Secret (2007 film)

Secret , also known by its translation The Secret That Cannot Be Told, is a Taiwanese romance film released in 2007. It is the first movie directed by Taiwanese musician Jay Chou. The film has won several awards, including The 2007 44th Golden Horse Award, Best Visual Effects, The Outstanding Taiwanese Film of the Year, and Best Original Film Song.

Plot

Ye Xianglun, a music student majoring in piano, transfers to Tamkang Secondary School. It is a school famous for musically talented students, especially for those who play piano. On the first day of school, as he wanders through the piano building, he hears a mysterious melody being played that leads him to Lu Xiaoyu, another piano major. When he asks her about the song she was playing, she tells him that it is a secret that cannot be told. The two develop a relationship that is clouded in mystery, until the realization that the piano will be destroyed on the night of Ye Xianglun's graduation.

Cast

*周杰倫 as 葉湘倫/叶湘伦 : Music student majoring in piano and lives with his father.
*桂綸鎂 as 路小雨 : Music student who lives with her mother.
*黄秋生 as 小倫爸爸 : The discipline teacher of Xianglun's school and his father.
*曾愷玹 as 晴依 : The girl Ye Xianglun met when he joined Dangjian. She always admired Ye Xianglun.
*宋健彰 as 阿宝/阿寶 : Not a well-behaved student. Organised a dance party where he performs. Member of a rugby team.
*黃俊郎 Huang Junlang as 阿郎 : Abao's good friend, captain of the rugby team.
*詹宇豪 Zhan Yuhao as 雨豪 : "Prince of the piano", a talented piano player, had a "piano battle" with Ye Xianglun.

Production

The film tells a "simple but very beautiful" love story, which Chou denies that it was adapted from his personal experiences. When the film debuted, Chou admitted that he drew from childhood experience for the plot, although his personal story was not as romanticized.

Filming for the movie began in January 2007 and was completed in March. Despite previous experience in filming music videos, Chou admits that movies are comparatively more challenging due to storyline and time constraints.

Because Chou was worried about that people might question if he actually directed the film himself, he even refused veteran director to visit him during shooting. However, Chou says that he did send a pilot film to Lau afterwards. In the movie, he incorporated elements which reflected his actual experience in school, such as his stint as pianist for the school choir. In the movie, he was the orchestra’s pianist and played during high school graduation.
#Chopin: There were several occasions when Jay paid tribute to his favourite composer.
##Right at the beginning of the movie, a lesson about Chopin was being taught in class. He was described as a gifted musician and composer.
##There were 2 paintings in the music room that were supposedly Chopin and his lover . The conversation between Xianglun & Xiaoyu was about Chopin and his lover. Xianglun lamented that the two eventually parted ways. However, Xiaoyu seemed envious that the couple was able to spend 10 years together, which to the couple, was possibly a long time. Jay may have added this element because the 10 years was the period of time in which Chopin produced his most outstanding work.
##Qin Yi carried Chopin’s manuscript and kept it in her locker.
##Chopin's Waltz and "Black Key" Etude feature in the 鬥琴 scene. Note that the melodic sequence of the "Black Key" Etude that is performed includes both the introductory black key sequence, as well as an excerpt from later on in the piece, which is played only on the white keys.