Visuals

SECONDS (1966, FRANKENHEIMER)

The opening of Seconds features a distorted, blurry, close-up shot making the subject difficult to identify at first. 

The image continues its movements though what is eventually revealed to be a human face. Only then are we able to deduce the previous shots were of a human’s nose and eye. 

Speaking of, the singular eye visible in the briefly undistorted, focused, close-up shot, the dark colored iris is shown center, proceeds to dart towards our left, comes back to center, then, as the character looks down, the warped close-up shot continues its journey, discovering more of the character’s face before finally pausing on the now focused lips which open revealing the lower teeth, allowing the camera zoom-in and present the film’s title “Seconds”. 

The familiar and now, somehow less personal, simulated double-vision distorted close-up shot greets us after we are zoomed-out of the uncomfortably intimate, open mouth shot of this character. Now closed we move towards the ear and zoom-in to the ear canal to what seems like a zoom-out displaying the opposite ear. Eventually, an undershot, angle comes into focus and because of the angle the nose is quite pronounced. 

Our reality becomes distorted once again, soon finding a similar undershot angle, focusing its zoom onto the nose, transitioning now to what seems like images spliced together being included. 

We again look up at a face which is warped and transitioned to a masked individual who may be talking, getting closer and closer, arriving at his open mouth. 

We are then moved to the much less intimate, wide objective shot - although it could be subjective since the character, who carries us to the next scene, does start his journey at the second level of this train station. 

"One of the first decisions facing Frankenheimer and his filmmaking team, including the cinematographer James Wong Howe, a Hollywood legend who specialized in black and white photography, was how to shoot the film to communicate its sense of creeping unease, dissatisfaction, and dread. Howe was a perfect choice to execute the ultimate strategy, which was to shoot Seconds in black and white; it was released in 1966, when the standard for Hollywood filmmaking had shifted to the use of color almost as a default, so black and white photography, while not a total rarity, represented an affirmative decision on the part of the filmmakers. They chose black and white for a reason." (The Last Detail)

The choice to film in black and white, angles and editing does a good job giving us a preview of the disturbing and twisted events that are to come. Other than the masked person, it is hard to tell if there was one person or multiple people that the camera was focusing on during the opening - in part due to the limited types of contrast black and white film can give. It also gave me a sense of relief when there was something identifiable to focus on once we got to the train station. 

FOLLOWING THE HAT

When we arrive at the train station, there is an almost immediate sense this character is searching for something. Using a variety of angles, some feeling like we are being carried by or riding on this character’s back, to low angles that made me feel like the luggage being dragged by the passengers to their train. Arthur’s hat remains the focus during most of these shots. His high contrast - essential in a black and white film, light colored hat, helps us find him in crowds and realize he may be an important part of this. This man quickly gives Arthur a note then disappears. Leaving a very confused Arthur. He does peek his head out of the train, the camera remaining stationary, as the train leaves. 

ARTHUR'S FACE

We regularly get close-ups of Arthor’s face. His profuse sweating glistening from catching the light when his face moves would be difficult to see if the camera were farther away, It also captures his facial expressions when they are used to emphasize an important internal decision.

THE PARTY

I think this scene does a good job at emphasizing the contrast of Arthur’s exaggerated body language and voice to the subdued “reborns” in the background.

THE REALITY

"At its deepest level, Seconds is also a resurrection story. It’s a deeply dystopian one, however, where the body is reborn but the spirit stays dead." (The Criterion, David Sterritt) I think this is a great angle for this scene. Even though we are not looking through Arthur’s perspective, this lower angle feels secretive and, in a way, we are forced to feel submissive and vulnerable. Which would be expected feelings when discovering you were conned into joining an MLM by a friend who you thought was dead but came back to give you a new chance at a more exciting life. Realizing you were sacrified and have to find someone to save yourself- at least the tone is eerie enough to make me think this is not an option- is another example of this story being quite dystopian.

STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (1951, HITCHCOCK)

THE TRAIN

I thought it was interesting how the act of boarding the train differed here compared to Seconds. Because the dialogue was on the train the perspective of the train captain or the helm of the train itself was used.

THE MURDER

The panning of the camera following Bruno from the boat ride ticket booth to the popcorn to then heading up the dock.

The shadows captured while they were inside the tunnel was quite suspenseful. 

The flame in front of her face created by her husband’s lighter being the last thing she saw before she was strangled, the common trope of “light leaving the eyes” when death occurs and her unsuspecting, somewhat innocent expression captured.

The murder itself being reflected off of the victim’s glasses is unique and made it feel personally connected even though we were not close-up or getting a direct visual.

The eerie feeling of being hunted and watched. I think it also created a visual comparison to normal people following social norms (the tennis ball) and Bruno’s thought process and behavior disturbing that norm. 

THE CAROUSEL

“Strangers on a Train demonstrates the importance of editing, from the practical considerations of match cutting and continuity to the time and space possibilities of montage.” (The Last Detail)

The chaotic and intensity of this scene is aided with the very blurry background helping us understand how dizzying, disorientating and scary it would be to try and stay on.

This wide shot captures the devastation of the carousel collapsing.

These close-ups capture the sweat and the physically exhausting challenge of fighting and staying on the carousel.

The dramatic, even when dying, Bruno will be petty. At least the lighter proving Guy’s innocence was in Bruno’s hand. Was it there the entire time they were fighting? Did he reach into his pocket while pinned from the debris from the carousel?