Seconds
With Rock Hudson, Salome Jens, John Randolph .
US, 1966, 35mm, black & white, 106 min.
Print source: UCLA
With Seconds John Frankenheimer completed the so-called paranoid trilogy formed by The Manchurian Candidate and Seven Days in May, both expanding and transforming the menacing conspiracy style of the earlier films with a dark turn into the realm of science fiction. In one of his most iconic roles, Rock Hudson stars as the victim of his own secret desires, a successful businessman who signs a Machiavellian plot with a mysterious "company" by accepting their irresistible offer to change his identity and lifestyle, effortlessly abandoning his home and wife to become an artist in Malibu. Seconds’ dark parable about masculinity and the American dream is enhanced by James Wong Howe's virtuosic black and white cinematography, with the veteran master audaciously using a dolly and fish eye lens to invent the film's unforgettable opening sequence.
Part of film series
Screenings from this program
Artists and Models
Ministry of Fear
One-Eyed Jacks
Double Indemnity
The Conversation
The Lost Weekend
The Desperate Hours
Seconds
Island of Lost Souls
Chinatown
Hail the Conquering Hero
Citizen’s Band
Dark City
Days of Heaven
