Seconds (1966)

I think what makes this film most interesting is the time in which it was released. 1966 was certainly not the Kennedy 60's, but it was also not quite yet the Summer of Love. The Nation was in great flux and it was beginning to show at the multiplexes. Here we have a film released by a major studio, with a major star and a respected director that is undeniably cynical and also features a large helping of nudity. Was this Paramount attempting to aim younger? Was this a major Hollywood studio attempting to start life anew? I'm not sure if the parallel is perfect but it's something I've been chewing on. I've been chewing on a lot since I watched this film. Ideas about identity and happiness, about the young versus the old, about death. Rather than just making the film interesting for the moment (like the empty implementation of "hot-button issues" Christopher Nolan uses in the Batman films) these ideas wedge into your brain and make you reflect on your own life and the world in general. What is the point in changing the external if the internal remains rotten, unfulfilled or depressed? Can one ever be truly happy? This movie doesn't have the answers, but then again who does?