THE HANDS OF ORLAC is an exceptional German silent film and was remade in Hollywood just a few years later as MAD LOVE (starring another German, Peter Lorre). Both are well worth seeing, as they are quite different in how they portray the leading character.
The film begins with a pianist (Conrad Veidt) having his hands tragically severed in an accident. However, in an amazing bit of surgery, the hands of an executed man are grafted seamlessly onto Orlac. Oddly, however, the pianist is haunted by the ghost of this dead man and the hands seem to have a mind of their own--with a strong desire to kill!!
During all this film, Veidt overacts horribly--even for a silent film. In many ways, he acts much like the main character from THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI--a famous German Expressionist film made almost a decade earlier. For a 1919 film, this wasn't a problem, but by 1924 this sort of acting was becoming a bit passé. While not bad, you can't deny that he over-emotes here and there.
Despite this over-emoting, the film is quite exciting and well-paced. The horror film has some wonderful twists and turns that keep the audience guessing and the excitement never lets up until the very end. One of the better silent films and fortunately the DVD print is top quality.
The film begins with a pianist (Conrad Veidt) having his hands tragically severed in an accident. However, in an amazing bit of surgery, the hands of an executed man are grafted seamlessly onto Orlac. Oddly, however, the pianist is haunted by the ghost of this dead man and the hands seem to have a mind of their own--with a strong desire to kill!!
During all this film, Veidt overacts horribly--even for a silent film. In many ways, he acts much like the main character from THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI--a famous German Expressionist film made almost a decade earlier. For a 1919 film, this wasn't a problem, but by 1924 this sort of acting was becoming a bit passé. While not bad, you can't deny that he over-emotes here and there.
Despite this over-emoting, the film is quite exciting and well-paced. The horror film has some wonderful twists and turns that keep the audience guessing and the excitement never lets up until the very end. One of the better silent films and fortunately the DVD print is top quality.