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Secretary DVD

Secretary is a 2002 romantic black comedy film based on a short story from Bad Behavior by Mary Gaitskill. It was directed by Steven Shainberg and stars Maggie Gyllenhaal as Lee Holloway and James Spader as E. Edward Grey. Image File history File links Wiki_letter_w. ... DVD cover scan from the movie Secretary, personal scan, claiming fair use (does not detract from original work, scanned from legal copy, image is of sufficiently low resolution). ... DVD cover scan from the movie Secretary, personal scan, claiming fair use (does not detract from original work, scanned from legal copy, image is of sufficiently low resolution). ... This is a list of film-related events in 2002. ... This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ... Mary Gaitskill (born November 11, 1954 in Lexington, Kentucky) is an American author of essays, short stories and novels. ... Steven Shainberg is a director and producer. ... Gyllenhaal in Criminal (2004) Maggie Ruth Gyllenhaal (born November 16, 1977) is a Golden Globe-nominated American actress. ... James Todd Spader (born February 7, 1960 in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American actor best known for his eccentric roles in movies such as sex, lies, and videotape (for which he won the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival), Stargate, and Secretary. ...

Plot

Lee Holloway is the geeky and emotionally sensitive younger daughter in a very dysfunctional family. The father, as it turns out, is an alcoholic, the mother tries desperately to make everything look okay. When the movie opens, Lee is being released from a psychiatric hospital to attend her sister's wedding. Lee was hospitalized after cutting herself and suffering a near-fatal injury. Determined to adjust to society, she learns to type, begins to date Peter, a guest at the wedding with whom she went to high school, and looks for work. She is then hired as a secretary to tightly wound attorney E. Edward Grey. When she first enters his office, she is greeted by total chaos and his former secretary stomping past her in tears. Grey, who appears shaken, then hires her despite her rather unprofessional appearance. A psychiatric hospital (also called at various places and times, mental hospital, mental ward, asylum or sanitarium) is a hospital specializing in the treatment of persons with mental illness. ... Self-harm (SH) is deliberate injury to ones own body. ... A secretary is an office/administrative support position. ...

The professional relationship between Lee and Mr. Grey is, in the beginning, rather strained. Lee has a number of annoying habits, her whole appearance unnerves the perfectionist Grey, and her docile behaviour has him constantly on edge - apparently he is sexually aroused by it, which shows in his excessive work-out when Lee literally goes through the garbage to find a file he accidentally threw out. However, the two become closer after Mr. Grey confronts Lee about her self-mutilating habits, explicitly telling her that she will never cut herself again. Eventually the two embark on a BDSM relationship, complete with spankings and slave collars. Lee, who was already besotted with Mr. Grey, experiences a sexual - and personal - awakening and falls even more deeply in love. Mr. Grey, however, is afraid of his deepening feelings and feels shame and disgust over his sexual habits. He fires Lee after a particularly kinky sexual escapade in his office.

Lee, who had been dating Peter the entire time, reluctantly accepts his proposal. Lee leaves Peter at the altar and runs off in the wedding gown to declare her love to Mr. Grey. He decides to test Lee's devotion by making her sit in a chair without moving her hands or feet until he comes back. Lee eagerly complies with the demand and even returns to her place after Peter, whom Mr. Grey had called and sent to the office, forcefully removes her from the chair. After three days, Mr. Grey's resistance breaks; he carries her to his home. They eventually marry, continuing the BDSM aspect of the relationship.

Taglines

• Assume the position
• A comedy for everybody who's ever been tied up at work

Cast

• Maggie Gyllenhaal - Lee Holloway
• James Spader - E. Edward Grey
• Jeremy Davies - Peter
• Lesley Ann Warren - Joan Holloway
• Stephen McHattie - Burt Holloway

Gyllenhaal in Criminal (2004) Maggie Ruth Gyllenhaal (born November 16, 1977) is a Golden Globe-nominated American actress. ... James Todd Spader (born February 7, 1960 in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American actor best known for his eccentric roles in movies such as sex, lies, and videotape (for which he won the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival), Stargate, and Secretary. ... This article is about Jeremy Davies the actor. ... Lesley Ann Warren Lesley Ann Warren (born August 16, 1946), is an American actress. ... McHattie as Romulan Senator Vreenak in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode In the Pale Moonlight. Stephen McHattie Smith (born February 3, 1947 in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada) is a Canadian actor. ...

Reception

The movie has received a very positive response from large portions of the BDSM community for its sympathetic mainstream portrayal of BDSM as practiced by happy, healthy and otherwise average people.^{[citation needed]} A collar is a common symbol in BDSM. BDSM is any of a number of related patterns of human sexual behavior. ...

See also

• Sadism and masochism in fiction

In general, the depiction of sadism and masochism in fiction tends to be portrayed from the viewpoint of masochistic fantasy. ...

References and further reading

• Erin Cressida Wilson, Steven Shainberg, Secretary: A Screenplay. Soft Skull Press, 2003. ISBN 1-887128-19-0.

External links

• Official site
• Secretary at the Internet Movie Database
• Secretary at Rotten Tomatoes
• Secretary at Box Office Mojo