More images of distorted and isolated facial features flash in succession as the credits roll, a title sequence designed by saul bass that. Nevertheless, rock hudson often namechecked seconds as one of his favorite performances. Film historians generally acknowledge that the transformation from the hollywood studio system to the american new wave occurred with the 1969 release of easy rider. Desperate to escape his life, arthur succumbs to a mysterious organizations offer of a new identity and a fresh start. When rock hudson is critically injured its his wife who fills in the leadership role in back to gods country with the help of a large great dane named wapi. The movie has an interesting and entertaining plot, easy to comprehend. Aug 22, 20 a second life for seconds, the 1966 cult classic that made audiences sick. Hudson lived a double life as a hollywood heartthrob and a closeted gay man. He said those who wanted to see a rock hudson film didnt want to see him in this kind of film and those who liked dark science fiction and morality plays werent interested in seeing a movie with rock hudson in it, leaving about an audience on 6 people remaining. Seconds, directed by john frankenheimer, concerns a middleaged banker who, dissatisfied with his suburban existence, elects to undergo a strange and elaborate procedure that will grant him a new life. Movies you may have missed 0 seconds rock hudson and the hollywood blacklist. Its been nearly five years since id seen this movie, so it was interesting to come back to it after so long.
Seconds is a 1966 american sciencefiction drama film directed by john frankenheimer and starring rock hudson. Thematically, seconds has been compared to everything from faust and the picture of dorian gray to such paranoiastoking horror films as invasion of the body snatchers 1956 and the stepford wives 1975. Rock hudson was killing time waiting for that one big role to come along to change it all. By far rock hudson s best performance with the eventual exception of,in a diametrically opposite style, all that heaven allowsand his other sirk melodramas, seconds is what we can call a movie ahead of its time.
Watch seconds 1966 full movie free streaming online tubi. Rock hudson, john randolph, salome jens, will geer, richard anderson, and murray hamilton 1966, 107 min rerelease. By far rock hudsons best performance with the eventual exception of,in a diametrically opposite style, all that heaven allowsand his other sirk melodramas,seconds is what we can call a movie ahead of its time. With rock hudson, frank campanella, john randolph, frances reid. Instead of simply waving off a movie in which he appears, i wait until ive actually watched it to judge. The film was entered into the 1966 cannes film festival and released by paramount pictures. Rock hudson is outstanding and should have won an oscar for his portrayal od the man who has everything and nothing be prepared as this movie is not an easy watch. A second life for seconds, the 1966 cult classic that made. Seconds by john frankenheimer john frankenheimer, rock. That seconds also stars rock hudson the handsome, unassuming lead of many successful technicolor comedies and a man rarely afforded the title of serious actor during his time in a. Actor rock hudson on set of the paramount pictures movie seconds in 1966.
John frankenheimer seconds is like an episode of the twilight zone in which a farfetched scifi notion is rendered unsettlingly plausible. Criterion collection edition of seconds, directed by john. He was making money, sure, lotsa money, he was box office mint but he was just doing the same damned thing over and over and over again. Just as americas obsession with youth culture was about to shift into overdrive, seconds offered a potent warning about the desire to be young at all costs, and few movies have ever offered a more interesting and.
Sep 27, 2012 desperate to escape his dreary, deadend life, aging banker arthur hamilton john randolph succumbs to a mysterious organizations offer of a new identity and a fresh start. Mae westrock hudson 1957 award show by mann george. Sometimes the person im recommending it to will already know the movie. Rock hudson was an american actor who gained recognition for lead roles in films such as magnificent obsession 1954, all that heaven allows 1955 and giant 1956, the last of which earned him an academy award nomination for best actor. Tony wilson, a reborn as he and other subjects like him are called in seconds, can be read as a metaphor for actors playing a new part, sometimes immersing themselves in the kind of hobbies and lifestyle they believe would best delineate their role until their roles become. Blinder, 212 essentially based on the premise that a part of everyones life is unfulfilled and that we all have a key unturned blinder, 2, seconds focuses on the hallucinatory nightmare of arthur hamilton john. The weakness some users are complaining of the lack of psychological depth is intentional. With jayasurya, vinay forrt, aparna nair, vinayakan.
The people who wanted to see rock hudson did not want to see this kind of film, while the people who wanted to see this kind of film did not want to see rock hudson in it. Seconds john frankenheimer, 1966 is a disturbing film to watch. He was often invited to college cinema classes and enjoyed talking to students about the film. Released november 25th, 1992, seconds stars rock hudson, salome jens, john randolph, will geer the r movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 46 min, and received a score of out of 100 on metacritic. It should have been the start of a new career, a greater more brilliant career as a serious dramatic actor. Fiftyish arthur hamilton john randolph is approached by a. That time rock hudson staked his talent on a bleak scifi. I suspect it was just too close to the bone for comfort. Besides, as arthur, tony has a whole lifetime of habits and hangups to overcome. Seconds dvd, 2002, widescreen for sale online ebay. In time, seconds found an audience and developed a cult following. Finally, the seconds script is here for all you quotes spouting fans of the movie directed by john frankenheimer and starring rock hudson this script is a transcript that was painstakingly transcribed using the screenplay andor viewings of seconds.
A secret organisation offers wealthy people a second chance at life. Though casting this mediocre screen hunk as an uptight businessmans alter ego was a stroke of pop genius for director frankenheimer, it was hudsons idea to have two actors play the lead, and his surprisingly thoughtful performance galvanizes this harrowing, cerebral thriller and suggest hudsons talents were underutilized. Like a good twilight zone episode, the implications of the fantastic gimmick are more important than. Tragic lives, tragic deaths 1990 death in hollywood 1990. All that heaven allows 1955 with rock hudson, agnes moorehead, jane wyman movie. Desperate to escape his dreary, deadend life, aging banker arthur hamilton john randolph succumbs to a mysterious organizations offer of a new identity and a fresh start. Seconds certainly has its weaknesses and has been criticized over the years for trying to convince audiences that john randolph as arthur hamilton could emerge after plastic surgery in the guise of rock hudson as tony wilson.
Aug, 20 in playing the increasingly selfloathing wilson, hudson seems to be laying his soul naked onscreen for all to see. To optimize your experience with your screen reading software, please use our website, which has the same tickets as our fandango. A prominent heartthrob of the hollywood golden age, he achieved stardom with his role in magnificent obsession 1954, followed by all that heaven allows 1955 and giant 1956, for which he. Rock hudson, john randolph, salome jens, murray hamilton, frances reid, will geer, khigh dhiegh. We knew we were going to have a terrible problem getting. Along giant, seconds remained one of rocks favorite of his movies. The movie s first image is that of an extreme closeup of an eye that quickly bends with the kind of distortion youd get from a funhouse mirror. Get premium, high resolution news photos at getty images. Rock hudson, cast against his usual lightromantic type, gave an often strikingly intense performance requiring.
Rock comments the making of the movie filmed in new york southern california and scarsdale. Starting over in america, however, is not as easy as it sounds. The film was very well directed by the usually competent john frankenheimer. The customer picks out someone they want to be and the organisation surgically alters the customer to look like the intended person, stages the customers death, gets rid of the intended person and the customer takes on a new life. The criterion collections new bluray of seconds goes deeper into this scifi horror thriller than ever before with a restored 4k digital film. Actor rock hudson on set of the paramount pictures movie. The surreal images of seconds the american society of. A second life for seconds, the 1966 cult classic that made audiences sick john frankenheimers wouldbe blockbuster was booed at cannes. The hopes he once harbored after his performances in giant or written in the wind or even the spiral road a role he claimed to have studied the bejesus for had all. In the video above, a chronological analysis of john frankenheimers seconds by wickham flannagan. Dorothy malone, rock hudson movie by treing export. Over the years, rock hudson received awards and praise from film societies and universities. Rock hudson s ex wife on the larry king live, 2003.
Rock hudson in seconds 1966 rock hudson and richard anderson in seconds 1966 rock. But to view seconds as a film about rock hudson is to underrate and misinterpret one of the most original thrillers of the 1960s. Seconds is the final movie in frankenheimer paranoia trilogy and its by far the bleakest and horrifying i dont know of another movie that makes such a bleak impact that resonates to the foundations of the soul. The ending is as horrifying as it gets seconds is one of the finest movies ever made it flopped on release. Most of his films are quality and seconds stands as one of his best. Rock hudson, cast against his usual lightromantic type, gave an often strikingly intense. Featuring dazzling, disorienting cinematography from the great james wong howe and a strong lead performance by rock hudson, seconds is a compellingly paranoid take on the legend of faust. Four strangers gets involved in a murder which took place inside an elevator. Rock hudson and jane wyman in all that heaven allows 1955. The film dramatically changed my view of rock hudson. Seconds experienced a revival of interest, and a reputation rehab, when it was released on dvd in 2002, which led to a featurepacked criterion bluray edition in 20. Seconds, american psychological thriller film, released in 1966, that was directed by.
Rock hudson is outstanding and should have won an oscar for his portrayal od the man who has everything and nothing. An unhappy middleaged banker agrees to a procedure that will fake his death and give him a completely new look and identity one that comes with its own price. That seconds also stars rock hudson the handsome, unassuming lead of many successful technicolor comedies and a man rarely afforded. Given what we now know about rock hudson s personal life, it would be easy to read a great deal into his performance in seconds. The first couple minutes of john frankenheimers seconds, including the eerie saul. Rock hudson is a revelation in this sinister, sciencefictioninflected dispatch. Rock hudson never gave a better performance than he did in seconds. One of the most popular movie stars of his time, hudsons screen career spanned five decades. Its a worthy, wellplanted twist that makes sense of the whole identityswapping operation, but the film ultimately isnt about the genre business of rugpulling and shadowy subcultures. Rock hudson born roy harold scherer jr november 17, 1925 october 2, 1985 was an american actor. Saul basss openingcredit sequence establishes the thematic implications of secondss scifi premise, with images of parts of the human face stretched in and out visually suggesting the elasticity of identity arthur hamilton john randolph experiences when he undergoes a daring operation that turns him into antiochus wilson rock hudson. Although this film is nowadays viewed as a cult classic, european critics at the cannes film festival were so hostile to the film that director john frankenheimer refused to leave nearby monte carlo, where he was shooting grand prix 1966, for the press conference. All that heaven allows examines rock hudsons life as a.
Seconds ends with a kick of paranoia and diabolical goingson, all driven home to maximum effect by howes canted camera angles and fisheye lenses. Rock hudson is a revelation in this sinister, sciencefictioninflected dispatch from the fractured 1960s. Seconds script transcript from the screenplay andor rock. She has to because hudson is critically injured with a broken leg as they make a dog sled run out of town. With its unresolved, horrific ending, its possibly one of the most depressing films ever made. Biographer mark griffin says hudsons death from aids in 1985 was a. This is the last scene of seconds, a really chilling ending to a creepy masterpiece of a movie. Hudson gives a firstrate performance as the new identity of a man lured with the offer of a new idenity. The screenplay by lewis john carlino was based on seconds, a novel by david ely. Seconds 1966 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. The third movie in what has been called his paranoia trilogy, john frankenheimers 1966 seconds is an angry, menacing film that scowls at the very american idea of starting over and shoves the probable reality of that decision in our faces.
400 538 1381 154 842 435 139 819 943 1254 575 677 980 400 693 786 586 582 789 931 1438 1096 1431 625 135 662 658 593 618 678