Seconds (1966)

Want out of your life? Just pay the fee and we'll fake your death, change your face, and set up a new identity for you...

Director:

John Frankenheimer

Writers:

Lewis John Carlino (screenplay), David Ely (based on the novel by)

Stars:

Frank Campanella, John Randolph, Frances Reid

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Frank Campanella	...	Man in Station
John Randolph	...	Arthur Hamilton
Frances Reid	...	Emily Hamilton
Barbara Werle	...	Secretary
Edgar Stehli	...	Tailor Shop Presser
Aaron Magidow	...	Meat Man
De De Young	...	Nurse
Françoise Ruggieri	...	Girl in Boudoir
Murray Hamilton	...	Charlie Evans
Thom Conroy	...	Dayroom Attendant
Jeff Corey	...	Mr. Ruby
Will Geer	...	Old Man
Richard Anderson	...	Dr. Innes
Rock Hudson	...	Antiochus 'Tony' Wilson
Khigh Dhiegh	...	Davalo

Storyline

Middle-aged banker Arthur Hamilton is given the opportunity to start a completely new life when he receives calls from his old friend Charlie. The only problem is that Charlie is supposed to be dead. Hamilton is eventually introduced to a firm that will fake his death and create an entirely new look and life for him. After undergoing physical reconstruction surgery and months of training and psychotherapy, Hamilton returns to the world in the form of artist Tony Wilson. He has a nice house in Malibu and a manservant, a company employee who is there to assist him with his adjustment. He finds that the life he had hoped for isn't quite what he expected and asks the company to go through the process with surprising results.

---

Plot Keywords:

new identity | surgery | banker | artist | beach | 

---

Taglines:

What Are Seconds?... The Answer May Be Too Terrifying For Words!

---

Genres:

Sci-Fi | Thriller | Mystery | Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some nudity

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 November 1966 (Brazil)

Also Known As:

Död man lever

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Joel Productions, John Frankenheimer Productions Inc., Gibraltar Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min 107 min (re-release: 1996)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although Rock Hudson is top billing, he appears on screen only after 40 minutes of running time because the character he plays has quite different face and look after being transformed by a physical reconstruction surgery. John Randolph was chosen to play the scenes of the beginning before the physical reconstruction surgery.

---

Goofs

Davalo's hand on the tape recorder disappears between shots.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Man in Station: Mr. Hamilton?
Arthur Hamilton: Yes?
[Man in train station hands Hamilton a folded sheet of paper and turns to walk away; Hamilton stares after him, then opens the folded paper to find an address, with no explanation]

---

Connections

Referenced in That Girl: There Sure Are a Bunch of Cards in St. Louis: Part I (1970)

---

Soundtracks

"Love Is Just around the Corner"
(1934)
Music by Lewis E. Gensler
Lyrics by Leo Robin
Played at the party

User Reviews

Depressing as they get

Arthur Hamilton (John Randolph) is a middle-aged man. He has a nothing job and feels he has no purpose or direction in life. He can't even make love to his wife anymore. He is offered a new life by the Company--a secret organization. They will "kill" off Arthur and give him a new face, a new body and a new identity. He comes back as Tony Wilson (Rock Hudson). However, can he be happy in his new life?

Exceptional black and white cinematography by James Wong Howe; great direction by John Frankenheimer (all the extreme closeups and off kilter camera angles keep you uneasy); a perfect score by Jerry Goldsmith (the organ fits perfectly)...but this is almost unwatchable.

It's VERY depressing, very downbeat and (at times) way too slow (the beginning). It's easy to see why this was a box office bomb--it's way too depressing for the average viewer. The things I mentioned above help make the film bearable as does the acting.

Randolph is superb as Hamilton--you feel his pain and misery. Hudson, surprisingly, is pretty good. Sometimes he's not that good but there are certain sequences when he's exceptional--particularly at a wine party, a cocktail party (where he actually got drunk to play it realistically) and he explodes during the harrowing ending. The ending is one of the most horrific sequences I've ever seen. I felt like bolting from the theatre.

A one-of-kind horror thriller. I can't say I enjoyed this, but I'll never forget it. It has a big deserved cult following.