Movies - Seconds

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	Movies - Seconds

Seconds is the name of a film starring Rock Hudson that was first released in 1966. Characterized sometimes as a science fiction thriller, but with elements of horror, psychedelia and drama, Seconds was directed by John Frankenheimer with a screenplay by Lewis John Carlino. The script was based on a novel by David Ely.

In the movie, Arthur Hamilton (played by John Randolph) is a middle-aged man, whose life has lost purpose. He is disengaged at work as a banker, and the love between him and his wife has dwindled.

Then, he is approached by a secret organization that offers wealthy people a second chance at life. Hamilton is interviewed about what kind of person he would like to be and the organization selects a person whose life he can assume, a younger man named Tony Wilson (portayed by Hudson). The organization then arranges for Hamilton to be surgically altered to look like Wilson, fakes Hamilton's death, and then kills the real Wilson so Hamilton can assume his identity.

The remainder of the movie deals with Hamilton in this new body (who when transformed is played by Hudson) as he copes with the consequences of this new identity.

Relocated to a fancy home in Malibu, California, where he works as an already established artist, he begins a relationship with a young woman named Norma Marcus (portayed by Salome Jens) and for or a time he is happy, but soon becomes troubled.

Hamilton is increasingly confronted a wide range of emotions as he wrestles with the confusion of having a new identity, the loss and guilt of giving up his old friends and family, the horror of knowing he contributed to the death of the man whose identity he now has, and the exubernance of renewing his own youth.

Themes

John Frankenheimer directed Seconds
during the period that he worked on his most noted films including Birdman of Alcatraz
(1962), The Manchurian Candidate
(1962), and Seven Days In May (1964). These last two films together with Seconds are sometimes known as Frankenheimer's paranoia trilogy.

The theme of Seconds can be seen as a variation on Faust.

Production Information

Seconds was first released October 5, 1966. It did poorly when it first ran, but has developed a strong cult following.

The score for the movie was provided by Jerry Goldsmith.

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Movies - Seconds

Themes

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