In this episode Gabriel and Tom are joined by Jez Conolly, co-author of a new book about the 1966 John Frankenheimer film Seconds; a nightmarish journey into sci-fi paranoia that is now considered a classic of post-McCarthy era American cinema. Part noir thriller and part body horror, the film – which initially flopped at the box office – is a richly dense, and bleak portrait of the mid-life crises of masculinity aroused by the 1960s counterculture. Taking sharp aim at the consequences of blind consumerism, Seconds was way ahead of its time in predicting the impact on our lives of corporate surveillance, technology and a desire for self-transformation – making it a must-see for all film fans.
Stream The Seconds Episode on the Podcast page.
