Review of Seconds (1966) by Jacob F — 12 Aug 2017

Fifty year old Arthur Hamilton is bored of his dull, suburban lifestyle, and feels stuck. He can't connect with his wife, doesn't see his adult daughter, and is stuck in a monotonous job. When Arthur gets a call from a supposedly long dead friend, he can't believe what he hears. His friend explains there's a company specializing in second chances, giving someone an entirely new body, face, and voice of his choosing, letting them start life anew, all he has to do is sign some paperwork, and they'll take care of the rest. Arthur is skeptical at first, but soon caves in after an awkward night with his wife, and plunges himself into a living nightmare, that proves you can't escape your past, or who you are, no matter how hard you try.

Seconds is a disturbing, sad, yet beautifully shot look at the impossibility of second chances, and the danger of trusting big corporations to handle your life. Though a flop on release, it has since been praised for it's ahead of its time themes, a great performance by Rock Hudson, and fantastic cinematography.

Rock Hudson truly is great in this, playing a conflicted man perfectly, and really making you feel the horror, and pain of his situation. It's speculated that he played this part so well, because he was grappling with his own issues of identity, and hiding hiding himself from the world. Rock Hudson was a complete heartthrob in his time, but it was all a facade, he was actually a closeted homosexual during the 1950's, and 60's. This story about being someone else was clearly a very personal film for him.

However the biggest star of this film is the cinematography. Cinematographer James Wong Howe does a fantastic job using mounted cameras, and handheld, shaky shots to communicate an amazingly haunting atmosphere, in director John Frankenheimers wonderful film.

The script is based off a popular novel by the same name, and communicates its themes of existentialism, dystopian futures very well. Seconds was made during a time where plastic surgery was beginning to take off, and people wanted more than ever to be someone else, or to be like celebrities.

Frankenheimer wanted to make a film that showed the ugly truth. No amount of surgery, or changes in physical appearance will change who you are inside, the person will still carry the same emotional baggage, and inadequacies they desperately want to get away from. It's a lesson that I think is even more relevant now, and should be seen by young people especially. We live in an age that desperately promotes reinvention, and wanted to the center of attention. This film shatters that idea gloriously, and is easily a haunting, important classic, that will only get more relevant as time passes.