The Identity Horror of Seconds

[@InPraiseofShadows]

Hey everybody, hope you've been well. Thanks for watching this one, I hope you liked it. I'm going to be making a view videos like this one that focus on single movies in the next few weeks and maybe one on a comic as well. I'm starting to put together something fun for the Halloween season coming up also so I'm excited for that. Stay safe, and I will see you next time!

[@codyfarkas7673]

Another awesome video!!!!

[@brunofranco4416]

Have watched Noriko's Dinner Table? It's a pretty interesting take on this sortof story. Not a horror movie really, but it plays a lot with the themes you were talking about.

[@0therun1t21]

I wish you would do the remake, Hollywood needs you!

[@unnamedx2]

I don't see how the wife's feelings or the business of the company matter in a narrative about a single person's(the protagonist's) depression when in its nature ignores the feelings and matters of others

[@Americans1998]

Really great video, i really liked it, hope you are doing well!

[@potatoeskimos]

Also this is where all the dads that went out to get some 'milk' went.

[@t.l3846]

This film would actually be good for a reboot

[@KaylaNoelle1]

Good thing my dad knows I HATE milk.

[@t.l3846]

@@KaylaNoelle1 Homelander would cry

[@PabloYaos]

You're more right than you know

[@notswush]

I love seeing people discuss old films but really analyzing them, and not just over glorifying them or discussing their "influence" in a very vague way. Fantastic video

[@mrana2424]

Rating a movie based on its influence instead of on its own merits is so stupid. Like all those lists of top ten best () and then they’ll mentioned this is number one for being the most influential!

[@yudosai]

@@mrana2424 i hate that so much. All I care about is if the reviewer liked it or not/an analysis like this one. Influence ranking during a subjective personal critique is literally "this is good because it's popular". It kinda cheapens reviews for me

[@TallicaMan1986]

@@mrana2424 while I do hate that. You're basically doing what you don't like. Go to an analysis on those films instead of labeling them influential and find out why culture perceives them as such. This being I have no idea why this film isn't more popular among horror circles. It's great.

[@hiruyabebaw807]

But influence is important tho?

[@eastull]

Genuinely thought the final monologue about learning new skills was gonna segue into a Skillshare ad

[@mjolninja9358]

Erica find out on *Skillshare*

[@daisyrk1387]

Is that how you spell it? I thought it was spelled "segway" lmao

[@vicente3441]

Baumgartner style

[@Brother-Martell]

Some Sally Face Fan Segway is the vehicle

[@PhysicallyDetarded]

Nah, leave that to Sam O' Nella

[@Goon-124]

As I sit here in my 1-bed apartment, approaching my 5th decade in life, in self-isolation, looking out the window at the sun-lit blue sky, just a little too close to home. Woof.

[@jessicaevans6103]

I hope you feel well soon. Perhaps take comfort in the fact that you have been born, a gift many shall not receive

[@deadpilled2942]

@@jessicaevans6103 so have you. *reveals a toaster with a cat on it*

[@bdl2157]

Why do I recognize this, why is that “Woof.” so familiar. Which poem is this from?!?

[@bdl2157]

I realize, now, why I recognize this. It reminded me of Dream Song 14 by John Berryman. “And the tranquil hills, & gin, look like a drag and somehow a dog has taken itself & its tail considerably away into mountains or sea or sky, leaving behind: me, wag.”

[@maria_remedios]

Don't attatch your own value as a human to the materialistic things that have been offered to you through capitalism, you are above them. You could have a mansion and you'd still be you. As long as you have a place to sleep in your needs are met, be proud of having a bed. Hope you feel better soon.

[@KnaveMurdok]

My dad does this shit to me all the time where he'll ponder out loud about how different his life could have been if he had gone a different direction after he graduated, or after he left the navy, or whatever and he seems so callously unaware that what he's saying, to me, to my face, is that he wishes he never met my mom and never had me. There's something about old men and identity crisis that turns them into... well... jerks!

[@D00dman]

All you can do is change how you are. Don't make the same mistakes he made. And definitely DONT make your mistakes someone else's problem like he does to you.

[@mrana2424]

His problem is entirely his own and not yours. Look after yourself.

[@bebopbang7268]

That’s so bloody terrible, what does he want you to do? Say yes and pack his bags for him? The other two who have replied really hit the bulls eye, the only person you’re in charge of is yourself. The slight positive is that you have one wonderful example of not what to do!

[@FiniteAtticus]

I can’t imagine a world without my children. I’m sorry your dad is like this.

[@efleishermedia]

My pa is like this to a fucking gross degree. He treats my sisters significant others like humans, but gets jealous and weird around my girlfriends. He was hardcore abusive when I was a kid, now tells me he's making up for it by treating my niece like a princess, though I think his relationship with her is weird and obsessive. He's a POS. Distance yourself now. He will only become more toxic as time goes on, I can almost guarantee it.

[@WhaleManMan]

For a 60s movie, that's some slick camerawork.

[@Pomeray8]

Definitely check out more from the DP (James Wong Howe) and director (John Frankenheimer). You're just scratching the surface! If you like elaborate tracking shots: Max Ophuls.

[@badcabbage4836]

Gotta check that out

[@cakeorpurse]

You havent seen many movies clearly

[@gilzineto]

I can't say it for myself but Id imagine that maybe the "slick camerawork for a 60s movie" might be something you say without having watched a lot of 60s movie, like most people nowdays... Maybe theres a lot of 60's movies with experimental camerawork...

[@acufen00]

bruh, 60's movies have the finest cinematography, u should watch more movies

[@chaoticfirearm]

Absolutely amazing. The connection between "Rock Hudson" playing the re-birthed man is truly chilling, given his EXACT real life parallel of how Hollywood erased and hid a massive part of his identity to make him the ideal leading man. I got chills when you said that.

[@hanoverfist3805]

Salome Jens, who played the new girlfriend in Malibu, may have been the first one to make that connection. She specifically referenced the terrible cry of horror & despair he gives at his party (while being physically restrained), when yet another awful revelation presents itself. Salome said she thought Rock Hudson was drawing on his personal pain & reacting to the fraudulence of his own life/career.

[@TOUGHEYES]

What really terrifies people depending on the details, is the truth that they don't want to hear.

[@grapeshot]

Yeah I think everybody says, if they could only start over again but more than likely you would just make the same mistakes again. Just in a slightly different way.

[@talloncusack]

And if you hadn't made those mistakes you wouldn't even know what you really want now. It's just a matter of changing once you get to that point and not thinking it's too late...

[@Pastel_Dreams]

Your narration of the movie synopsis reminds me of Rod Serling's narrations from "The Twilight Zone." 😁😁😁 Amazing work

[@Caspianm2]

I thought the exact same thing haha

[@jermM.]

At first i thought for sure this was a Twilight Zone episode i had forgot about.

[@nostalgic324]

The whole plot sounds like straight out of the Twilight zone. Actually there's a very similar episode, where there's a middle aged couple that go to this place to get a young body transplant but they can only afford one procedure

[@thegeorgiacreekwalker491]

The Twilight Zone is my favorite show ever...I just recently got into the night gallery also hosted by Rod Serling...there's a channel I've been watching recently that show night gallery episodes all day on Saturday's...there's also some cameos with some really good actors

[@robdario661]

The daughter’s reaction to her father’s ‘death’ would be huge for the main character to behold.

[@joaopauloduartedasilva4101]

I thought your perspective on it is very interesting. I don't see, though, the wife characters as being neglected or portrayed as evil, when in fact in the first scenes she even tries to comfort her husband (and maybe even engage in sexual activities) just to release him from his state of distress, but her advances were refused. Later Arthur himself would complain that there was no sex in the relationship - and here the narrative expresses that he's the maker of his own evil. Also, I get that you wanted a broader picture of things, or a story that walked to a lighter or more constructive conclusion, but that would be a detour from what the movie really is: a guy that wasted his life by refusing to make the choices himself, a guy that is dead and believed he could go back to the living. That feels very powerful and that's why the movie remains so impactful to this day: the conclusion is that there's no going back, and the brutality of that afirmation mustn't be ignored.

[@houyo]

Honestly, the biggest tragedy of this movie is that he didn't choose to be selfish. He literally turned down the offer and walked away before finding out he can't. He never really had a choice.

[@newnormal1841]

I think he realized he couldn't adapt to what the company required. Grooming managing handling others through that system Correct he didn't really realize his soul, what soul he had Now belongs to the 👹. He didn't do his research. Maybe he was 🎯. 🤺💐

[@peepnox7747]

Can we just Agree that this thumbnail is AMAZING.

[@Mellorolo]

That's the imagery I was hoping for thematically going into this video not a gray scale parlor room orchestrated setting.

Huh? What thumbnail? Manufactured pictures don't tickle my....thank you! I never understand worship of propaganda. Only reality.

[@deadpilled2942]

@ what do you expect, it's nearly impossible to separate reality, and ideology today. Look how we praise mediocre art, and culture. The first guy that made a virgin Mary pic with dung probably had something to say, the 40th guy to do it deserves to get his ass kicked for wasting our Time

[@basket.8case]

it really caught my eye

[@CartoonManWhoo]

That thumbnail reminded me of both Harvey Two-Face and The Terminator, simultaneously.

[@kdash2657]

I don't care if this movie is mysoganistic. I think the wife not being expanded upon adds to Arthur's story, it's about him. Not his wife.

[@MusicalMikus]

This video hit hard. As someone who worked hard in college to not only be the first in his family to graduate but also do so with honors, only to end up doing the exact same type of job my parents did, I've definitely felt like I've been trapped in a soulless cycle of repetition and that I'm owed more. The irony is that my degree is in psychology so I KNOW that I'm capable of changing my thoughts and behaviors and I KNOW that my life won't instantly change once I do but the monotony of life just makes it seem inescapable. Long personal rant aside, this was a fantastic video showcasing why horror/sci-fi are genres rich with commentary about all sorts of topics, and not just a shallow commentary (although those do exist) but deep with themes that, if one gets a little introspective, can really change how they think or even act. You are definitely one of the horror/media video essay-ists I respect the most.

[@toonbat]

My family used to move a lot when I was a kid. I was a pretty awkward child, the class weirdo, so moving to a new place always felt like a relief. Like a chance to start over with people who had not seen all my goofs and eccentricities. It never lasted, though. I was still me at the end of the day, and all these new faces would see me for what I was almost immediately. You can leave your old life, but not yourself.

[@cesar6004]

*You can leave your old life but not your current self

[@MagnetoWasRight1000]

There’s always the “permanent solution” if the pain proves itself to be just as permanent

[@Em-td4kc]

The song at the end is Pyramid by Jason Webley if anyone was wondering.

[@JC-jd1us]

Mvp

[@talloncusack]

Thanks

[@ingridarmona6526]

awesome, i was just abt to comment asking this lmao

[@HunkyTalkenMonkey01]

Thank you stranger

[@b_g_c3281]

Thank you

[@skandababy]

In 15-20 years from now, you'll understand... and it will hit you with the force of an entire galaxy... and it will never leave you.

[@Ron4885]

Yes, I understand.

[@skandababy]

@@Ron4885 Let me guess... you majored in "Understanding" at your local technical institute.

[@paradonsaiban9181]

Thank you for this amazing work. I’m currently kind of depressed (not sure if it’s bipolar or something). His perspective on life in this movie is so relatable to me. It’s not like I don’t know that I’m mistreating people in my life, I always know there something wrong with me. But I’m just too selfish to change. I genuinely thank you for telling this story and help me realize it again. I’ll seek help and try. I hope I will come here again but better. I’ll make a appointment soon. Thank you.

[@misterjoster649]

Don’t be too hard on yourself. It’ll all be ok

[@lonecycle4849]

I see In Praise of Shadows, I click.

[@peepnox7747]

Yep

[@lionhartd138]

ikr

[@writingwithcrayons8301]

Exactly

[@sashavjs]

Love this channel, just found it and am hooked

[@CanalDuModem]

An interesting essay on a movie that has intrigued me for decades.

[@moonmoth17]

definitely my favorite youtuber, he just puts so much passion and effort into his videos flawlessly.

[@AmericanKamakaze]

A minute in and I'm already terrified

[@justaneditygangstar]

That man in the beginning when I realized he was the only one going to the side while everyone else was moving normally gave me serious chills

[@jackzaccardi1896]

Remember, a statue has never been erected in honor of a critic. This was a great film. Let the critic try to remake it. He can't.

[@RD-lt3ht]

I can't agree with stated reasons for your ambivalence towards Seconds; I think it is a brilliant depiction of the midlife crisis of the sort of "mature" adult that the likes of Jordan Peterson is urging young men to become -- hierarchy-climbing status seekers. Arthur has been a conformist to society's expectations all his life -- the rational RIGHT thing to do, I suppose, considering the horrors of what can happen to individuals who don't. But we aren't expressly taught this fear of the "horror" of not fitting-in, especially not as motivation; our society is too egotistical to admit that attaining the big car, body or other material must-haves is like attaining armour -- armour that protects you from that "horror" fate -- of being judged a worthless nobody. Upon attaining this armour Arthur finds it empty, because he -- the one inside it -- is also empty, a void encased by persona rather than a person. Seconds is a scathing examination of the values society takes for granted as much as it's the examination of a hollow man's life, perhaps even more the former. Every misery minor or major -- from tooth decay resulting from humanity's switch from a hunter-gatherer diet to the grain based diet that made civilization possible, to depressions partly engendered by society's demands -- is society's money-making opportunity. Arthur is a victim of his own egotistical/fearful ascent/conformity to society's "proper" standards, but as such is a victim of society aswell; even the company's "cure" for his ills is just another shot at the same thing, so he's twice a victim and thrice when recycled. I really didn't see any blame to the wife from Arthur -- he seemed severely disappointed with HIMSELF actually, in light of the wife's positive amorous feelings early on. And Arthur seemed genuinely devastated at his own admissions to the old man, like he was as remorseful of his loss of attraction to his stalwart partner as he was certain that it was so -- he felt guilty. When Arthur/Tony speaks to his wife about a painting "Arthur" did, a last vestige of ego is displayed when Tony is a little disappointed that she gave it to charity, that SHE let go of Arthur and wasn't devasted by the loss; but as she talks about her "dead" husband -- about his emotional distance -- you see acceptance without rancour cross Tony's face because he accepts that their former love died of HIS neglect, and if she wasn't grieving NOW, that was because she'd done all her grieving when Arthur was "alive" yet dead inside...I see no blame given to the wife by any character or by the movie itelf. And the "dragging" middle section is necessary -- it shows just how lost without his former routine Arthur/Tony is. The tense music while Tony is attempting to resurrect his artistic leanings...well why not, because such an encounter -- with a maybe true, maybe bullshit -- presumption/fantasy about the "true self" would be tense...he was on edge. Saying all this, I still respect your interesting analysis of a great movie.

[@hanoverfist3805]

I 200% agree with your remarks . . . so true, and it's sobering to consider that this devastating critique of American materialistic/status culture was made 54 years ago. This is a story that really "twists the knife" - like when "Tony" is visiting the ex and she remarks, sorrowfully, that Arthur had been dead for a long time before his "accident."

[@conalcochranh3274]

Life, in all truth, has no meaning and life becomes easier when one accepts the obvious: no one gets younger and this existence is all you get.

[@AlexReynard]

" Jordan Peterson is urging young men to become -- hierarchy-climbing status seekers" When the heck did Jordan Peterson encourage young men to be that!? He wants people to be confident, competent individuals with strong family relationships. I've never, ever heard him say anything about devoting your life to work for the sake of work, or getting ahead of others. He talks about success almost totally in personal terms of having a meaningful life.

[@gold24k54]

Truly, one the greatest films ever made, and Rock hudson's best film. Fantastic review btw 👍

[@Killer97]

"this is entirely about how this event impacts Arthur" there you go as to why the wife was not important and how she feels about his death was unimportant and why she is just there to show us how he is just using her to project his frustrations, all explained in that sentence. This doesn't mean the movie is misogynistic, same thing with the rape, if it was okay it wouldn't be something they would use against him and could have resorted to any other form of threat to guarantee liability, throwing the word misogyny around just to attack the movie or time period is a little harsh.

[@kevinrhea7332]

It’s the only thing wrong with this channel, it’s judgemebtal woke bs

[@joaopedrodesousa363]

Yeah he kinda missed the point

[@ellakruz]

Hey Zane, I just wanted to thank you for this channel. I have always had a bit of interest in darker media and darker themes, but only experienced dissatisfying horror while growing up (and was easily spooked). I expressed my interest instead in science fiction. As time has gone on, many channels - especially yours- has given me an analytic mind for media. Specifically, I am given a vocabulary and framework to judge and enjoy different medias, especially now horror, in the context of self and culture. I used to say it was my least favorite genre, and now it’s one of my favorites. Thank you for that gift of renewed interest!

[@mr.e8561]

God damnit, I love you're work so much!!! I recently turned 46 and this hit me in the face like a brick. It may sound odd, but thank you. Reality checks can come from surprising places sometimes....

[@mr.e8561]

Given the size of the world and misc other factors we'll probably never meet, but in my mind I'm shaking you hand and saying thank you. The simple act of sacrificing a moment to say a kind word to a random stranger is awesome. I try to show real gratitude by paying it forward ths next time I have a chance.

[@EpifanesEuergetes]

This is such an interesting movie. Had I not seen a video about it a couple of years back I would never had heard of it. That is what channels like this one and film critics do at their best: they point to a lesser known thing and say: "hey, this is great, you should check it out".

[@potatoeskimos]

Damn son, this is deep. What's in it for the company though?

[@lionhartd138]

souls

[@eastlynburkholder3559]

The rebirthed person would owe the company a favour; that is how I would write on this premise.

[@lionhartd138]

Wow! ten likes. That's a fkn first for me to be sure.( and no, I didn't "like" my own comment )

[@devonmolina5200]

It acts more like how a charity might work - it advertises itself as wanting to help others achieve what they could if they had the proper living standards, but some charities don't really do the things they promise. Imagine it like PETA, like if a pet was sent to a new home and didn't adjust. The pet would simply be killed if nobody tries to adopt it, or in the case, if the main character can't adopt this new life given to him by the company.

[@eastlynburkholder3559]

@@devonmolina5200 If I had Bill Gates type of money, I would help those who are harder working than others and who have had a strike of fate hit them and could recover faster with some help. I would help the strivers and fighters. Some people will sit semi contentedly despite complaints in their mess and not do what they need to do and not do what they can do. It is important to do the little things and to maintain all the free will choices we can when most of those choices seem unavailable or bad. Sometimes we have only bad choices and we choice the least bad choice.

[@dickerson7777]

Nicely done and well summarized. The visit to his wife at least allows us to hear her point of view where she talks about him being withdrawn and celibate. Whereas he initially blamed her.

[@nicholasjanke3476]

Seconds is basically The Twilight Zone Meets The Manchurian Candidate (with some of Frankenstein thrown in) In the opening scenes you expect to see the camera pan on Rod Serling. Rock Hudson said that it was almost a horror movie, but no its a bona fide horror film!

[@shik1563]

Reminds me of the quote " wherever you go, there you are"

[@channelthree9424]

I love Seconds. I love watching movies on DVD then watching them again with the commentary turned on and this on was certainly worth watching with the commentary.

[@trippytrellis7033]

Me, too.😷😃

[@BofaDeez77781]

I like your take on a projecting our feelings on others, and psychology has actually proved that most of our anger we throw at other people is misdirected, not exactly the same but interesting nonetheless. I also like how you point out that what’s holding us back is probably jus in our head, and I’ll do my best to remember that message in the future

[@skullfuckedangel]

You should consider a podcast. You paint a vivid picture.

[@WalterLiddy]

So, like, the same channel but with no visuals? Why?

[@skullfuckedangel]

@@WalterLiddy I use pocketcast it is just more accessible and I can turn my screen off. Not a demand just a suggestion. I click on more content with my limited subscriptions that are better organized on that application.

[@gaddag1477]

Hes obviously goin by the script.

[@jackkraken3888]

I think that's great idea. Maybe other topics can be used for the podcast or something like that?

[@vaszgul736]

13:50 I do want to argue that, at least how you described it, I don't believe that plot point is misogynistic, because the corporation that does this in the storyline is in fact evil, not heroic. The fact they would do something so horrible as to abuse a woman just to make a video they could use as black mail is a foreshadowing of the true nature of their corporation that later is shown to essentially be a murderous cult. It seems to me its portrayed as a horrific thing to do? I know I'm nitpicking but it feels like that specific point would actually be the opposite of misogyny. Hard to watch though for sure. I do agree with the other points though. Maybe if there was a remake, it could illustrate these points better.

[@Caspianm2]

Using rape as a plot tool is about as misogynistic as it gets, in my honest opinion. There's always a better alternative to use. It displays crudeness and a lack of creativity.

[@joanticovisconti8267]

The use rape is just another example of the film not caring about any of the women on screen, thats what makes it mysoginistic. The raped woman is just an unamed plot point kinda like the wife or the protagonists daughter.

[@toadtreeunhinged3679]

@@Caspianm2 to be fair its supposed to be crude and disgusting even though thats not really a defense lol "its supposed to be bad guys!"

[@cannibalisticrequiem]

Oh thank God we have a man to reassure us the unnecessary rape scene isn't misogynistic because *he* doesn't think it is! 🙄

[@majorair1]

I totally agree with you. The evil corporation did an evil thing. The fact that it was so evil is to horrify the audience. This is a horror movie. People can winge about how "there is always a better way" but that comes from a place that wants to be "comfortable"... In watching a h.o.r.r.o.r movie. It really felt lame labeling the movie misogynistic for that.

[@AlleyCatInks]

The depression and artistic frustration commentary really hits the nail on the head for me! Great video as always!!!

[@bptnmrphy3991]

please, one day I'd like to hear you try to piece together a memory of your own past as vividly as you can remember.

[@Max-vn8ym]

This has become one of my favourite channels. Great job once again!

[@DetectiveKemper]

I always interpreted the final image of the man on the beach is that of the man Arthur is dying for. The new life created from his death.

[@Bilboswaggins2077]

Dwight Kemper I thought it was the life he could’ve had. A grandfather happy with the life he was given

[@DetectiveKemper]

@@Bilboswaggins2077 I'd like a copy of the script and see what it says. But as I recall, the movie opens with much the same camera distortion over the credits, and then we meet Arthur. I figured it was distorting again to meet the new reborn.

[@fabienlegeron]

Actually, the modern seconds you're yearning for, exists : Edmond, by Stuart Gordon, in which a middle aged man goes on a selfish odyssey to wildly not learn a thing. Check it out, it's wonderful.

[@jacoblevenson7934]

That and adaption of a play by Mamet.

[@fabienlegeron]

@@jacoblevenson7934 of course

[@plasticweapon]

that...doesn't quite work as a comparison.

[@fabienlegeron]

@@plasticweapon agreed - it was more of a thematic analogy.

[@colemartinez2662]

Wow really great analysis of the film. I agree women aren't really portrayed well at all in this movie but I will say that I think the wife's final scene and that dialogue in the film is the most powerful moment that affected me deeply. That actress did a great job.

[@mrl9418]

They should have gone for Cosmic Horror : man changes face and integrates himself perfectly into new environment. Family is forgotten, depression evaporates. The experiment points at a simple truth : whatever men consider deep is really only skin deep.

[@K.D.Meyers]

I think that's a little bit more shallow, maybe a little more overdone (as in a common trope in movies) than the message and story they were trying to, and did, convey.

[@tommyhicks4510]

Your videos are a sadness cure

[@thefunniesies]

i absolutely love the background music. the vid is so so well-done. good job ma man.

[@CaliforniaEBRDude]

An outstanding, thoughtful review. Thanks for posting it.

[@glitterygoat]

i have never heard of this movie and it looks stunning, especially for such an old movie. the story seems fantastic! thank you for sharing and analyzing this movie!

[@WalterLiddy]

So it's about midlife crises. I hadn't heard of this before. Thanks for the tip. Re: your remarks about his wife, etc. this seems to me completely beside the point. You want a sudden shift of protagonist, a new POV. We aren't being asked to approve of this character, but it is HIS story. The fact he doesn't care how this affects his wife is information about him and the story we're following. It was enough for you to understand her situation. Why you'd want to suddenly intercut with her story, I don't know. As for your proposed 'update' on the story, it's actually an entirely different story. This one is clearly about midlife crisis, and how who he is cannot be fit into what is a perfectly legitimate more youthful culture. Your idea instead villifies the youth and suggests that the problem is with them.

[@NucleaRaptor]

>your remarks about his wife, etc. this seems to me completely beside the point. This. It's a potentially interesting avenue to explore, but no character aside from the protagonist is owed screentime. She's not the focus here.

[@NucleaRaptor]

@BOARDROOM-BULLY -BY DAY & WARGROUND BULLY -BY NIGHT Did you forget to take your medicine today? Because that's what's interesting to me right now.

[@NucleaRaptor]

@BOARDROOM-BULLY -BY DAY & WARGROUND BULLY -BY NIGHT kek, I'll take PMS over an ALL CAPS psychotic episode.

[@NucleaRaptor]

@BOARDROOM-BULLY -BY DAY & WARGROUND BULLY -BY NIGHT ok

[@ericainspace]

Misogyny aside, to show both halves of his life, the one he's living and the one he left being, would make for a different movie. The commitment to the one-sided point of view strengthens the narrative because it's realistic; people are inherently narcissistic, selfish. To show his wife and daughter's reaction to his death would be a drastic change, to the point of changing the message and evoking different emotions. For example, you might feel less discomfort watching him in his new life if you found out the wife was, say, happier that he's gone. The daughter may feel the burden of her father's expectations is lifted. And suddenly you feel sympathy for this man who threw his life away. He deserves none.

[@talloncusack]

Thank you so very much for another thorough, thought provoking video. You are such a gem on this platform . (I especially loved the reference to Roland from The Dark Tower series) 💕

[@keenanmeyer5511]

I love this channel so much. Never die

[@wellergurl]

Absolutely FANTASTIC piece ! Extremely fleshed out, detailed and analyzed. 👏💯 Thanks sooo much for your hard work & attention to detail on this. 👍

[@laizerwoolf]

Man, the conclusion hit me like a brick. You don't have to hurt me like that bro 😢.

[@dunsbroccoli2588]

*regretfully loses everything, only to realize it too late and then gets murdered hE pReTty mUcH gEtS oFf sCot fReE what

[@hunterthompson5877]

I never comment on videos I like, but omg this video was so SO good! Good job man!

[@BulldozerBilly]

What an interesting movie, as a creator myself there's alot in it I can relate to. Thanks for bringing it out into the spot light, you always have good taste and interesting finds.

[@steveOhh68]

Just watching the making of Giant and Rock is talking about his ageing makeup.He was 28 years and aged to 40 then

[@AlexaExtraordinaire]

I liked that melodrama part. It showed him totally alone in a new environment but also a completely meaningless reality, mirroring his old life. It's like he was stuck in a loop.

[@selenajarv8763]

I was looking for this vid !!!!! I'm happy that I found it

[@CalMacYT]

Your uploads make my day man. Your passion and interest really shines through 😊

[@Clairvoyant70]

I am a GoldenAgeHollyWood enthusiast and I love this! 🥰 this is a great movie! I must have watched all of Rock Hudson movies and I’ll watch them again and again, I can’t get enough. Probably because they don’t make movies like they used to. Plus, I think you did an excellent job describing the correlation between rock, Hudson, and this movie.

[@davidhanson4909]

Probably the second best plastic surgery transformation in movie history, just behind Myra Breckinridge. Gotta love those movie plastic surgeons. You'll never see one of their cases on Botched.

[@geoff7500]

I really want to thank you for this video. Got it in my recommended and thought it'd probably be another fine if not semi self aggrandizing discussion of an old film that probably wasn't really that good but your video has gotten me very genuinly interested in it and the discussion of how we self project onto people at the end I thought was very well said. I recently just moved away thinking a fresh start would be the life altering change I needed and how this new found freedom would change me but it really hasn't. Its funny I in fact find myself overwhelmed with the sheer potential to go anywhere or do anything and make up an abritary excuse to not do so. Perception really is everything, great video man I can't wait to watch more of your stuff

[@megsley]

i really appreciated this whole video, especially when you talked about how the film ignores how Arthur's actions affect the people who cared about him. the whole video, i kept thinking about this 'trend' lately telling people to follow their own happiness no matter what (cough-eatpraylove-cough) - there's just never any talk or consideration of what "follow your own happiness no matter what" means for our families, our friends, and the people who depend on us. its assumed that if you're happy, then everything will work out and your friend/family will be totally understanding and happy for you even if they're badly hurt by your choices. definitely going to watch this film thanks to all the thinking you've inspired

[@cheapchianti6478]

Very thoughtful and savvy analysis of this movie. I appreciate that you call out the lack of development of the wife. It would be amazing for this to be remade. Cheers!

[@AmunDeus]

You always choose some really interesting films to analyze. I have yet to see a film you've recommended or analyzed that wasn't fun, unique, iconic, or thoughtful. I also find the film's premise to be pretty relatable.

[@Yt-jc5sj]

very thoughtful! I love your commentary on depression, happiness and the subconscious

[@thebiggestmelonyouneversee1366]

Damn, this dude gets it. Mad respect. This vid taught me several new lessons that I could do well with to carry on. Was very pleasantly surprised by this vid. New sub

[@mechasentai]

This is an absolutely beautiful analysis. I would only fear that a remake would be too afraid about how modern audiences would feel to go all in for the true moral of the story. Or conversely might be too unfairly one-sided. And as strange as this sounds yes unlikeable people can be effective protagonists. In a different genre the Emperor's New Groove showed a self-centered “jerk” learn to value other people. It can work in a more serious tone, I believe.

[@AndyGattis]

A lot of this movie hit differently for me than you, it seems. The biggest was that I never once saw Arthur’s wife as a nag, or as a relatable source of frustration... from the jump I pretty much saw her as a kind and patient woman who was kept at arms length by a man deeply and unrepentantly obsessed with himself. She desperately wants to comfort and repair him, even as he offers her no passion or even regard for her patience. Her final scene with him confirmed this for me, when she, like he did before, described their marriage as passionless, but fruitful, and him as a man who “died” years before his passing, at least in terms of her relationship with him. I actually think the movie goes to great lengths to show that she is better off in pretty much every way without him, and his not revealing the truth to her was the one kindness he does for her, even if he still is only there for his own selfish reasons. I also wondered how much of the rape scene was intended to be also falsified. The doctor says Arthur “did not ravage her” and especially having seen what happened with Nora, I wondered If it was all just part of the company’s many many deceptions. He was drugged, we don’t know with what. It’s repulsive behavior from him regardless, and he would be a rapist even if she was just an actress... but that combined with the drugging and the intense level of control exhibited by the company, I do wonder if it’s just another ruse that the movie doesn’t communicate clearly enough. I also didn’t find the middle section dull at all. I liked seeing the full breadth and descent back into depression and self centeredness in its entirety, personally. As such I didn’t feel jarred by this different section, or even note it as feeling out of place. it felt like a natural progression for the main character, and that the movie was taking its time to show us the decline beat by beat. This movie reminds me very much of the movies Mr Nobody, which deals with the idea of “paths less taken.” Maybe that would be of interest to you? In any case, great vid, it really helped me suss out my own feelings about the film.

[@zanizone3617]

There was a bit in a Dashiell Hammet book. It wasn't even the main plot. It is about a man who the Detective traces on behalf of his wife, he had abandoned suddenly years before. When he finds him, he learns that one day a large iron beam crashed inches from the man's head while he was strolling near a building site, after lunch. So he decided that if life was so unpredictable he could as well pack up and leave. He traveled for a bit, and after a couple of years he just... stopped and essentially rebuilt his life almost exactly as it was. Got a job like the one he left, married a woman similar to his first wife, took the same kind of hobbies. Completely unaware that he was repeating the same pattern. As the writer put it "once he realized he lived in a world where iron beams fall from the sky without warning, he adapted to that. Then, when he realized that iron beams had stopped falling, he adapted again."

[@lifeisfullofchoices]

Top quality material here. Sincerely appreciate the effort you put into this.

[@TrinitySmyth]

i wish i could watch your videos all day everyday. I mean... i do, but like new ones. but ik in reality that's not possible. I do want to say i thoroughly enjoy your content and I will continue to do everything i can to support you!

[@Armazillo]

Your problem with Seconds is the problem with movies from the 60s bro

[@loganx7571]

Facts, a movie made in the 60s will most likely reflect the prejudices harbored in society of the time. As it is with every era.

[@randomuser5443]

That’s why people like him annoy me. The criticisms of contemporary culture is like saying that you hate the fact the people playing a game because you dislike the game

[@loganx7571]

@strontiumXnitrate calm down incel

[@ixxirecords26]

Thank you, I turn 23 in November. Really needed this..

[@tomkrawec]

I watched this at some point around 2000 on TV. It was great. Your analysis is really interesting and helps me remember why I found this story, character etc. so interesting.

[@tomkrawec]

P.S. your concluding views on happiness, creativity, rationalisation and blame show a lot of wisdom. Thank you for sharing it.

[@tmrezzek5728]

1) Hands down, the best thing Rock Hudson ever did. 2) Screenwriter Lewis John Carlino told a story about taking an older friend to see it; halfway through the friend abruptly got up and fled the theater. Carlino caught up with him outside, asked him what was wrong. The friend near-cried: "I can't watch it..That's ME up there!" A lot of middle-aged guys probably had the same reaction.

[@Parasaurolophus476]

I would watch the heck out of the remake you discribe! That sounded like an incredible story.

[@TallicaMan1986]

horror films appear to be ahead of the times quite often.

[@fionaur5933]

The best, most underrated media crit channel on KZbin

[@ChemDamned]

Arthur showed is egotistical side of himself and therefore I think it was a good choice to maintain the focus on him and his feelings only. I also don't think that middle chunk of the movie, where he begins a new life, had to be somehow different. Indeed, it proved that, even though he changed himself on the exterior, he's still the same routine type of person who hasn't any kind of drive in his life. As a matter of fact he then needed to be pushed by Nora into action. This movie is more contemporary then ever, in an age where people go through any sort of body transformation in order to seek a new and better life like the one they see on social media.

[@danwin9986]

You have to be my favourite KZbinr. The video essay/docu-video’ genre is so good, and your a master of it.

[@InPraiseofShadows]

Thank you very much, that really does me a lot to me to hear.

[@danwin9986]

@@InPraiseofShadows no problem! Keep up the great content. I really enjoyed the Return to Oz video.

[@helenahandbasket937]

Thank you for another great video. I was completely unaware of this movie until now. I haven't read all of the comments before submitting this, maybe someone got the jump on it, idk: Your idea of a remake to this movie is more socially conscious than the one that I think Hollywood did make: Selfless, starring Ryan Reynolds. It took the themes of this movie and instead of making a relevant comment of them, it chose to answer; what if the character was just as misogynistic but was helpful to the damsel instead? What if the main character didn't even have to learn the same lessons as Scrooge did, but instead had the eldered, wise man's mind in a young military sculpted body, weapons skills and all!!!! But, anyway, I think Selfless was Seconds"remake". Great vid IPoS.

[@pimscrypt]

I totally agree about remaking this film. I was really intrigued when you described it during the first half of this video. And even though I will probably still watch it, it sure sounds like there are some issues that could be fixed by telling this kind of story through a more modern lens. Still, I'm really glad I now know about this film. Was really happy to find out about The Evil Within in one of your previous videos as well. You're work is truly great!

[@trevorbernd7699]

I think the idea of "life swapping" or similar plot tropes has been done well in one movie that I've seen. Self/less I think did a fantastic job story wise dealing with some of the things you brought up in this video.

[@Larkinchance]

In 1965 California, the youth generation blossomed. It was a nudist bacchanal. Adults from a earlier time, like Rock Hudson in the film, were tense, ill at ease, trying a little too hard to have a good time. Social conventions were being exploded and not everybody was comfortable with that. Then there was the Manson killings and it all suddenly ended.

[@ManishKumar-mv1zh]

This video has highlighted the most important aspect of human life, that a person's happiness comes from within himself. It doesn't depend on someone else and we shouldn't have such expectations. Also "in praise of shadows" emphasized that if you aren't able to do something, that doesn't mean it's someone else's fault. That was a self realising part.

[@ladislaoloera6095]

I saw this a bit back and I loved it, but you are correct the middle takes a long time getting basically no where. The beginning and ending were very interesting. I looked at it more like an allegory for a life that a gay man may have lived during that era. Where they get married and live a life they didn't want because it was the life that was forced upon them by society. Rock Hudson playing the part made it even more resonant with me. Thank you for your video's they are certainly thought provoking.

[@GoldphishAnimation]

For anyone hooked, the outro song IS the first one in the list. I spent more time than I'd like to admit trying to find it 🤣

[@zipzapzipzap6859]

I watch this video in procrastination of something important I had to do.. that last bit feels like a personal attack

[@roberthill8797]

Very good analysis. Thanks!

[@tangibleblockofwisdom6386]

words with the acuity and wisdom of distance and time.. thanks

[@movedmindpoRUSZonyUMYS]

I have to admit: the cinematography in this movie looks absolutely spectacular. What a treat for eyes.

[@InPraiseofShadows]

Yeah Howe was amazing, he was nominated for ten different Oscars during his career one of which was for this film.

[@blindragepod]

Such a great movie.

[@LarryInNM]

I was not familiar with this film and when I saw a short clip thought it was a film noir dealing with spies, secret agents, government/corporate intrigue and such. In a way I guess it does, as it has that paranoid mystique about it.

[@blairmacewancrosbie8646]

I had never heard of this film..thank you for a great video..I am going watch the film now.

[@nigeldonaldson1647]

the...conspiracy aspect of SECONDS reminds me of ROSEMARY'S BABY & THE STEPFORD WIVES it's very true that even if we look very young for our ages, we always feel older especially among younger people. I'd say that SECONDS is an "Art house film" especially for its artiness & hippy 60s subculture, it's become a very rare film over the years almost unheard of now, Rock Hudson at his age at the time wanted to do something different and here he definitely did. Also, again this is a product of its time in that it was very experimental & you sense the Transistional change going on in cinema in films like this and PHYCHO, BABY JANE etc breaking new ground