Die unheimlichen Hände des Dr. Orlak

1960's "The Hands of Orlac" was the third screen version of Maurice Renard's 1920 "Les Mains d'Orlac," following Conrad Veidt's 1924 German silent and Karl Freund's 1935 "Mad Love" (a fourth remake was completed months later, Newton Arnold's uncredited "Hands of a Stranger"). Edmond T. Greville served as both screenwriter and director, shooting each scene in English first, then again in French, ensuring added sex appeal for the slightly longer Continental version. Mel Ferrer sadly contributes a somnambulistic performance in the central role, an acclaimed pianist irresistible to women but about to wed fiancee Louise (Lucile Saint Simon), only for his hands to come out badly damaged from a plane crash (the pilot is played by David Peel, recent Baron Meinster in Hammer's "The Brides of Dracula"). The renowned surgeon Professor Volcheff (Sir Donald Wolfit) is swiftly engaged to work miracles for Orlac, whose recovery involves learning of the concurrent execution of strangler Louis Vasseur, becoming convinced that his repaired appendages formerly belonged to Vasseur. Choosing to simply give up on his career and the woman who loves him, he then finds himself targeted by Christopher Lee's second rate magician Nero, introduced after a lethargic opening half hour, calling on sexy assistant Li-Lang (Dany Carrel) to seduce Orlac and find out what he's running away from. Dany and Lucile offer such stunning pulchritude that Ferrer's absolute lack of passion remains baffling (he was married to actress Audrey Hepburn at the time), leaving all the dramatics to Lee's over the top theatrics and maniacal laughter, the only life that maintains audience interest. In trying to capitalize on the connection with the deceased strangler he hopes to drive Orlac insane or perhaps to murder, an unlikely blackmail scheme that involves Li-Lang to pose as Vasseur's widow. A superb supporting cast is wasted, Felix Aylmer, previously strangled by Lee as "The Mummy," arrives during the final third as Louise's distinguished father, going to Scotland Yard to assuage fears that Orlac's hands are not his own. Sir Donald Wolfit's presence is thrown away as the surgeon, unlike Peter Lorre's obsessive turn in "Mad Love," and a two minute cameo from Donald Pleasence comes at the 65 minute mark, his sculptor Graham Coates obviously intrigued by those fascinating fingers. Lee's role as tormentor is similar to Peter Lorre, merely a small time con artist with delusions of grandeur rather than a brilliant doctor, ably recreating the scene dressed up as the executed killer, complete with steel hooks in place of hands, but neither Mel Ferrer here nor James Stapleton in "Hands of a Stranger" earn the kind of sympathy that Colin Clive engendered in the 1935 version.

There have been at least four versions of this story*. The original silent version is the best, though the sound remake with Peter Lorre is awfully good. The 1962 version, sadly, is so bad it's almost unwatchable. So what about this 1960 British version? Is it worth your time? It's current rating of 5.6 might seem to indicate the answer, but I decided to watch it and give it a chance.

Shortly after the story begins, the great concert pianist, Orlac (Mel Ferrer) is in an accident and he loses his hands. Considering how important these hands are, it's not surprising that the doctors would try something radical for 1960...give him a double hand transplant! But what they don't realize is that the dead donor was a murderer...and somehow these murderous impulses have been passed on through the hands to Orlac!

Apart from some distracting music, there's nothing wrong with this film...nor anything particularly right about it either. You've got a great basic story but the acting (Ferrer was a fine actor....but not here) and look of the film is a bit cheap. My advice is see one of the previous versions...they are both so much better and have much more energy than this slow version.

*There also was a short remake made for one of "The Simpson's" Halloween specials. In it Snake is finally executed for his infamous crimes and his cool head of hair is transplanted onto Homer...with expected results.

> Christopher Lee told online entertainment site 'Entertainment Asylum' that > there were some movies of his that he'd never watch again. This one was > undoubtedly one of them. The dialogue and plot are banal, and the background > music is virtually nonexistent, meaning that the movie is full of long, > pregnant pauses as actors stride into rooms to read their > lines. > > Nevertheless, Christopher Lee plays an excellent villain. In fact, when put > up against Mel Ferrer's weak portrayal of concert pianist Stephen Orlac, > it's impossible to avoid rooting for the bad guy. > > This is a picture of British horror entertainment before Hammer came along. > All I can say is, thank goodness for Hammer! Watch it for Lee's acting, > Other than that, be prepared to laugh your head off.

A good story and a good cast are wasted in this amateurishly written and directed misfire. It's nearly as bad as Ed Wood films like PLAN NINE FROM OUTER SPACE.

How these no-talents managed to engage so many name actors is a mystery. It was a French production, I guess, and they tried to film it in French and English, but the results are amazingly tacky and clumsy.

Virtually every scene falls flat or is unintentionally funny. But it's not quite bad enough to be good, like PLAN NINE. It's just bad.

What's worse? Christopher Lee's unintentionally comic "maniacal laughter"? Or the jaunty, jazzy musical score. Apparently no one told the composer he was writing music for a horror film. The grimmest scenes are accompanied by toodling flutes and cheery jazz riffs that would be more appropriate to a 1960s documentary on "Swingin' London".

The best version BY FAR of this much-filmed story is 1935's MAD LOVE, directed by the great Karl Freund, with Peter Lorre.

One of the numerous film versions of the compelling story of The Hands of Orlac, a pianist who has a murderer's hands grafted on to his after an accident. This time Mel Ferrer is Stephen Orlac. Ferrer actually does a pretty good job in this rather complex role of someone being torn apart not by the fact that he kills but rather by the thought that he sometimes thinks he must or will kill. There is only one murder in this film, so if action is your poison you might want to pass. However, despite the lack of action and any real budget in this film, the film is rather good, especially during the second half where the pace is picked up considerably. Christopher Lee as a blackmailing magician is the real star of the film as he plays one of his oiliest, slickest bad guys on film. Lee oozes a kind of vitriolic charm as he maniacally laughs and speaks ever so nicely whilst blackmailing. Danny Carrel plays his lovely French-speaking assistant with gusto, charm, and lusciousness. The film has a good cast of character actors like Felix Alymer, Donald Pleasance in a meaningless yet nice cameo, and Sir Donald Wolfit in an equally small role. Modern(what passed for modern then) music plays throughout.The film is markedly different from many other versions, and in particular Mad Love. It has an interesting twist ending. All in all a pretty good little film.