• "The Old Vines are Buried Deep:" Classical MOtifs in John Frankenheimer's .Seconds'.

    Author(s):
    Seán Easton (see profile)
    Date:
    2017
    Group(s):
    Ancient Greece & Rome
    Subject(s):
    United States, History, History, Ancient, Biopolitics, Mass media--Study and teaching
    Item Type:
    Article
    Tag(s):
    ancient, Classical receptions, classics, cold war, film, American history, Ancient history, Film studies, Media studies
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/M6FS7R
    Abstract:
    'Seconds' (1966) is the third film in what has been called John Frankenheimer's paranoia trilogy, the first two installments of which are The 'Manchurian Candidate' (1962) and 'Seven Days in May' (1964). It is the story of a middle-aged banker who abandons family and career, purchasing from the secretive Company a new identity, vocation and surgically altered youthful appearance. The rejuvenated banker hopes to find fulfillment in his life, but learns to his cost that the Company has little success in adjusting clients to their new identities. The film's points of contact with the classical world, when taken together, frame the main character as a candidate for sacred knowledge who instead becomes a pharmakos, or scapegoat, for the Company.
    Notes:
    This article primarily discusses Frankenheimer's film, but also considers the popular novel of the same title on which it was based (author: David Ely). The film (and novel's) Greco-Roman imagery includes the Hellenistic era Biblical text, 'The Book of Maccabees'.
    Metadata:
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    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    6 years ago
    License:
    All Rights Reserved
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