Customer Reviews

Seconds [VHS]

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

We've all had days where we wished we could escape our ourselves and our lives, to be someone else somewhere else. But even if it were possible, could we really start over? Seconds asks and answers that question - some might argue quite cynically - through some of the most searing and surreal images and dialogue on film, in a story both jarring and emotionally resonant because it tells truths about humanity.

Without giving up too much of the plot, it is difficult to convey just how profoundly disturbing and haunting this film is, even after multiple viewings. From the pipe-organ score by Jerry Goldsmith that breathes with an eerie, heretic fervor; to the distorted faces in the titles by Saul Bass; to the stunning wide-angle black-and-white photography by James Wong Howe; to the peerless direction by John Frankenheimer; and of course, to the career-topping performance of Rock Hudson as the protagonist striking the faustian bargain to trade in his humdrum, middle-age existence for a new beginning, this film is simply one of the most overlooked and underrated gems of '60s cinema.

That it was made nearly 40 years ago is evident because of the film's many on-location shots, but the movie transcends its era and its genre (science fiction?) because it deals with timeless themes and a premise that in today's world of cloning and biotechnology seems increasingly plausible (at least physically). Seconds also remains more chilling than Frankenheimer's more popular masterpiece, The Manchurian Candidate, because it speaks poignantly about something we can all identify with: identity.

The new DVD is very much worth the price of admission: the picture transfer is really superb, and the sound isn't bad relative to most films of its time period. The disc also contains a trailer and a commentary by Frankenheimer. While Frankenheimer's thoughts are informative, I was disappointed that he focused mostly on technical aspects of the movie (e.g., "here's James Wong using the wide-angle lens again . . . ). I wish he had provided more insights about plot and thematic elements; maybe he thought these were better off left to the viewer to figure out. You likely won't be able to rent this one at Blockbuster, because unfortunately it remains a cult classic only.

Seconds is director John Frankenheimer and lead actor Rock Hudson's finest hour, and I can't recommend it more highly. This is one movie that will make you think differently about yourself, your life, and your loved ones.

The core concept of this film has special relevance almost 40 years after its initial release, given recent developments in genetic engineering: Recycling of human beings, whole or in parts. As I again watched it, I thought about several themes which have intrigued man throughout history, such as eternal youth (e.g. the fountain of youth) and unholy pacts (e.g. in the Garden of Eden and, later, Dr. Faust). Dissatisfied with his life, Arthur Hamilton (John Randolph) presents himself to The Company and agrees (for a substantial fee) to become a different person and have a lifestyle about which he has obviously fantasized for many years. After extensive surgery, he becomes Antiochus ("Tony") Wilson (Rock Hudson), twenty years younger, strikingly handsome, physically fit, and living what is for many males an idealized bachelor's life. He seems to have everything Hamilton once desired and yet....

This is among the subtlest but also one of the most frightening of films. To say more about its plot would be a disservice to those who have not as yet seen it. Suffice to say that, under the brilliant direction of John Frankenheimer, the cast plays out what becomes a horror story of almost unbearable impact. My opinion is that Hudson's performance is his strongest throughout a lengthy film career. Will Geer appears briefly but memorably, as do others in a diverse cast which includes Murray Hamilton, Jeff Corey, Richard Anderson, and Salome Jens. Also noteworthy is James Wong Howe's cinematography which nourishes, indeed intensifies the gradually-increasing sense of terror as Wilson attempts without success to re-negotiate the terms and conditions of his surgically-enhanced life. Whenever I recall the final scene, I shudder despite the fact that I have seen this film several times and know that it is "only a movie."

"Every man has, inside him, a key left unturned."

SECONDS, directed by John Frankenheimer, may be perhaps one of the greatest American movies that no one has ever seen or heard of. It's obscurity is a real crime considering that the inferior (but still very good) AMERICAN BEAUTY and the absolutely wretched EYES WIDE SHUT (not to mention the bloated LAST TANGO IN PARIS) have enjoyed greater notoriety while dealing with exactly the same material.

In fact a great festival would be to show all four films together. Although one may want to shoot themselves afterword.

SECONDS, like all the great tragedies, truly is a pessimistic and depressing film on one hand, and yet, on the other hand, manages to elate the viewer in terms of the incredible mastery of storytelling craft that the filmakers John Frankenheimer and James Wong Howe so expertly display. The acting, script, direction and cinemaphotography all blend perfectly together to create a shattering and unforgettable experience.

The narrative, dealing with a middle aged suburbanite getting a chance at a new start via a shadowy company with real Satanic overtones, is filled with haunting, frightening and utterly truthfull revelations about the fragile human condition. Arthur Hamilton/Tony, the sad protagonist (expertly played by both John Randolph and Rock Hudson(!)) finds all too late that there is no place like home, and once you're gone, you're gone. This is a lesson that Hamilton/Tony doesn't learn until it is too late.

The film proposes this as a fact of our existance that ultimately we all must come to face and accept. Our choices will then lead us to either making our present state better or diving off into changing what cannot be changed: the past.

Watching this film is not escapist entertainment. It is challenging, disturbing and creepy. It is however, a work of art. Don't miss this. A 10 out of 10.

More than 40 years old now, this small, darkly powerful film still packs a devastating, heartbreaking punch. The story itself is simple, and one that anyone can appreciate: a middle-aged man, vaguely dissatisfied with his supposedly successful life, is offered a second chance in a remade, rejuvenated body, complete with a new life. And of course it's a monstrously Faustian bargain, something that's made clear from the first ominous notes & disorienting graphics of the opening credits.

But it's the relentlessly oppressive tone & the fine acting that take this basic premise into nightmarish territory. For anyone who thought that Rock Hudson was only capable of lightweight comedy or soap opera melodrama, this will be a real eye-opener. He gives it his all & lays his soul bare, nakedly raw, especially in the final scenes. His despair, his anguish, his hunger for something so desperately lost & never found, burns through the screen. It's such an intense & vulnerable performance that it's almost physically unsettling to watch!

There have been complaints about the length of the vineyard scene -- but I think that drawing it out actually adds to the meaning of the film. What begins as a potential orgy, an invitation to release all inhibitions & revel in sensual pleasures, becomes something dreary & nasty as it drags on & on, revealing the spiritual emptiness beneath the facade of endless sensation & instant gratification. There's no real love to be found here, no real human connection, not even the release of genuinely earthy & healthy sex. There's only constant noise & movement to cover the unbearable truth.

And it's a truth that our doomed protagonist learns too late -- what required changing wasn't the outward appearance, but the inner man. All the plastic surgery, the fast cars, the beautiful women, the glamorous lifestyle -- all of it is hollow, if you're still the same person within, unwilling or unable to grow spiritually & emotionally. If only he could go back, try again! But there's no going back.

What's especially chilling is how the emptiness depicted so scathingly here has become a guiding principle for so much of contemporary society. The promise of a new life is even glossier today, far more glittering, as trendy & uber-hip as it could be ... but in the end, still as unsatisfying as ever, offering nothing, taking everything.

If you're looking for horror, forget the adolescent titillation of torture porn & zombies & CGI monsters - this is the real thing. For me, it's one of the finest & most frightening examinations of midlife that I've ever seen -- most highly recommended!

Seconds is one of those Hollywood films which which challenges the dominant ideology of the American dream. A truly shocking and disturbing expose of a frustrated middle class businessman, bored with is life, who is offered a new identity by a mysterious organisation. The ending is frightening and chilling and can compared to Sam Fullers Shock Coridoor. Camerawork and music add to the atmosphere and we are left in a state of terror atfer watching the film. Rock Hudson has never been better and is probably Frankenheimers best picture.

Directed by John Frankheimer (The Manchurian Candidate) and filmed in glorious black and white, Seconds is a thriller concerning personal identity. Considered a failure upon its release, its a bit of a lost / little known classic.

Personally, what makes the film so interesting is the number of odd circumstances and loose ends presented by the film. Some have pointed these out as a flaw, but upon repeated viewing these "holes" make the film's plot and character motivations more interesting and fun to discuss.

The film has a great start and a great finish. What few problems the film has with pacing are more than compensated for by the "suprise" ending. Also, the film has a wild scene with a Baccanalian (sp?) festival with a suprising amount of nudity for a film made in the 1960's.

Underappreciated at the time of it's release and still not half as celebrated as it should be, Seconds has been described as the most "disturbing episode of the Twilight Zone ever made." Well, the plot certainly does sound like one of the mini-morality plays that Rod Serling would have concocted for his show. A middle-aged banker (played by character actor John Randolph, who is heart breakingly real as he attempts to find some way to communicate his ennui with his wife) recieves a late night phone call from "Charlie," an old friend who died a few years back. Except it seems that Charlie didn't die. Instead, Charlie sacrificed his life savings for a chance to be recreated as a new, younger man. As part of his payment, Charlie is now recruiting his friends. Randolph, of course, chooses a second chance at life. With the help of the deceptively friendly Old Man (played by Will Geer in a performance that will give you nightmares by the film's end), Randolph's death is faked and after a great deal of plastic surgery, Randolph emerges as Rock Hudson. Now, this might seem to stretch the film's suspension of disbelief to the breaking point. However, both Randolph and Hudson do a good job of convincing the viewer that they are the same man. Hudson was never a great actor but he gives a truly brilliant performance in this role. After years of playing lightweight roles, Hudson felt that this might be his last chance to truly prove himself as an actor and maybe even when an Academy Award. As such, it is obvious that he truly pushed his talents to its limits with his performance here and, perhaps more importantly, also put his total and complete faith in director John Frankenhiemer. Hence, Hudson never forgets that he is playing an old man in a young man's body and he is totally convincing as he painfully tries to figure out how to be young again. Doubtless, Frankenheimer used Hudson's own awkwardness at such a change-of-pace role to signify his character's awkwardness at being a new man but that doesn't take away from the fact that Rock Hudson -- he of the much-mocked personal life and the almost comedic movie star name -- gives a sincerely touching and powerful performance that shows he never really got the chances he deserved to be something more than just Doris Day's sleazy suitor.

Hudson is given a new life, living as an artist in a "bohemian" beach community. However, he is still an old man with old values and he finds himself isolated and lonely in his new life. When he pursues a romance with a younger free spirit (well-played by Salome Jens), he instead discovers that even the things that are bringing him what little happiness he has are fakes, set up specifically to make his new life easier. All of this comes to a head in a heartbreaking sequence that begins comedic but ultimately turns quite dark and leads the film to its disturbing conclusion. At a party, Hudson gets drunk and finds he can no longer keep quiet about who he is. His careless words lead to him being attacked by the other party goers. Apparently, Hudson was actually drunk during these scenes and his tearful rantings of the pain of being forced to live a double life no doubt carried a lot of meaning for him as well. As a result, the scene is painfully honest. Watching it, one is struck by the raw honesty of Hudson's "performance." The party scene leads to Hudson asking for yet another "second" chance which leads to the film's shocking but inetivable conclusion -- far more darker than anything you'd ever see on the "Twilight Zone."

Director John Frankenhiemer has had a bizarre career, to put it mildly. His work has varied between some of the best genre films of all time to some of the absolute worst and finally over to a few obscure, cult gems like this film. His direction is, at times, a little too flashy. This is obviously a film from the late '60s but Frankenhiemer's need to experiment pays off in that it mirrors Hudson's own confusion at what his life has become. The use of the fish-eyed lens at the film's end has been much commented on and it is a perfect, if unexpected, touch. Seconds is not a happy film but it is one that I would recommend to anyone with an interest in how a good director and a dedicated actor can even make the bleakest of material infinitely watchable.

This haunting chiller qualifies as director John Frankenheimer's best film. John Randolph plays a middle aged businessman who is given the chance to start is life all over again. He looks 20 years younger, sounds like he's 20 years younger because now he is. He's given a new face and identity. The catch is that he can't contact his widowed spouse or their children ever again.

Sucked into this surreal world, Rock Hudson gives one of his sharpest and most impassioned performances. Perhaps that's because, despite his matinee idol looks and heterosexual swagger, Hudson was gay. In many repsects he had to project one image while hiding another and those around him couldn't be clued in because it would destroy his career. It's something Hudson might be able to identify with (ironic then that the gay actor Will Geer most famous for playing grandpa on The Waltons is the head of the company that "renews" people).

Frankenheimer's direction is imaginative. The cinematography, editing and overall look of the film could be a textbook on surreal cinema by itself. Frankenheimer uses a variety of short, long and wide fisheyed lenses to convey the frightening world that Hudson's character has fallen into. Despite the fact that it was released in 1966, Seconds could be a modern fable about identity and discovering who we really are vs. who we pretend to be.

The DVD has a running commentary by the later Frankenheimer and a widescreen transfer (the first time this film has been available in ages in that format). The black and white photographer is beautifully rendered with the rich shadowy world rendered in crisp, sharp images.

Arguably Frankenheimer's finest film (the other films that belong in the same category are his films of The Manchurian Candidate and The French Connection 2), Seconds captures one of Hudson's best film performances. This DVD release is a deluxe edition that has many of the unusual bells and whistles we've come to expect from Criterion and other quality DVD/Video companies. Be warned, though, that Second is not a film everyone will enjoy. The film comes with a decidedly downbeat ending (somewhat unusual even in American cinema in the mid-60's, Frankenheimer was clearly influenced by the French New Wave movement that was going on at the same time)but is powerful and leavea a lasting impression.

This thought provoking little gem of a drama has haunted me since I came across it as a teenager by accident as the second film of a double feature at the local bijou in the 60's. Even at that age, when the reality of wanting a "second" chance at life was an abstraction to someone still beginning the first go round, the obsessive wistfulness of the character played in the film's last two thirds by Rock Hudson and his steady progression from disillusionment to disillusionment, right to the last brilliantly traumatic scene of terror, yearning and loss, stirred thoughts about what was out there to come.

That the film also included a subtle critique, if not attack, on the "American Dream" and other unrealistic and oversimplified materialism and hedonism, as well as a vastly different Rock Hudson, in a dramatic role so unlike the sanitized Doris Day and "leading man" vehicles he was then known for, made it a truly revolutionary experience. Yet, it quickly dropped from sight if not from memory.

For thirty years, I pondered the last searing scene, but had no way to justify my recollection of the film's impact except for conversations with the few other people who remembered the film. Finally, it was released on tape last year, with a little bit more flesh than in the original censored US version (not much at all by today's standards), which only underlines the "empty" hedonism involved in the film's message, while foreshadowing the hedonism of all kinds to come in the following decades.

Although I was ready to be disappointed, the film still works for me after all these years, black and white and all. Life experience may put the message in perspective, and the cultural period reflected in the film, between the end of the 50's conformity and the beginning of the 60's changes, becomes more interesting in its own right as an historical artifact. But the film still succeeds because its essential message and artistic skill transcends a particular time and place while at the same time its focus is "small" enough to urge serious questions and emotions on the audience, like the best of the 60 and 90 minute television dramas of the late 50's.

You are very likely to find, perhaps to your surprise, that you are greatly affected by this little film and I wouldn't be surprised if one of its themes or images doesn't haunt you, too, for thirty years.

"There is an unturned key inside everybody." So says one of this amazing films' souless and mournful characters. I saw this film right before viewing Kubricks Eyes Wide Shut and the two films share immense similarities. Using the guise of science fiction, Director Frankenheimer and Cinematograper James Wong Howe along with actors Rock Hudson and John Randolph work to create a terrifying and heartbreaking portrait of life lost. This is not an uplifting film in the slightest, of course that is like saying the same thing about King Lear. Classic American character actor Will Geer is the ultimate in gentile evil as the mephestopholian CEO of a mysterious company that gives middle aged men new identities. One cannot ever go home again is one of the many profound messages this film slams home. Devistating and disturbing. Don't miss this!