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The movie version of The Secret combines documentary stylings and self-help dialogue to create an impressive tableau. The movie was put together by Prime Time Productions and loosely based on a book called The Science of Getting Rich, which was originally released way back in 1910. Thanks to mass media exposure, the film has attracted an incredible amount of press coverage – some positive, some critical. You can find The Secret streamed online and on DVD. All told, nearly six million copies of the book based on the movie have been printed and distributed to readers across the world. The central philosophy of The Secret is that human behavior is guided by something called “The Law of Attraction.” According to The Secret’s lore, this law was originally enshrined in ancient wisdom and lost over the centuries (and/or hidden by powerful people who did not want this “secret” revealed). The Secret encourages people to use visualization techniques to achieve goals. There are three steps to the process. The first step is “to ask”: individuals need to ask the universe for positive results -- at work, with relationships, with regard to spiritual and physical health, and so on. According to advocates of this idea, the more clearly and articulately one can visualize a desired result, the easier it is to achieve. The second step is to “believe.” You must develop a deep belief that the outcome you want to occur will actually happen. You need to focus your thinking in a positive, focused direction to bend the universe to your will. The third stage of the process is to “receive.” This stage involves listening to signs from the universe that you are going in the right direction. Intuitions, insights, déjà vu, and other flashes of inspiration can help direct your path during this stage. The makers of The Secret interviewed over two dozen “experts” in a variety of fields, including life coaching, quantum physics, and Feng Shui. Unsurprisingly, most of the individuals who appeared in the film either implicitly or explicitly expressed high regard for the assumptions of the theory. Although high-profile early advocates of The Secret, such as Ellen Degeneres and Oprah Winfrey, did not appear in the film, the publicity that these talk show hosts later bequeathed on the The Secret no doubt helped the movie’s sales figures. The producers of the film -- including Rhonda Byrne and Paul Harrington -- invested personal funds to get the project off the ground. They applied the lessons of their own teachings to the production of the movie. According to Byrne, they utilized the Law of Attraction to plan every stage of the movie, including budgeting and logistics. At first, the film did not receive wide reception or good reviews from critics. It ran one time on Australia’s Channel 9 and earned mediocre ratings. However, after being touted on Oprah in 2007, the film won the attention of a vast audience. It quickly topped DVD charts, and the creators smartly developed a book version of the movie to capitalize on the film’s success. The book rocketed to the top of the best seller lists. In the months that followed the publicity storm, the film’s concepts were mulled over by cynics and believers alike. Saturday Night Live, Boston Legal, and a cartoon called The Venture Brothers all satirized The Secret. Following the success of the film, the producers were invited onto an array of talk shows, including Larry King Live, The Today Show, Nightline, the Montel Williams Show, and, of course, Opera and Friends. Many in both the secular and religious press lambasted The Secret for “blaming” unfortunates for their bad fates and for making specious claims about how the mind can influence the health of the body. That said, for all the agitation over some of the claims, the notion that visualization of goals can lead more rapidly to their achievement has wide support among social psychologists. Other critics point out that The Secret’s focus on the acquisition of wealth, power, and material goods is at odds with a proper moral value system. Regardless of the ultimate assessment of the film, fans of The Secret are numerous, and are influencing our cultural evolution by suggesting interesting new ways of viewing the American Dream.
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The Secret Behind The Secret
