Seconds(1966)

POOPER:
Arthur Hamilton, disillusioned with life, pays a secret company for a new identity (Tony Wilson) via a faked death and surgery. Initially embracing youth and freedom in Malibu as an artist, Tony fails at painting and feels disconnected. He seeks out his old life but finds no solace. Realizing that his new life is also empty, he contacts the company, learns that his predecessor also failed, and is refused help. Desperate, Tony storms the company, tries to warn new clients, and declares his true identity. He is overpowered, sedated, and prepped for surgery to become the corpse for the next client’s rebirth.

LONG VERSION:
Banker Arthur Hamilton (John Randolph) lives a stifling, discontented suburban life. He is contacted by an old friend, Charlie Evans, whom he believed dead. Charlie reveals he underwent a procedure offered by a secretive organization called “The Company.” This procedure fakes one’s death, provides extensive plastic surgery, and gives a new identity and life funded by the person’s estate. Intrigued by Charlie’s seemingly vibrant new life as “Tony Wilson” (Rock Hudson), Arthur reluctantly agrees.

Arthur undergoes a radical transformation, becoming the younger, handsome Antiochus “Tony” Wilson. He is declared dead after an accident involving a carefully staged corpse. Recovering in the Company’s facility, Tony is briefed by the Company representative, known as the Old Man (Will Geer), and his assistant, John (Richard Anderson). Tony expresses a desire to be an artist, so the Company sets him up with a luxurious Malibu beach house and a studio.

Initially, Tony embraces his new life, enjoying freedom and his physical prime. He meets a free-spirited neighbor, Nora Marcus (Salome Jens), and they begin a relationship. However, Tony struggles with painting, realizing he lacks genuine talent. His attempts to recapture the intellectual stimulation of his former life also falter. Attending a raucous grape-stomping festival with Nora, Tony feels alienated and disconnected, unable to fully immerse himself in the hedonistic lifestyle.

His dissatisfaction grows. He seeks out his “widow,” Emily Hamilton (Frances Reid), observing her from afar but unable to reveal himself. Feeling increasingly isolated and realizing the new life is as hollow as his old one, Tony contacts the Company. He demands to speak to Charlie, only to learn Charlie couldn’t adapt either and had requested yet another rebirth. The Company refuses Tony’s request for another procedure or to revert to being Arthur Hamilton, stating it’s impossible. They suggest he needs more time to adjust.

Desperate, Tony travels to the Company’s New York headquarters. He confronts the Old Man, pleading for help or escape from his failed existence. The Old Man remains coldly bureaucratic. Tony disrupts a meeting of potential new clients, trying to warn them about the Company’s empty promise. He shouts that he is not Tony Wilson but Arthur Hamilton. Panic ensues. Company staff swiftly sedate Tony and forcibly remove him from the room.

Tony is taken to the operating room area. The Old Man calmly instructs the surgical team to prepare Tony as the next donor body for a new client. Despite Tony’s pleas and struggles, he is anesthetized. The film ends as Tony, now completely helpless, is wheeled towards surgery to become the anonymous corpse for another person’s rebirth, just as Davalo was for his own.

ORDER OF DEATHS:

• Davalo (Uncredited Actor): Killed in a staged train station accident. His body is used to fake Arthur Hamilton’s death.
• Tony Wilson (Rock Hudson): Sedated and wheeled into surgery by The Company to be killed and used as the corpse for the next client’s fake death.
• Arthur Hamilton (John Randolph): Effectively dies when Tony Wilson is created. His identity is erased and his death is faked using Davalo’s body.