Brennendes Geheimnis

Burning Secret is a 1988 drama film, based on the short story Brennendes Geheimnis by Stefan Zweig, about an American diplomat's son who befriends a mysterious baron while staying at an Austrian spa during the 1920s. This symbol-filled story, filmed with sensuous detail and nuance, is set in Austria in the 1920s. While being treated for asthma at a country spa, an American diplomat's lonely 12-year-old son is befriended and infatuated by a suave, mysterious baron. During a story of his war experiences, the baron reveals the scar of a wound from an American soldier and thrusts a pin through it, saying "see—no feeling." Little does the boy realize that it is his turn to be wounded. But soon his adored friend heartlessly brushes him aside and turns his seductive attentions to his mother. The boy's jealousy and feelings of betrayal become uncontrollable.

The film was written and directed by Andrew Birkin, and stars Klaus Maria Brandauer, Faye Dunaway, and David Eberts. The film won the Young Jury Prize at the Brussels Film Festival in 1989, and David Eberts won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival in the same year.

According to Birkin, the making of the movie "was something of a nightmare" with the two lead actors thoroughly disliking one another and other problems while shooting on location in Mariánské Lázně while directing young David Eberts was "a joy".[2]

The film was film composer Hans Zimmer's only second feature film scoring.

Lions Gate Home Entertainment has yet to release the film onto DVD.