Wow! What a film! I watched this last night and was completely blown away and disturbed! It has been such a long time since a film genuinely disturbed me, so this was quite an interesting experiance. Loved the movie, I haven't seen anything quite like this since my viewing of the original "Outer Limits" episode "The Forms of Things Unknown" (which was photographed by the late Conrad Hall), both heavily utilize ingenius and striking camera angles to emanate the feel of a mad nightmare. The film is an absolute must for lovers of surrealistic black and white films.

The score is excellent; it does a truly excellent job of keeping the viewer within this solemnly mad nightmare. It begins with a chilling passage over Saul Bass's genius main titles. I love scores that utilize the organ, such as Carnival of Souls (and not to mention my all-time favorite score, Herrmann's "Obsession"). There are also many beautiful passages, including a strings version of the main theme, some romantic music for the more tender moments in the film, and a somber theme played on piano.

Does anybody have any comments or praise for the film and it's score? And while I'm at it, does anybody know about the compilation cd that includes a nine-minute suite (it's a re-recording, though probably the best we have now, as Paramount is not interested in licensing their old scores for release)? Are there any 'other' releases of this music? Thanks.

Seconds/ The Trouble With Angels

Highly unlikely as it seems, no, I do not have this one.

But I heard that TTWA is a good score.

Carmen... I am waiting

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Originally posted by Dylan:
Hello,

And while I'm at it, does anybody know about the compilation cd that includes a nine-minute suite (it's a re-recording, though probably the best we have now, as Paramount is not interested in licensing their old scores for release)? Are there any 'other' releases of this music? Thanks.

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I have a Mainstream CD [MDCD 608] that includes TROUBLE WITH ANGELS, along with STAGECOACH. It's an uneven score, but has an attractive theme for the religious private school setting. The cue "Marching Band" sounds like... well, a high school marching band - and I have heard a few. That inflection, too, is part of Goldsmith's genius. Yes, I love Goldsmith's music. Now that you have mentioned it, I am likely going to listen to this score, today.

That piano piece is a brief meisterwerk.

Here's what Charles Tashiro said at amazon.com: "The problem is that instead of focusing on the main character's realization that his humdrum life results from a bankruptcy that can be blamed on no one but himself, Frankenheimer and company seem more interested in hanging a phantasmagoric swirl on their skeletal idea."

"Why do filmmakers believe the best way to present the paranoid is to dump a lot of 'style' in our laps?...An arty fable like SECONDS, all tense technique slammed in our faces, ultimately falls flat because the film has not been *structured* visually. When a man can't get on a commuter train without the camera doing whirligigs, jumping around from one bizarre angle to another, there's nothing left for the kicker moments, no real horror when we need it. It's a failure of discrimination, an inability to recognize when the fantastic is appropriate, or better, how the fantastic is best revealed through the utterly mundane."

"With the main character's transformation more stated than demonstrated, the action feels dragged out, the technique pasted on to distract from the empty subject. It's a pity, because the story could provide a compelling portrait of a grey man's realization of his mediocrity if the filmmakers had the perspicacity to develop the logic of the situation. Brilliant in stretches, rather frustrating because of the obvious talent involved, watching SECONDS is a lot like listening to a drunken opera star sing out of tune."

Dylan and everybody, it's amazing how this kind of photography, the kind that Conrad Hall and James Wong Howe did so well, can be so evocative. I've got a photo I took at the beach a few years ago. It's in black and white and is just some friends messing about in the water, but due to an error in processing (it's far too grainy and contrasty), it looks like a half forgotten memory.

Thank you for the replies. David, I agree with you about how the overall tone of "Seconds" is very similar to Goldsmith's "Magic" (in fact, it's the subtle scores of Goldsmith that I love the most).

A lot of people seem to be separated on the score (not from this thread, but essentially everywhere I see it brought up). I believe it's an intriguing and wonderful score that I'd love to have, but once again, my favorite Goldsmith scores are the subtle ones.

I was very surprised when Justin mentioned a cdr containing an LP transfer of Seconds, as I don't believe an LP was released (if it was, then that's interesting...it doesn't seem like the kind of score that would get a separate album release in those days).

Thank you Richard for the information regarding the Silva re-recording.

I agree with Thinkr's summation, as unsettling a film as has ever been made. I was certainly disturbed when the last shot flashed on the screen...it moved me tremendously, but the over-all reaction was disturbed. An interesting experiance, and again, a wonderful movie. Rock Hudson was wonderful.

The cinematography was incredible, some of the most creative I have ever seen for a surreal film of this sort. Does anybody have any James Wong Howe recommendations? I looked at his filmography, and I'm afraid I'm not familiar with any of the other films he worked on. Take care.

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Originally posted by justin boggan:
I'm not trying to promote bootlegs, but honestly, I didn't know if "Seconds" was or not, but it is a LP transfer.

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That's pretty amazing, because SECONDS was never released on LP.

MARK OF THE VAMPIRE (1935) beneffited enormously from Wong Howe's photography. Bela Lugosi was a false vampire in that one.

KING'S ROW - Ronald Reagan asking where his legs went.

HUD - Oscar to Wong Howe for this Paul Newman western.

SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS - Stark b/w photography.