Seconds
Science Fiction, Drama, Thriller. USA, 1966
Director: John Frankenheimer
Writers: David Ely (novel), Lewis John Carlino (screenplay)
Cast: Rock Hudson, Salome Jens, John Randolph
Magnificient tale of an old man reborn as a successful young man, and of the traps of second opportunities.
Arthur Hamilton is an old business man, who is driven into a very secret place by an old friend who was supposedly dead. There, Mr. Hamilton discovers that this life had no point, and he is given the opportunity of a new life. He takes the offer, and is transformed into Antiochus ‘Tony’ Wilson, and left more or less free for a totally new life.
And that’s how the tale of self-discovery and self-destruction begins. And it’s a powerful tale, fueled by impressive yet fresh performances from every actor, and disturbing but effective camera planes.
The more I see of the director John Frankenheimer, the more respect grows towards him. He’s a master of showing tension between the characters using black & white, strange camera planes with unnatural perspectives, and leaving only the actors (no music, no special effects, no nonsense) to make wonderful, strong and direct scenes. I saw those manners in Birdman of Alcatraz, The Train, Seven Days In May, and even in the more recent Ronin, but they didn’t prepare me for this movie.
Seconds is a movie like that. Frankenheimer unavoidably drags us from one step to the other in the transformation of Hamilton to Wilson, and Wilson to… What? What lies behind the secret being told by the friend? How will Hamilton be reborn as Wilson? What will happen when Wilson starts to be Wilson? Actually, even when we suspect what is going to happen in the next part, the movie has such a thriller weight, that we must keep watching to know.
Actually the story isn’t really complex, without puzzles or great mysteries. Yet it’s a tale of moral about choices in life, and the lack of freedom we sometimes have to make such choices, being brainwashed by society about what whe should want and what not.
The very strong point, besides the camera planes, are the disturbing characters performed by all the actors. All the characters seem to have something hidden that they don’t want to tell. The dialogues are great, and the silences too.
All in all, this is a much overlooked classic, with some subtle readings about the society, the coldness with it treats us, the freedom of choice, the wisdom that age brings (or not), the wisdom that experience brings… A great, magnificient movie, a must see and a must have.
My score: 8/10. Astounding movie.
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