Seconds (#667)

Rock Hudson is a revelation in this sinister, science-fiction-inflected dispatch from the fractured 1960s. Seconds, directed by John Frankenheimer, concerns a middle-aged banker who, dissatisfied with his suburban existence, elects to undergo a strange and elaborate procedure that will grant him a new life. Starting over in America, however, is not as easy as it sounds. This paranoiac symphony of canted camera angles (courtesy of famed cinematographer James Wong Howe), fragmented editing, and layered sound design is a remarkably risk-taking Hollywood film that ranks high on the list of its legendary directors achievements.

SPECIAL FEATURES

New, restored 4K digital film transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition

Audio commentary featuring director John Frankenheimer

New interview with actor Alec Baldwin

Excerpts from Hollywood on the Hudson, a 1965 television program featuring on-set footage and an interview with actor Rock Hudson

New program on the making of the film, featuring interviews with Evans Frankenheimer, the directors widow, and actor Salome Jens

Interview with Frankenheimer from 1971

New visual essay by film scholars R. Barton Palmer and Murray Pomerance

English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic David Sterritt

New cover art based on original theatrical poster by Saul Bass