writers_reign
Most of the other reviews posted here have compared this movie unfavorably with Mank's A Letter To Three Wives and whilst there are similarities it is actually closer - as my summary indicates - to a much later movie, Buona Sera, Mrs Campbell, in which any one of three GIs could be the father of Gina Lollobrigida's now fully grown daughter. This time around any one of three women could be the mother of an adopted boy who is the sole survivor of an air crash. How so?Seems that Eleanor Parker, Patricia Neal and Ruth Roman all had a son born September 25th in the same year and all three, for various reasons, placed him with the Shelter Adoption Agency and signed away all rights. Now he is in the news and his date of birth revealed all three converge on the scene and we get their backstorys in flashback. It's a taut, well-handled entry and though light years short of Letter To Three Wives is nevertheless highly entertaining. All three leads are fine actresses - Parker picked up a Best Actress gong at Venice that same year for Caged - and the male support is interesting for nostalgia buffs throwing out such names as Frank Lovejoy, Ted de Corisa, Kenneth Tobey etc. Definitely recommend.
Neil Doyle
Whatever suspense THREE SECRETS has is derived from the audience not knowing (until the end) which woman's boy has survived a plane crash. Each woman (ELEANOR PARKER, RUTH ROMAN and PATRICIA NEAL) thinks it's her own abandoned five year-old son. As they wait patiently for more news on the identity of the boy, each woman reflects in flashbacks on what led up to their heart-breaking decision.Robert Wise has directed all of the melodrama with some fine touches and a steady hand, so that Parker, Roman and Neal are all seen to advantage in a plot vaguely similar to that of A LETTER TO THREE WIVES in which three women await news on which husband deserted them.Parker is a woman who had an illegitimate child; Roman had to give up her child while she served a jail term; Neal was a career woman who preferred career to domestic chores.Sensibily acted and directed, it's a rather low-key melodrama that might not meet the demands of fans not enthusiastic about so-called chick flicks.
olddiscs
Spin offs, copy cats clones, Three Secrets is easily compared to its earlier & far better film A Letter To 3 Wives Basically both plots involve 3 women in a quandry.or a dilemma..in 3 Wives .one of their husbands has run away with another woman (Miss Addie Ross).. who which ? stream of conciousness flashbacks..witty & brilliantly directed by Joseph L.Mankiewiecz a superb cast & even better supporting cast "Letter "is one of the all time great films.."Tree Secrets 3 women face another dilemma, a boy is involved in a plane crash in the mountains. Boy was adopted by parents who were killed in crash..Boy survives crash 3 women gave birth to a boy same day..& gave up for adoption to the same shelter..Whos child is this? Does anyone care.?Yes it is agood film very a sorbing & very well acted. 3very good actresses Eleanor Parker Patricia Neal & Ruth Roman are the 3 women in despair,,and give very fine performances.Direction is very good also by future Oscar winner Robert Wise.. but a lot is borrowed from "Letter" the basic 3 women plot, the miasma, and the stream of concsiousness flashbacks.They worked well for "Letter" & work well here also... but the conclusion is smaltzy & the film lacks the wit and intelligence of its predecessor.. Worth seeing.. a "Chick" flick & some good actors involved..but Letter to 3 Wives is an original & a masterpiece !!
edward wilgar
Three women review their past lives while they wait for news that will change the future totally for one of them. But it isn't "Letter to Three Wives"!Putting aside the shameless use of the formula from Mankiewicz' masterwork, "Three Secrets" is an enjoyable, well-written drama. Another similarity to "... Three Wives", and one that I have no objection to, is leads Patricia Neal, Eleanor Parker & Ruth Roman being mature, extremely attractive women; not a teenybopper or nymphet in sight.A second movie that came to mind while watching "Three Secrets" was "The Big Carnival" with its media circus of cynical reporters covering and exploiting a disaster. However Wilder's film followed this one.The beautiful Cole Porter tune `I get a kick out of you' is well used on the soundtrack.
AD
