Well, dear readers, it’s funny isn’t it? What’s funny, you might ask and I might tell you because why should I keep such things from dear readers such as yourselves. It’s funny that a film that is a critical and box-office disaster can, a few decades later, be considered a classic, even by some of those who damned the film at the time of its release. Isn’t that funny? Not funny to the filmmakers who were damned, of course, but the public is always amusing and sometimes it just takes them twenty years to figure out something is great. Such is the case with John Frankenheimer’s film, Seconds, starring Mr. Rock Hudson, Miss Salome Jens, Mr. John Randolph, and Wesley Addy, Will Geer and Jeff Corey. Mostly everyone NOW thinks it’s brilliant – they LOVE it, they think it’s a great motion picture. Where exactly were these people in 1966 (well, some of them weren’t born – most of them weren’t born) because I am here to tell you that in the year 1966 Seconds came and went in seconds – reviled by most critics and hated by audiences.
I saw Seconds at a sneak preview about four months prior to its release, at one of the smaller Westwood theaters. In those days, the title of what was being previewed was a closely guarded secret. I was a bit of a preview nut back then, attending every sneak preview I could. And so I sat in my seat and waited to see what interesting new thing would be shown to us. The Paramount logo and some ominous music came on and it was immediately unsettling. And then the main titles began – I knew instantly they were by Saul Bass, and they, too, were unsettling and creepy. When Rock Hudson’s name came on the screen, some idiots in the full house booed. Yes, these cretinous cretins booed Mr. Hudson. I guess despite the creepy images and the creepy music they thought they were going to see a Doris Day-type comedy, the kind Mr. Hudson made regularly, as if that would be such a bad thing. I also knew instantly that the music was by Jerry Goldsmith, long before his name came on the screen. As soon as I saw the director credit for John Frankenheimer, I knew we were in for something interesting. The first forty minutes prior to Mr. Hudson’s appearance, had the audience attentive and apprehensive. It was obviously not going to be your run of the mill Rock Hudson picture when the star hasn’t even appeared for forty minutes.
Then Mr. Hudson came on the scene and the audience, being fools, just kind of refused to accept that the man could give a great performance. You could feel the resistance. There were many walkouts, but those who stayed were quiet and mesmerized, because those few of us COULD accept Mr. Hudson, who was, after all, an ACTOR, and the film’s themes were very powerful and beautifully presented. During the film’s final five minutes you could have heard a pin drop. After the final image, people just sat there as if they’d just been kicked in the stomach. I thought I’d just seen an extraordinary film and I told everyone I knew about it. When it finally came out, I went back and saw it several more times and it was even more impressive with each viewing. But I was a voice in the wilderness – I’d rave about it to friends and they’d say, “Ewww, Rock Hudson, no way.” Their loss.
The film disappeared, but occasionally it was shown on TV. I don’t know if it was ever on laserdisc, but it finally came to DVD and it was great to see it again, especially in its European cut, which had some nudity in the grape-stomping scene – although, that said, it did make that scene go on a little too long and I kind of wish they’d have put the US version on the DVD. So, last night, I watched the new Blu and Ray from Criterion and once again I was bowled over by the film. Part of that is its construction, with the first forty minutes featuring an absolutely painful and brilliant performance by John Randolph, who should have been nominated for supporting actor. He’s absolutely heartbreaking. Jeff Corey is at his, well, Jeff Coreyest and he’s great, and Will Geer is absolute perfection. Once the transformation happens, watch Mr. Hudson seeing himself for the first time – that is great acting in anyone’s book. And watching all these years later just reinforces that it’s probably the best thing he ever did – he seems to understand this character so vividly, and he’s so real in it – it’s a fantastic performance that also should have been recognized by the Academy. The film did receive one Oscar nomination for James Wong Howe’s unbelievably great photography. No nomination for Mr. Goldsmith, who wrote one of his best scores for Seconds. For me, it was the best score of 1966 and for me certainly one of his five best scores. Mr. Frankenheimer’s work up through this film was pretty incredible – I’d already loved The Manchurian Candidate and Seven Days in May. He was a unique filmmaker back then. After Seconds, things weren’t the same for Mr. Frankenheimer – it’s actually kind of shocking to watch his trajectory. But even not at his best, he was always interesting.
The transfer on the Criterion disc is perfect. No other word for it – just a gorgeous transfer that replicates perfectly how the film looked in the theater. If you’ve never seen Seconds, it comes highly recommended by the likes of me. You may not be able to love it, but it will keep you glued to your screen and forty-seven years later it has not only lost none of its power and effectiveness, that power and effectiveness is almost stronger today because what was very cutting edge back in 1966 is pretty commonplace today, cosmetic surgery-wise.
Well, I have spent a lot of seconds talking about Seconds, haven’t I? So, let me talk about yesterday. Yesterday was an interesting day. I got up after eight hours of sleep, did some work on the computer, had a few telephonic conversations including one in far off Switzerland with film composer Paul Glass. I did a three-mile jog, and then it was time for my lunch meeting at Tony’s Bella Vista. I had spaghetti with onions and mushrooms and it was very good and not too much food. It was a meeting to decide if we were going to go ahead with a recording project and the decision was yes we are – a new studio cast recording of Kander and Ebb’s And The World Goes Round. Since I am none too fond of the original RCA album and since that album was not complete, this will be the first complete recording of the score. We are going to cast it very carefully. We’ll probably go in the studio sometime in December or early January. So, that’s exciting.
After the lunch, I picked up no packages and then came back home. The helper came by and picked up some stuff, a local CD dealer came by and picked up some stuff, and that was that. Then I watched Seconds, and then I began prepping to write what are going to be four sets of liner notes over the next week, but before I dive into those I want to get the anniversary show commentary out of the way. We’re still looking for our guest star.
I’ve posted this before, but this is the first time it’s EVER appeared on You Tube or anywhere in the US on video in its proper screen ratio – so, finally you can’t see over the top of the set and everything looks beautifully framed the way we shot it instead of all that crappy pointless headroom in every shot. It’s from The Creature Wasn’t Nice and is its most well known sequence.
Today, I shall do a jog, I shall hopefully pick up some packages, but mostly I shall be writing all the livelong day with a break for food.
The rest of the weekend will also be a lot of writing, then Monday I have a work session with John Boswell for the anniversary show.
Let’s all put on our pointy party hats and our colored tights and pantaloons, let’s all break out the cheese slices and the ham chunks, let’s all dance the Hora or the Swim because today is the birthday of our beloved Vixmom. So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to our beloved Vixmom. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO OUR BELOVED VIXMOM!!!
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do a jog, eat, hopefully pick up some packages, and write. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player and your DVD/Blu and Ray player? I’ll start – CD, too many to name. Blu and Ray, next up Sexy Beast and The Disappearance, both from Twilight Time. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland after my lovely helping of Seconds.