: "The thing is that Rhonda just wants to bring happiness to everybody. That's the reason it all began. She just wants everybody to be happy."
- And to give her her due, she might actually be achieving some of that. There is nothing, in principle, wrong with thinking about what makes you happy.
- Prof. John Stackhouse, a theologian, philosopher and critic of contemporary culture regarding religion and spirituality, wrote:[25]
- The last point I want to make, though, is not critical of The Secret. It is critical of us Christians. By God’s grace to us, we know better, we know Christ and his gospel of new life, and yet often we have failed to speak to the spiritual realities so skillfully addressed by proponents of The Secret.
- Karin Klein, writing for the LA Times:[3]
- My sister says I'm over-intellectualizing. She, after all, had manifested a fine leather satchel. And I have to admit, if there were designer leather goods to be had out of this, I was interested.
- The reality was — drat it all — far more prosaic. Watching the DVD gave her the idea that she could afford this bag if she really wanted it, and so she went ahead and charged it.
- Tony Riazzi, writing for the Dayton Daily News:[19]
- There will continue to be millions eager to follow The Secret. I'm just afraid Byrne's leading those followers off the figurative cliff. And when they go over the edge, they'll fall just like the rest of us, no matter how hard they try to convince themselves they can fly.
- Frank Mastropolo, writing for ABC News:[21]
- All this positive thinking has certainly worked for the producers... Not bad for an idea that's been around for centuries.
[edit] References
- ^ The Secret film, 1st 20 minutes — authorized by TS Production LLC, the copyright holder for the official site, theSecret.tv
- ^ USA Today - Secret history of The Secret
- ^ a b c Klein, Karin. "Self-help gone nutty", LA Times, 2007-02-13. Retrieved on January 13, 2007. (in English)
- ^ a b c Adler, Jerry. "Decoding The Secret", Newsweek, 2007-03-05. Retrieved on March 4, 2007. (in English)
- ^ "Thought Vibration or the Law of Attraction" Out of Copyright version
- ^ The New York Times: "Shaking Riches Out of the Cosmos"
- ^ Smith, Harry. "Early Show: Experts Debate Self-Help Phenomenon", CBS News Video, 2007-03-01. Retrieved on March 1, 2007. (in English)
- ^ King, Larry. "Larry King Live", CNN, 2007-03-08. Retrieved on March 8, 2007. (in English)
- ^ Pursell, Chris. "Syndication 'Secret' Revealed", TV Week, 2007-03-26. Retrieved on March 26, 2007. (in English)
- ^ "The Power of Positive Thoughts" on Larry King Live - text version
- ^ "The Power of Positive Thinking" on Larry King Live - text version
- ^ "Discovering The Secret" on Oprah — text version
- ^ "One Week Later: The Huge Reaction to The Secret" on Oprah — text version
- ^ "What's The Secret to Happiness?" The Today Show - Video
- ^ "Unlocking Secrets to Success" on Montel - text version
- ^ "The Secret Behind The Secret" on Oprah & Friends' "Talk to Me with Oprah Winfrey"
- ^ "The Secrets Behind The Secret" series on Oprah & Friends' "Talk to Me with Oprah Winfrey"
- ^ a b c d Ressner, Jeffrey. "The Secret of Success", Time.com, 2006-12-28. Retrieved on January 18, 2007. (in English)
- ^ a b Riazzi, Tony. " 'The secret' secret: just be happy", Dayton Daily News, 2007-03-23. Retrieved on March 28, 2007. (in English)
- ^ Hicks, Esther. Letter to friends. Retrieved on February 22, 2007.
- ^ a b Mastropolo, Frank. "The Secret to Success?", ABC News, 2006-11-26. Retrieved on December 27, 2006. (in English)
- ^ Ray, Sondra (1984). Celebration of Breath. Celestial Arts Publications. ISBN 978-0890873557. >
- ^ Orr, Leonard (1970). Rebirthing in the New Age. Celestial Arts Publications. ISBN 978-0890871348. >
- ^ Avis, Pauline (2006). Never Say Die:The Making of a Healer. Conscious Creations. ISBN 0-473-11270-1.
- ^ Stackhouse, Prof. John. "Oprah’s Secret: New? Old? Good? Bad?", 2007-02-21. Retrieved on February 28, 2007. (in English)
[edit] See Also
[edit] External links
- Official website for the film
- "The Secret" - Creative Power of Thought
- 'The Secret' is out" — Courier Post serving South Jersey (New Jersey)
- USA Today article, "The Secret"
- CBS Eye to Eye with Katie Couric: "The Secret"
- The New York Post: "A Secret Oprah Craze Hits New Yorkers In A Frenzy Over Controversial Self-Help Guide"
- The New York Times: "Shaking Riches Out of the Cosmos"
- TMCnet Communications - "It's mind over matters: The Secret is out: if you want your life to be better, think positively"
- "The Hubris of 'The Secret'" on Beliefnet
- "Oprah's Ugly Secret" on Salon
- "A Secret That's Spreading" — ABC's World News
- "Science behind 'The Secret'" — ABC's Nightline
- "'The Secret,' a phenomenon, is no mystery to many" — The Christian Science Monitor
