John Frankenheimer’s Seconds is an unsettling and uniquely gripping film. Sadly, it seems to be largely unknown or forgotten. This is a shame, and I hope to do my little part to change that. Excellent actors, filmmakers at the top of their game, and a twisting plot. In gorgeous black and white, with stark lighting and intense cinematography, it reminds me of some of the better Outer Limits episodes.
This sinister company at the center of the action is a riddle. They provide a service. But is a deal with them a deal with the devil? They offer an escape from the suffocating result of all life’s less successful choices. And they provide what they claim, for a price that seems fair when you get right down to it. A fresh start. A second chance at the life hoped for in youth.
The characters are broken and strange, lost and alone. They try to reach out to each other, but fumble and fall. Sometimes it’s hard to like them while at others you see the hurt child in yourself and hope they’ll turn out OK. In spite of the visceral horror I have for hippies, our protagonist’s break through during the Bacchanalian debauch is somehow invigorating. If you’re given everything you want, does anything you have really matter? Can you really know what you want? And who are you anyway? What drives you, what scares you, and what lets you connect with another human being? Are any connections with other people real? And if you take away your past, good or bad, can you really be you?
Salome Jens has that enigmatic, dreamy, sad, and potentially dangerous European temptress vibe that was such a strong presence in 60s and 70s cinema. Rock Hudson gives a powerhouse performance. Sometimes it’s painful to watch, as he rises and descends in madness, sadness, and good cheer. The party sequence, where Hudson actually got plastered to make the performance more ‘authentic’ is gut wrenching and heartbreaking. And the finale. Sweet mother. The finale ranks up there with Requiem for a Dream on nerve-shattering factor. This is what movies are about. And like the best science fiction, it’s about people and what it means to be. The elements of weird science and speculation are used to explore ourselves and our values. If you haven’t seen Seconds, you should go out and get a copy. No ray guns or space ships, but still a grand science fiction film.
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One of my absolute favorite films — does not appear on many best SF film lists, which always bewilders me…
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Agreed. Maybe it was too strange when it came out to catch on. I’m glad Criterion has put out a new edition, hopefully bringing it to a new audience.
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Or perhaps it’s a genre issue, critics don’t want to classify it as SF… for whatever reason.
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That could be. No robots or spaceships, so it doesn’t fit our idea of science fiction. Something like that.
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He really goes for it in the finale.
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