Seconds (1966)

Very best movie i ever watch

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Memorable, crazy movie

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

During an interview with Richard Anderson, he tells the interviewer to watch Seconds, as it's a great film. Richard plays the doctor, and his screentime is very limited, however great of an actor he is. With due respect to the director's decision to cast another very fine actor as the lead character, I do wish that the director had cast Richard Anderson as the lead character, who seeks a new life. Richard's looks and physique would have made the transition into Rock Hudson more believable: different enough to support the story line of plastic surgery. Also, it would make more sense when the lead character's wife is trying to initiate lovemaking in the beginning of the film. Again, the lead actor is fine. But Richard had the charisma and appeal that would have strengthened the scene. So, this great movie, could have been very great with Richard in the lead role.

When a quiet middle aged man decides that his life isn't for him, he decides to start all over. New face, new identity, new career, new outlook. But is that really feasible? In the cold, cold world of new wave director John Frankenheimer it is, and the shock of a new existence takes its toll, especially as he finds it difficult to let go of his old life.Character actor John Randolph becomes hunky Rock Hudson, leaving behind wife Frances Reid, his home, career and occasional visits from his grown daughter. What? Walk out on Alice Horton? Yes, the sands go through the hour glass but as the younger looking Hudson, he can't help but re-visit his old life, basically disgusted by his new one.This created a lot of shock in its day, the fear factor of society having this as an option from evil scientists who mess with nature and have no regards for the ethics of birth, life and death.The life Randolph/Hudson gets isn't what he dreamed of, ending up in an amoralistic society where he meets mystery woman Rita Gam. Veteran character actor Wesley Addy is quietly creepy and icy as Hudson's butler in his new life, and Murray Hamilton is the morbid head of the agency Hudson switches his identities in.Like dramas about eternal youth, this has many disturbing, moralistic warnings, and often, it makes you wonder if there are agencies buried deep in society doing this exact same thing.

I found this film listed in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, I had no idea what it was about, but it had good reviews, and I was willing to try it, directed by John Frankenheimer (Birdman of Alcatraz, The Manchurian Candidate, Ronin, Reindeer Games). Basically in Scarsdale, New York lives middle-aged banker Arthur Hamilton (John Randolph), he is married, but their love has dwindled over the years, and he has a grown up daughter, who he hardly sees anymore, he is generally disengaged with everything in life. Hamilton receives a series of phone calls from his supposedly dead friend Charlie Evans (Murray Hamilton), and following this he is drawn to a company that provides him with a second chance at life. The company convinces Hamilton that he has little to live for in his current life, his "rebirth" will include a new body to replace his current body after he dies, enough money for his family to live comfortably after his departure, enough money for him to start his new life, a surgical makeover, and a new identity based on his desires is his subconsciousness. Hamilton goes ahead with the procedure, his new identity is Malibu painter Antiochus "Tony" Wilson (Rock Hudson), a counsellor of sorts is provided for him to assist in his transition, acting as a housekeeper named John (Wesley Addy), who to make the transition successful attends his emotional requirements. But even with John's help, and despite or perhaps in spite of meeting and falling in love with Nora Marcus (Salome Jens), Tony is finding it difficult to make the transition, also despite or in. Tony decides to try and see where he went wrong in his life as Arthur Hamilton, where he went wrong in his transition to become Tony Wilson, and where to see where he will go next, it is unclear whether the company will help him get what he wants. Also starring Will Geer as Old Man, Jeff Corey as Mr. Ruby, Richard Anderson as Dr. Innes, Karl Swenson as Dr. Morris, Khigh Dhiegh as Davalo and Frances Reid as Emily Hamilton. Hudson was an underrated actor, perhaps due to his roles in romantic comedies like Pillow Talk, here he gives a good performance as the disturbed man going through drastic plastic and personality surgery, this film makes good use of black and white colour, it is very strange and often complicated, with the idea of spiritual and physical rebirth, almost ahead of its time, but it is overall an interesting cult science-fiction thriller. It was nominated the Oscar for Best Cinematography. Good!

Just had to add a note of admiration for this greatly overlooked masterpiece of modern angst. I saw it when a student in Glasgow in 1969. That is probably why it has stayed to haunt me - possibly to the grave. Beyond that, I really don't know.I'm no film critic but like several of the cinema cognoscenti, I was surprised Rock had a movie like this in him. Probably his best. The camera work takes you right in. You don't remember willingly suspending disbelief. It is as plausible and convincing as a good nightmare. Bleak, black and white, terse like John Boorman's Point Blank. Round about the same time as Blow Up appeared. Also a surprisingly mature performance from David Hemmings, matched the mood of powerlessness and fatalism that pervades Seconds.A little further off it recalled the Incredible Shrinking Man. The same mood of fatalism pervades but from a different perspective. In the latter, the isolated individual is redeemed by some metaphysical union with the universe. In Seconds the isolated, narcissistic self implodes.John Frankenheimer's modern Frankenstein. Or another parallel universemight be Dorian Grey. It is a multi layered movie.