''The Hands of Orlac '' (a.k.a. ''Hands of the Strangler'') is a 1960 British-French

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, ap ...

directed by Edmond T. Gréville, starring

Mel Ferrer Melchor Gastón Ferrer (August 25, 1917 – June 2, 2008) was an American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. He achieved prominence on Broadway before scoring notable film hits with ''Scaramouche'', ''Lili'' and ''Knights of the Round ...

Christopher Lee Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor and singer. In a long career spanning more than 60 years, Lee often portrayed villains, and appeared as Count Dracula in seven Hammer Horror films, ultim ...

, and

Dany Carrel Yvonne Suzanne Chazelles de Chaxel, better known as Dany Carrel, (born 20 September 1932 or 20 September 1935) is a French actress. She was born in Vietnam - then French Indochina - to French father Aimé Chazelles de Chaxel and his Vietnamese mi ...

, and based on the novel ''

Les Mains d'Orlac ''Les Mains d'Orlac'' ( en, italic=yes, The Hands of Orlac) is a French fantasy/horror novel written by Maurice Renard, first published in 1920. It is an early example of the body horror theme in fiction. Plot The pianist Stephen Orlac suffer ...

'' by

Maurice Renard Maurice Renard (28 February 1875, Châlons-en-Champagne – 18 November 1939, Rochefort-Sur-Mer) was a French writer. Career Renard authored the archetypal mad scientist novel '' Le Docteur Lerne, sous-dieu'' r. Lerne - Undergod(1908), wh ...

Cast

... Stephen Orlac *

... Nero the magician *

... Régina / Li-Lang *

Lucile Saint-Simon Lucile Saint-Simon (born 19 October 1932) is a French actress from the Paris suburb of Corbeil-Essonnes. She appeared in such feature films as ''Les Bonnes Femmes'' (1960), '' The Hands of Orlac'' (1962), ''La donnaccia'' (Italian, 1965). In 2011, ...

... Louise Cochrane Orlac * Felix Aylmer ... Dr. Francis Cochrane * Peter Reynolds ... Mr. Felix *

Basil Sydney Basil Sydney (23 April 1894 – 10 January 1968) was an English stage and screen actor. Career Sydney made his name in 1915 in the London stage hit ''Romance'' by Edward Sheldon, with Broadway star Doris Keane, and he costarred with Keane in t ...

... Maurice Seidelman * Campbell Singer ... Inspector Henderson *

Donald Wolfit Sir Donald Wolfit, KBE (born Donald Woolfitt; Harwood, Ronald"Wolfit, Sir Donald (1902–1968)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, September 2004; online edn, January 2008; accessed 14 July 2009 20 April 1902 ...

... Professor Volchett *

Donald Pleasence Donald Henry Pleasence (; 5 October 1919 – 2 February 1995) was an English actor. He began his career on stage in the West End before transitioning into a screen career, where he played numerous supporting and character roles including RAF ...

... Graham Coates * Peter Bennett ... 1st Member * George Merritt ... 2nd Member *

Arnold Diamond Arnold Diamond (18 April 1915 – 18 March 1992) was an English character actor, regularly cast in small parts on television. He graduated from RADA in 1936, and his stage work included the RSC, and three years in Agatha Christie's '' The Mo ...

... Dresser *

Janina Faye Janina Faye Smigielski (born 1948) is an English actress and director. She is a daughter of Florence Louisa Jonathan and Jan Smigielski. Her father was a Polish pilot from No. 303 Squadron RAF during the Battle of Britain. Faye began her career ...

... Child *

Gertan Klauber George Gertan Klauber (5 March 1932 – 1 August 2008) was a British bit part character actor. Klauber was born in Czechoslovakia, and after training at the Birmingham Theatre School, his stage appearances included with the RSC and the Nat ...

... Fairground attendant *

Mireille Perrey Mireille Perrey (1904–1991) was a French stage and film actress.Goble p.328 Perrey played some leading roles in the 1930s but gradually developed into a character actor, appearing in films such as the British comedy ''Hotel Sahara'' (1951). In 1 ...

... Madame Aliberti * David Peel ... Airplane's pilot * Walter Randall ... Waiter *

Anita Sharp-Bolster Anita Sharp-Bolster (28 August 1895 – 1 June 1985) was an Irish-born American actress who appeared in 88 films and 12 TV series from 1928 to 1978. She was sometimes billed as Anita Bolster. Early life She was born 28 August 1895 in Glen ...

... Volchett's Assistant *

Manning Wilson Manning (a.k.a. Mannion, Manning) is a family name. Origin and meaning Manning is from an old Norse word — manningi — meaning a brave or valiant man; and one of the first forms of the name was Mannin; another cartography was Mannyg ...

... Inspector Jagger * Yanilou ... Emilie * Edouard Hemme ... Auge *

Charles Lamb Charles Lamb (10 February 1775 – 27 December 1834) was an English essayist, poet, and antiquarian, best known for his '' Essays of Elia'' and for the children's book '' Tales from Shakespeare'', co-authored with his sister, Mary Lamb (1764� ...

... Guard

Production

The film was shot in both French and English versions.John Hamilton, ''The British Independent Horror Film 1951-70'' Hemlock Books 2013 p 91-96

Critical reception

Derek Winnert found it "intriguing and partly enjoyable if sometimes strained and lethargic".

References

External links

* 1960 films 1960 horror films 1960s multilingual films British horror films British multilingual films English-language French films Films about pianos and pianists Films based on horror novels Films based on French novels Films directed by Edmond T. Gréville French horror films French multilingual films 1960s French-language films Films scored by Claude Bolling 1960s British films 1960s French films {{1960s-horror-film-stub