Author's Note--As in the other segments of the fictitious doctor's story, the goal is to understand the movie better in an entertaining way. Last seen in the Bel Ami book review, Dr. Freudine awaits her next session; all segments can be found from my profile page.
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I close my eyes only for a second it seems and a sudden harsh rap at my door, almost like a snarl, whips my eyes open. A lanky, dark-eyed man with a balding head enters my office smartly.

"Welcome, sir." I extend my hand with a faltering smile. The man goes straight to the couch and crosses his legs and arms, then grimly smiles with a nod. I drop my hand slowly as I wonder what I am in for.

"I'm being paid to be here," he spits out. "It's most ridiculous. I prefer the wisdom of sociologists and have no desire to analyze my inner self. I'm perfectly happy being myself, thank you, even if Jan thinks I need a sense of humor. So I'm more of a nerd reading dry books and artsy movies. What's friggin' wrong with that?"

I try not to gape and clear my throat. Inspiration comes out of nowhere. "If you were given the opportunity to be the late Rock Hudson, would you take it?"

He stares at me for the first time and I squirm. "That's an absurd question! Did I just step into The Twilight Zone?"

"Well, um, you just made me remember the John Frankenheimer movie from 1966 with Hudson called Seconds. John Randolph's lonely, discontented character hears from a friend he thought dead and is told to check out a company that changed his life, so he does and it's a secret organization that gives men brand new lives by changing them genetically. Randolph's character is rather confused with the chance, but soon agrees to pay, thinking his life could only be worth living if he was somebody else..."

"Rock Hudson. I know. It used to be one of my favorite thrillers, but I haven't seen it in years. Maybe it became too disturbing the older I got." He looks thoughtful. "It terrified me because I could relate to Hamilton (Randolph's character). It packs quite a moral challenge."

I am hard put not to grin for my clear success in finding something to talk about. "I agree. What man wouldn't want Hudson's looks in 1966? Life would be so much more exciting looking like that and set up as a popular, creative artist..."

He surprises me with a hearty laugh. "I doubt the real Hudson was such an artist or had the genes for it!"

"But Hamilton/Wilson received a lot more than he bargained for, poor guy. He still was Hamilton beneath it all, wouldn't you say? And his real self had to try to adjust to his false self...He tried to ignore his haunting past life, but he couldn't, like when he drank at his party and couldn't handle it because he was really an alcoholic. Or was Hudson as Wilson? It's so bizarre!" I shake my head. Glancing at my paid visitor, I catch his wry smile.

"Hudson was always a big drinker, but he also was gay and died prominently of AIDS. His sexual orientation was covered up by Hollywood until he died. In Seconds, though, the new Hudson becomes attracted to a flighty female who gets him to a bacchanal where they and others strip and crush grapes wildly with their feet. Talk about surreal!"

"Yeah, he's so paranoid, so out of it and then things get out of control, wham!"

"Sociologically you can see how his surroundings affect him psychically. The black and white cinematography is extremely stunning along with the Frankenheimer disorienting shots from odd angles and Jerry Goldsmith's nerve-wracking score. It was a flop back in 1966, but now Seconds is an underappreciated cult classic."

"As is Frankenheimer," I add. "The Manchurian Candidate is another of his mostly neglected." I watch him nod and we're both quiet. All at once we start talking excitedly at the same time. I laugh and tell him to go ahead.

"I was just going to say that all the actors, except Hamilton's wife, were quite eerie. Will Geer as the grinning old man with the organization and Richard Anderson as the surgeon. Ugh! Of course the woman and the other 'reborns' who hold him down on the bed until he realizes who they are and who he is now."

"It's really one of Hudson's finest performances, isn't it?" I pause as my visitor concurs. "I enjoyed him in Giant and Pillow Talk a lot, too, but this depressing role and its horrifying ending, well..."

He shudders. "One of the most memorable ones! Seconds is a sci-fi/fantasy gem that may be depressing, but it's always taught me to dream of what I can do myself instead of wishing I was some celebrity. Maybe...maybe that's kept my dreams small or curbed my humor as Jan would suggest. But look at how it screwed with Hamilton's life, hell, he lost all sense of himself! He realized he failed as a reborn and it looks like most reborns did."

"Hmm. That's a good lesson for anyone, but children should definitely not watch it, hehe." I check my watch. "Well, our time is about up. I don't suppose you want a second run at this with me, a lowly psychiatrist?"

Rising he looks askance at me. "As enjoyable as this chat was, Dr. Freudine, I don't think there's need for further analysis, do you?"

"Only if I could help you discover your dreams that you've repressed so you don't get talked into scrapping your life like Hamilton someday. Think about it, okay? Bioengineering could possibly make Seconds a reality in the foreseeable future and what will you do?"

The man purses his thin lips, stepping forward to shake my hand. "Be careful what you wish for, m'lady. It might just come true."

His words linger in my mind after he leaves. He, unfortunately, isn't sweet-talking me. Oh well...

Author's Postscript--It's weird, but I can't remember this being black and white when I saw it once a few days ago on DVD from Netflix (shows you how wrapped up I was with the story and characters!). Would have watched it twice if the director's commentary feature worked. I recommend buying the DVD so that feature works. It's a movie for deep thinkers who love Twilight Zone experiences and would probably ruin your average date.





Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD