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| HANDS OF A STRANGER
(director/writer: Newt Arnold; screenwriter: based on
the novel by Maurice Renard "Les
Mains d'Orlac"; cinematographer:
Henry Cronjager; editor: Bert Honey; music: Richard
LaSalle; cast: James Stapleton (Vernon
Paris), Paul Lukather (Dr. Gil Harding), Joan
Harvey (Dina Paris), Michael Du Pont (Dr.
Ken Fry), Elaine Martone (Eileen), Larry Haddon (Police
Lieutenant Syms), Michael Rye (George
Britton), Irish McCalla
(Holly), Ted Otis (Dr. Ross Compton), Sally Kellerman
(Sue), George Sawaya (Cab driver,
Tony Wilder), Barry Gordon (Skeet);
Runtime: 86; MPAA Rating: NR; producers: Michael Dupont/Newt
Arnold; Allied Artists; 1962) "Adequate chiller before it loses its tune." Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz Adequate chiller before it loses its tune. It's awkwardly presented, the acting is stilted and by the end it turns overwrought. Directed and written by longtime assistant director Newt Arnold ("Bloodsport"/"Blood Thirst"). Even though it disappoints, it still retains some integrity to the original and offers a few fresh touches like a possible incestuous relationship between the pianist and his sister. It's a remake of the 1924 Robert Wiene silent The Hands of Orlac, and was filmed three other times. This version is the one least seen of the four movies. All are based on the 1920 novel Les Mains d'Orlac by French writer Maurice Renard. While
self-absorbed concert pianist Vernon Paris
(James Stapleton) is riding in the cab of an
inattentive driver (George Sawaya), a traffic
accident occurs and his hands are mangled beyond
repair. Just two hours before an unidentified
robbery victim of a street shooting dies on the
operating table of idealistic city hospital
surgeon Dr. Gil Harding (Paul
Lukather) and without family
permission his loyal team of Dr.
Ross Compton (Ted
Otis), Dr.
Ken Fry (Michael
Du Pont) and the nurse
Holly (Irish
McCalla),
transplant the robbery victim's
powerful hands onto the concert
pianist. Vernon's loyal manager
George Britton (Michael
Rye)
and close-knit
attractive sister
Dina (Joan
Harvey) are
all over the good
doctor, but he
convinces them to
give the
experimental
surgery a chance
and becomes
romantically
involved with sis.
But while those
concerned wait for
Vernon to recover
and see if he can
play again, he
goes on a
vengeance spree
using his powerful
new hands to kill
his rejecting
bitchy former
socialite
girlfriend Eileen
(Elaine
Martone),
the cabby's
10-year-old piano
playing son Skeet
(Barry Gordon) and one of the operating team of
doctors and
his girlfriend
Sue (Sally
Kellerman).
This brings on
the creepy Lt.
Syms (Laurence
Haddon) to
investigate,
and he becomes
interested in
whose hands
were grafted
onto the
pianist. It
starts out
engrossing,
but in the end
the black and
white film
never
convinces us
the hands
could go out
of control and
start killing
on their own.
The dialogue
is often
ludicrous and
sounding more
theatrical
than for a
movie, as
Doctor Gil
tells his star
patient "Don't
let fear drive
you into a pit
of
superstition."
It results
in a lurid B
film that has
a few good
moments you
can count on
one hand. But
when it turns
the pianist
into a monster
and the doctor
into a killing
machine
pompous ass,
there's no
other
character in
the film we
can sympathize
with and
that's too
much of a
downer to
overcome. REVIEWED ON 9/7/2012 GRADE: B- Dennis Schwartz: "Ozus' World Movie Reviews" © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED DENNIS SCHWARTZ |