...it's difficult to review SECONDS without turning into a spoiler right away, but I'll try. From Saul Bass' opening title sequence through to the next-to-last shot, SECONDS is a perfectly-realised vision of unrelieved discomfort and anxiety. Throughout the picture, the lead character is in one circumstance after another in which he distinctly does not want to be. And yet, every step he takes to extricate himself simply leads into another disagreeable circumstance. Much of the cast certainly knew how to convey that feeling, as three of the most important roles were taken by actors (John Randolph, Jeff Corey and Will Geer) who were blacklisted during the McCarthy Era; indeed, for two of them (Geer and Randolph), this was the first major studio production they'd appeared in for fifteen years*. For many, this is a depressing film, because so much of it can be related to out of our own lives; even the plastic surgery aspect that made it science fiction in '66 is science fact in this day of Michael Jackson. And, to say the least, it's one of the few times Rock Hudson was given truly demanding material, and he rises to the occasion, giving perhaps the finest performance of his entire career...
*Geer had appeared in ADVISE AND CONSENT four years previously, but that film was produced independently and distributed by Columbia.
*Geer had appeared in ADVISE AND CONSENT four years previously, but that film was produced independently and distributed by Columbia.