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Mirthful Moulin Rouge hits the right notes

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Seconds A colossal flop upon its original 1966 release, this absorbing oddity from director John Frankenheimer (The Manchurian Candidate) has picked up quite a cult following over the ensuing years. A heady experience, this finds middle-aged bank executive Arthur Hamilton (John Randolph) electing to chuck away his entire boring existence by accepting a mysterious organization's offer to be "reborn" ­ that is, to allow his old "self" to be killed in an accident and to undergo plastic surgery so that he may be given a new face, a new identity and a new life. Hamilton emerges from surgery as handsome Tony Wilson (Rock Hudson), but he quickly discovers that it's not easy to mentally suppress 50 years of one's life. Aided by James Wong Howe's Oscar-nominated, black-and-white cinematography, Frankenheimer fashioned a trippy motion picture that was clearly ahead of its time: Among other things, the film works as a bold morality tale that suggests we should make the most of our lives, no matter how sterile or mundane they may seem. DVD features include audio commentary by Frankenheimer and theatrical trailer. *