The hand

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Movie
German title The hand
Original title The hand
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1981
length 104 minutes
Age rating FSK 16
Rod
Director Oliver Stone
script Oliver Stone
production Bert Kamerman
Clark L. Paylow
Edward R. Pressman
music James Horner
camera King Baggot
cut Richard Marks
occupation

The hand (original title: The Hand ) is a horror film directed by Oliver Stone based on the novel The Lizard's Tail by Marc Brandel . The main roles are played by Michael Caine and Andrea Marcovicci .

action

Jon Lansdale is a comic book writer and writes and draws the adventures of the hero Mandro , which are published as a comic strip in a daily newspaper . Dissatisfied with life in rural Vermont and their marriage, his wife Anne wants to live with their daughter Lizzie in New York City for a period apart from Jon . The couple argue about moving when Jon's hand is severed in a car accident. The hand is not found and Jon cannot continue drawing. He increasingly suffers from memory gaps and threatening visions of the severed hand, which seems to lead a life of its own. Jon accepts an offer to teach at a college in California , but Anne and Lizzie stay in New York until Christmas. He meets professor Brian, who is having an affair with student Stella.

Brian and Stella make plans for a two-week vacation together in Los Angeles . Brian tells Jon about their plans without realizing that Jon is also sleeping with Stella. Shortly before the start of the vacation, Stella disappears without a trace. Anne and Lizzie visit Jon in California. Brian confronts Jon, accusing him of having a relationship with Stella. A little later, Brian is strangled by the severed hand. Anne reveals to Jon that she is leaving him for good and that Lizzie should live with her. Jon is furious. Anne is attacked by the hand and almost dies. The arriving police find the body of Stella in Jon's trunk after Brian was dead. Jon is declared insane and admitted to a mental institution, where the hand strangles his psychiatrist.

Reviews

"A subtle, almost undercooled horror film that does not support a fantastic idea: the choking hand is too weak as a symbol of a split character, too strong as a nightmare."

- Lexicon of international film

“Stone takes a significant risk portraying his hero as a bastard. Caine's performance is terrifying, the nostrils puffed up and the fangs exposed. "

- New York Magazine , May 11, 1981.

"Mr. Stone's script is tight, precise and consistent in its method and apparently perfectly implemented by the performances of the very good ensemble, especially Mr. Caine. The self-confident way in which the script reveals the further plot shows that this film was directed by someone who knows exactly what he's doing. "

- Vincent Canby

Remarks

  • The film was shot mostly in California.
  • The hand was with a budget of about 16 million US dollars produced and played in the US, only about 2.5 million to the box office.
  • The day of the premiere in the USA was April 24, 1981. In the Federal Republic, the film was first released in October 1985 (video premiere).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ David Bishop: Starring Michael Caine. London 2003, ISBN 1-903111-57-9 , pp. 98ff.
  2. ↑ a b The hand. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  3. ↑ criticism on movies.nytimes.com, accessed on 25 October of 2010.
  4. ^ Locations , accessed October 25, 2010.
  5. ↑ Box office / business , accessed October 25, 2010.