Seconds
1966 Directed by John Frankenheimer
Synopsis
A secret organisation offers wealthy people a second chance at life. The customer picks out someone they want to be and the organisation surgically alters the customer to look like the intended person, stages the customer's death, gets rid of the intended person and the customer takes on a new life.
Cast
Studios
Genres
Popular reviews
More-
Rebirth of the American Dream
Unlocking the inner desires
Yet soulless and empty
No matter the circumstances.Makes pretty clear why it was booed at Cannes, as all those French intellectuals who were turning away from “bourgeoisie life” were probably not expecting a film that basically slaps their lifestyle in their face. Last year’s viewing of The Manchurian Candidate was an exciting but somewhat disappointing revisit from when I had originally watched it in 2004, and found myself asking why that had become a classic* as opposed to this cookie filled with arsenic. Few films are filed with such vitriol despair for the American Dream, and not just the one of the middle class life of the 1950s that Hamilton…
-
John Frankenheimer was at the peak of his career when he directed Seconds. He had broken through into feature film in the late 1950s after a successful stint in live television and in the years 1962 to 1966 established himself as one of the most distinctive and important of new American directors. However, his unbroken run of critical and popular hits ended with Seconds. Despite the film being decidedly experimental in style, premise and narrative, all concerned with it thought they had something special. Indeed, the studio even reportedly pulled strings in order to make the film the official American entry at the Cannes Film Festival that year. The film’s problems began at Cannes, where it was vociferously attacked partly…
-
Amazing horror/sci fi that really unnerved me and has kept me thinking about the profound moral and philosophical questions it raises and likely will do so for a long time to come. A nightmarish journey that is not just a brilliant execution of a story with great insight to the American Dream, identity, freedom and everything else, but it's also an astonishing visual achievement.
Frankenheimer's love of strange angles and viewpoints combined with James Wong Howe's peerless mastery of B/W cinematography lead to some bravura sequences of filmmaking and frightening subjective passages of terror for the protagonist (Rock Hudson, who not only delivers a great performance but as the most famous gay actor ever lends great subtext to some readings…
-
"Is he really a sneaky two-face?"
"Yes." -
Terrifying post-modern story about identity and, essentially, the meaning of life. Years ahead of its time in terms of camerawork and thematic elements. Often feels like a documentary with expert use of close-ups and handheld styles. Chock-full of religious allegories and metaphors as well. And remember...
STOMP THOSE GRAPES
-
Jürgen Müller writes in 'Movies of the 60s': "John Frankenheimer meditates on the legend of eternal youth, the power of money, and above all, on the nature of identity." I don't need to add much... only that cinematographer James Wong Howe is an absolute genius.
Recent reviews
More-
"Is he really a sneaky two-face?"
"Yes." -
Amazing horror/sci fi that really unnerved me and has kept me thinking about the profound moral and philosophical questions it raises and likely will do so for a long time to come. A nightmarish journey that is not just a brilliant execution of a story with great insight to the American Dream, identity, freedom and everything else, but it's also an astonishing visual achievement.
Frankenheimer's love of strange angles and viewpoints combined with James Wong Howe's peerless mastery of B/W cinematography lead to some bravura sequences of filmmaking and frightening subjective passages of terror for the protagonist (Rock Hudson, who not only delivers a great performance but as the most famous gay actor ever lends great subtext to some readings…
-
If Charlie Kauffman were writing movies in the 60's, he might write something like Seconds. While on the surface it seems like nothing more than a prolonged Twilight Zone episode, it has more depth of ideas, great acting, and filmmaking craftsmanship than a whole season of Twilight Zones. Rock Hudson is absolutely phenomenal from his first scene to this last. There's a depth and sadness and maturity in his eyes - the old man never leaves the body. The movie is just surreal enough to be sci-fi without ever getting too silly. Frankenheimer's commentary is far more enlightening than the one on Manchurian Candidate, although he still talks a lot about lenses and praises cinematographer James Wong Howe every 10 minutes. I can't recommend this movie enough. Script by Lewis John Carlino (The Fox, The Mechanic, The Great Santini)
-
Rebirth of the American Dream
Unlocking the inner desires
Yet soulless and empty
No matter the circumstances.Makes pretty clear why it was booed at Cannes, as all those French intellectuals who were turning away from “bourgeoisie life” were probably not expecting a film that basically slaps their lifestyle in their face. Last year’s viewing of The Manchurian Candidate was an exciting but somewhat disappointing revisit from when I had originally watched it in 2004, and found myself asking why that had become a classic* as opposed to this cookie filled with arsenic. Few films are filed with such vitriol despair for the American Dream, and not just the one of the middle class life of the 1950s that Hamilton…
-
Terrifying post-modern story about identity and, essentially, the meaning of life. Years ahead of its time in terms of camerawork and thematic elements. Often feels like a documentary with expert use of close-ups and handheld styles. Chock-full of religious allegories and metaphors as well. And remember...
STOMP THOSE GRAPES
-
A dark, haunting masterpiece that introduces a science fiction fantasy into an everyday world, and manages to make it completely believable.
-
Okay now I'm wondering how many movies would seem like masterpieces if, for awhile, you stare deep into someone's ear or up their nose right before watching them
-
A deeply unsettling and unique piece of 60s science fiction. Visually impressive thanks to a constantly claustrophobic mise-en-scene and an avant garde approach towards film making. I wish it had been better. Scratch that, I wish I could have enjoyed it more.
-
Eerie first person
perspective so close we can
almost feel Rock’s pulse.