Film of the Day: 36
Seconds (1966)
Here is a film that unfortunately goes unnoticed and is not the most famous film of John Frankenheimer. It was made the same year that he made the commercial success Gran Prix, however this film did not do very well when released in 1966, but it did gather a huge cult following since its release.
It is one of Rock Hudson's best performances (Rock also called it his favourite performance along with Giant) and is a terrific look at people in the 1960s who are fed up with the way they are living as Rock plays a character who is married with a daughter but things are not as they used to be and wishes to start his life from scratch.
Apparently, there is a way, and Rock finds a company that gives him a new life complete with a fake death, new face, new voice, the works. But is it that simple to start over? It is an excellent looking film as well with some great cinematography and deals with paranoia and a dash of science fiction with a terrifically haunting score to boot.
I am thinking of Rock Hudson because today in 1981, a disease cluster (later known as AIDS) was recognized by medical professionals in San Francisco, California. Unfortunately, Rock Hudson was the first major public figure to have died of AIDS.
By the 1980s, Rock was quite a heavy drinker and smoker as was not in his best shape and in 1981 he had a heart attack. He underwent emergency quintuple heart bypass surgery which he recovered from but this did not stop him from smoking and was still in ill shape. As his heart grew worse, rumours spread around Hollywood that the star was suffering from liver cancer. But on June 5th 1984, Rock was diagnosed with HIV.
His publicity staff however did not want this information to be spread around and neither did Rock, so it was kept a secret, along with his homosexuality. Only his true friends knew about this such as Doris Day, Angie Dickinson, Robert Stack and Mamie Van Doren. Rock was also still working at the time, doing mainly TV work.
Then on July 25th, 1985, Rock Hudson mad a press release (whilst in Paris for treatment) that he was dying of AIDS. Rock felt that he had most probably contracted HIV though an infected doner in the multiple blood transfusion of his bypass. Hudson died later that year on October 2nd in his home in Beverly Hills. He was 59 years old.
We remember Rock for many of his great roles, starting with one of his first major appearance in the Winchester '73, then a much bigger role in Bend of the River, and then began his team up with director Douglas Sirk in Magnificent Obsession, All That Heaven Allows and Written on the Wind. Then in 1956 came his biggest role ever, Giant (which got him his only nomination for best actor) alongside James Dean. He was in a few films with his long time friend Doris Day such Pillow Talk and his favourite of his films, Ice Station Zebra. After this, he began to do mainly TV shows, most notably McMillan & Wife.
However way you look at him, he was adored by women, admired by men and became quite an icon and will also be remembered as the first major star to be diagnosed with AIDS and his brave struggle throughout the 1980s.
It is one of Rock Hudson's best performances (Rock also called it his favourite performance along with Giant) and is a terrific look at people in the 1960s who are fed up with the way they are living as Rock plays a character who is married with a daughter but things are not as they used to be and wishes to start his life from scratch.
Apparently, there is a way, and Rock finds a company that gives him a new life complete with a fake death, new face, new voice, the works. But is it that simple to start over? It is an excellent looking film as well with some great cinematography and deals with paranoia and a dash of science fiction with a terrifically haunting score to boot.
I am thinking of Rock Hudson because today in 1981, a disease cluster (later known as AIDS) was recognized by medical professionals in San Francisco, California. Unfortunately, Rock Hudson was the first major public figure to have died of AIDS.
By the 1980s, Rock was quite a heavy drinker and smoker as was not in his best shape and in 1981 he had a heart attack. He underwent emergency quintuple heart bypass surgery which he recovered from but this did not stop him from smoking and was still in ill shape. As his heart grew worse, rumours spread around Hollywood that the star was suffering from liver cancer. But on June 5th 1984, Rock was diagnosed with HIV.His publicity staff however did not want this information to be spread around and neither did Rock, so it was kept a secret, along with his homosexuality. Only his true friends knew about this such as Doris Day, Angie Dickinson, Robert Stack and Mamie Van Doren. Rock was also still working at the time, doing mainly TV work.
Then on July 25th, 1985, Rock Hudson mad a press release (whilst in Paris for treatment) that he was dying of AIDS. Rock felt that he had most probably contracted HIV though an infected doner in the multiple blood transfusion of his bypass. Hudson died later that year on October 2nd in his home in Beverly Hills. He was 59 years old.
We remember Rock for many of his great roles, starting with one of his first major appearance in the Winchester '73, then a much bigger role in Bend of the River, and then began his team up with director Douglas Sirk in Magnificent Obsession, All That Heaven Allows and Written on the Wind. Then in 1956 came his biggest role ever, Giant (which got him his only nomination for best actor) alongside James Dean. He was in a few films with his long time friend Doris Day such Pillow Talk and his favourite of his films, Ice Station Zebra. After this, he began to do mainly TV shows, most notably McMillan & Wife.However way you look at him, he was adored by women, admired by men and became quite an icon and will also be remembered as the first major star to be diagnosed with AIDS and his brave struggle throughout the 1980s.
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