The sinister hands of Dr. Orlak
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The sinister hands of Dr. Orlak |
| Original title | The Hands of Orlac |
| Country of production | Great Britain , France |
| original language | English , French |
| Publishing year | 1960 |
| length | 94 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 18 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Edmond T. Gréville |
| script | Edmond T. Gréville John Baines Donald Taylor |
| production |
Steven Pallos Donald Taylor |
| music | Claude Bolling |
| camera |
Desmond Dickinson Jacques Lemare |
| cut |
Oswald port judge Jean Ravel |
| occupation | |
| |
The sinister hands of Dr. Orlak (Original title: The Hands of Orlac ) is a horror film by the director Edmond T. Gréville from 1960 . The screenplay for the British-French co-production is based on the novel Les mains d'Orlac by Maurice Renard , which was published in 1920.
action
Concert pianist Steven Orlak suffers severe burns to his hands in a plane crash near Paris. His fiancée Louise Cochrane takes him to see the surgeon Professor Volchett, who is known for his skin grafts. Volchett transplanted the pianist's skin from the hands of the executed murderer Vasseur, a female strangler.
After a while Orlak gives another concert. But he cannot control his hands when he appears. Over time, he becomes convinced that his new hands are only capable of brutal deeds. His cat is found dead, Orlak tries to strangle Louise, now his wife. He leaves his domicile in Monte Carlo and goes into hiding in Marseille. Nero, a second-rate magician, hears of Orlak's fear of unintentional murder.
Nero forces his assistant Li-lang to help him blackmail Orlak. However, Orlak returns to London with his wife, where he again plans to strangle her. Police officers handed him a telegram from which Orlak learned that the executed Vasseur was convicted of innocence. Orlak regained his mental powers and helps the police convict Nero who murdered Li-lang who threatened to expose his crimes.
Reviews
The lexicon of international films described the film as a "moderately exciting horror film that tries in vain to use the psychological moment to increase tension."
background
The world premiere took place in December 1960. The film was first shown in Germany on March 3, 1961.
The film is the third adaptation of the novel after Orlac's hands , which was directed by Robert Wiene in 1924 with Conrad Veidt in the title role. Another film adaptation of the novel was made in 1934. The US production Mad Love was directed by Karl Freund . The leading roles played Peter Lorre and Colin Clive . The French TV film Des voix dans la nuit - Les mains d'Orlac by Peter Kassovitz with Jacques Bonnaffé in the title role was released in 1991.
The film, the last of Basil Sydney, was shot simultaneously in an English and a French version.
Web links
- The sinister hands of Dr. Orlak in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Eerie Hands of Dr. Orlak. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .