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As the world entered the 1960s, people were both inspired and terrified by the giant advances being made in science and technology. The United States and the Soviet Union were sending astronauts into space, leading humanity to dream of traveling to other planets and perhaps making first contact with visitors from another world. Meanwhile, people were terrified by the proliferation of nuclear weapons, which, as we learned from the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II, possessed the power to wipe out all civilization.
There was reason for hope at the start of the decade, but filmmakers… follow the lead of influential science fiction authors like Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, and Robert A. Heinlein – tended to gravitate toward dark, cautionary tales. Given humanity’s propensity for self-destruction and outright cruelty, these measures were only practical. It would be nice if we could use all these advances to make the world a better place (and we did for a while through the development of life-saving vaccines), but sooner or later we would find a way to screw it up. This is what we do.
This is why some of the greatest science fiction films of the 1960s are totally depressing. “Planet of the Apes,” “Village of the Damned,” and “Fahrenheit 451” offer nightmare scenarios driven by our stupid dystopian desires. In most cases, we are responsible for our own demise, but we are too often tempted by odious and deceptive corporate promises of a better life. if you’re shelling out a lot of money for their latest miracle product. In “Seconds,” John Frankenheimer’s relentless 1966 masterpiece, it’s a miraculous procedure, one that can thrust you into a happier, more satisfying life. Instead, it’s a one-way ticket to hell.
Seconds is an anti-escapism film
When Frankenheimer chose to direct “Seconds” in 1966, he was coming off a string of excellent films including “Birdman of Alcatraz,” “The Manchurian Candidate,” “Seven Days in May” and “The Train.” He had earned a reputation as a skilled visual stylist, a skilled editor, and a master of suspense (he had a major influence on Steven Spielberg), which seemed to bode well for his film about David Ely’s deeply disturbing novel. Screenwriter Lewis John Carlino wrote the adaptation, which focuses on middle-aged New York banker Arthur Hamilton (John Randolph) who is unexpectedly given a chance at a new life as a completely different person by a shadowy group called The Company. Although he is deeply dissatisfied with his loveless marriage and seemingly pointless existence, he is not so enthusiastic about the idea. But when he is given a drug that forces him to commit sexual assault on a random woman, the Society has all the power. Arthur’s life is effectively ruined. It’s time to become someone else.
The transformation is excruciatingly painful. His entire physical identity (apart from his vital organs) is replaced. Upon completion, he becomes Antiochus “Tony” Wilson (Rock Hudson), a successful California painter. He is sent to live in a community with other “reborns”, where he struggles to adapt because he cannot let go of his old identity. He’s invested half his life in the role of Arthur Hamilton, which includes a girl he longs to reconnect with. Unfortunately, the failure of the transition has disastrous consequences.
Seconds was filmed before it was declared a classic
“Seconds” was shot by genius cinematographer James Wong Howe, who encouraged Frankenheimer to use a distorting 9.7mm fish-eye lens to heighten Arthur/Tony’s sense of disorientation. The effect was so disturbing that when the film debuted at the 1966 Cannes Film Festival, audiences, also put off by the relentlessly upsetting tone, showered it with boos. This reaction was so disconcerting to Paramount that the studio abandoned the film later that year.
Critics generally dismissed “Seconds” in 1966, but the film underwent a complete reevaluation and is now considered one of the best science fiction films of the decade. In a 2000 interview with The AV ClubFrankenheimer said: “‘Seconds’ is a film that I can laughingly call the only film I’ve made that went from failure to classic without ever being a success.” The film was added to The Criterion Collection, but, even though I own a copy, I’m rarely in the mood to watch it again. As with The equally depressing “Dead Ringers” by David Cronenberg the ending is too overwhelming; It’s an incredibly rewarding watch as a movie buff, but I know I’m going to feel terrible when the credits roll.
Nonetheless, “Seconds” is essential viewing. You have to watch it at least once, especially if you loved Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance”, which might not exist without Frankenheimer’s film.
