Le Grand Secret (''The Great Secret''/''The Immortals'') is a 1989

miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

co-produced by

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and directed by Jacques Trébouta. The screenplay by

André Cayatte André Cayatte (; 3 February 1909 – 6 February 1989) was a French filmmaker, writer and lawyer, who became known for his films centering on themes of crime, justice, and moral responsibility. Biography Cayatte began his directoral career at ...

was based on the eponymous

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

novel by

René Barjavel René Barjavel (24 January 1911 – 24 November 1985) was a French author, journalist and critic who may have been the first to think of the grandfather paradox in time travel. He was born in Nyons, a town in the Drôme department in southeas ...

, ('' Le grand secret''). The production, starring

Claude Rich Claude Rich (8 February 1929 – 20 July 2017) was a French stage and screen actor. He began his career in the theater before his film debut in 1955. Personal life He married actress Catherine Renaudin on 26 June 1959. They had two daughters ...

Louise Marleau Louise Marleau (born August 26, 1944) is a Canadian actress. She won the 1985 Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for her role in '' A Woman in Transit (La Femme de l'hôtel)'' and was nominated in the same category ...

, Peter Sattmann,

Claude Jade Claude Marcelle Jorré, better known as Claude Jade (; 8 October 1948 – 1 December 2006), was a French actress. She starred as Antoine Doinel#Christine Darbon, Christine in François Truffaut's three films ''Stolen Kisses'' (1968), ''Bed and B ...

and

Fernando Rey Fernando Casado Arambillet (20 September 1917 – 9 March 1994), best known as Fernando Rey, was a Spanish film, theatre, and television actor, who worked in both Europe and the United States. A suave, international actor best known for hi ...

, tells the story of a grand

conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, ploy, or scheme, is a secret plan or agreement between people (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder, treason, or corruption, especially with a political motivat ...

between world leaders.

Plot

Jeanne Corbet (

) is having an affair with Roland Fournier ( Peter Sattmann), a researcher working on a cancer treatment in the

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

suburb of

Villejuif Villejuif () is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Name The earliest reference to Villejuif appears in a bill signed by the Pope Callixtus II on 27 November 1119. It refers to Villa J ...

. Married to Professor Paul Corbet (

), an older scientist who tolerates the affair, Jeanne is obsessed with her lover. During mysterious events controlled by the

secret service A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For i ...

, Roland disappears while Jeanne simultaneously experiences a kidnapping attempt. Samuel Frend (

), an American secret agent based in France, comes in contact with Jeanne and informs her that her lover is not dead. Once convinced that Roland is alive, Jeanne devotes her life to searching the world for him. In

Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...

, she finds Frend and his wife Suzan (

), but she loses track of the couple a few days later. The source of the cover-up of Roland's disappearance is revealed: Professor Bahanba ( Richard Münch), an Indian scientist also working on a cancer treatment, has discovered JL3, an immortality serum that stops aging and eliminates vulnerability to disease in any living being. A few years later, it is announced that Samuel Frend has died, but Jeanne does not believe that he was killed in an accident, as was reported. She visits Suzan, who now lives in

Bennington Bennington is a New England town, town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. It is one of two shire towns (county seats) of the county, the other being Manchester (town), Vermont, Manchester. As of the 2020 United States Census, US Cens ...

(

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

), and learns that the "widow" is a secret service officer. Jeanne learns that Samuel, now known as Colonel Bass, is on an island called 307, which is guarded day and night by the army. The island hosts a self-sufficient community led by Professor Bahanba, who also acts as the community's spiritual guide. Jeanne, now fifty years old, travels to the island and finds Roland, who is still a spirited young man of thirty. Their love is not what it once was and Jeanne finds herself unable to contract symptoms. Throughout her search, Jeanne learns about numerous world leaders involved in the cover-up, including

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and stateswoman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 un ...

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

and

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

Differences from the book

In Barjavel's novel, Jeanne's search takes 17 years and begins in 1955. Other world leaders are also involved in the conspiracy, including

Jawaharlal Nehru Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a pr ...

and

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

Cast

as Jeanne Corbet *

as Samuel Frend * Peter Sattmann as Roland Fournier *

as Paul Corbet *

as Suzan Frend * Paul Guers as William Garrett * Richard Münch as Shri Bahanba * Alain Mottet as Hamblain * Leila Fréchet as Annie * Martine Sarcey as Madame Fournier * Annick Blancheteau as Lady Ogilvie * Juan José Artero as Den *

Fernando Guillén Cuervo Fernando Guillén Cuervo (born March 11, 1963) is a Spanish actor, film director and scriptwriter. Biography Born on March 11, 1963, in Barcelona in a family of thespians to father Fernando Guillén (actor), Fernando Guillén and mother Gemma ...

as Han * Blanca Marsillach as Mary * Michel Peyrelon as Poliot * Sophie Renoir as Mrs. Banerjee * Pierre Londiche as US ambassador in Paris * Huguette Funfrock as

* Tatiana Mouroumzeff as

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grand secret 1989 French television series debuts French-language television programming in Canada French science fiction television series 1989 Canadian television series debuts 1989 French television series endings 1989 Canadian television series endings 1980s Canadian television miniseries 1980s French television miniseries 1980s Canadian science fiction television series