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Kino on Video presents

The Hands of Orlac (Orlacs Hände) (1924)

"Save his hands....His hands are more than his life."- Yvonne Orlac (Alexandra Sorina)

Stars: Conrad Veidt, Alexandra Sorina, Fritz Kortner
Other Stars: Fritz Strassny, Paul Askonas, Carmen Cartellieri, Hans Homma
Director: Robert Wiene

MPAA Rating: Not Rated for (disturbing imagery, some violence)
Run Time: 01h:52m:55s
Release Date: 2008-02-19
Genre: horror

Style
Grade
Substance
Grade
Image Transfer
Grade
Audio Transfer
Grade
Extras
Grade
B BBA- C+

 

DVD Review

The novel Les mains d'Orlac by Maurice Renard has formed the basis for a number of surgical horror stories, including the memorably daft Mad Love (1935). But the ball began rolling with this 1924 Austrian adaptation, with the great Conrad Veidt in the lead, and Robert Wiene of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari fame at the helm over Veidt again. While it may prove to be stiff going in some spots for modern viewers, it's undeniably influential and we're greatly indebted to Kino for both bringing this film to disc and providing additional restoration over and above that done by the Murnau-Stiftung a few years ago.

The tale follows recently-retired concert pianist Paul Orlac (Veidt), who is returning home in triumph to his wife Yvonne (Alexandra Sorina). But an accident on the train destroys Orlac's hands, and a desperate Yvonne calls on Dr. Serral (Hans Homma) to do something, anything. Serral complies with an experimental procedure that gives Orlac the hands of Vasseur, who has just been guillotined for murder. Orlac's recovery, while seemingly total, doesn't go as planned; his hands refuse to play the piano, but instead seem to be bent on homicide and controlling Paul's will. When Paul's father (Fritz Strassny) is murdered with Vasseur's knife, Orlac's mind begins to go over the edge, and he is haunted by a cloaked figure that just might be Vasseur, come to reclaim his hands.

Unfortunately, much of the feature is played in high melodramatic style, with Sorina being a particular offender. Her acting is overbroad and histrionic even by silent standards, making what should be serious sequences seem laughable. On the other hand, they do set up part of Veidt's portrayal of Orlac. His early scenes, and his first post-surgery scenes, are nicely underplayed and have a modern feel to them. But once he learns the truth about the source of his hands from a mysterious note, the power of suggestion takes over and he goes off the deep end in a big way. While at a few times his rigid and twitchy persona is a bit ridiculous, there's also palpable torment in nearly every post-surgical scene that he appears in. Without Veidt in the lead this wouldn't be nearly so memorable as it is, but he pulls it off fairly well. Also noteworthy is Fritz Kortner as Orlac's spectral visitor, with a spiteful, porcine face that seems to drip venom.

The photography is an interesting mixture of German Expressionism, with darkness surround slashes of light, and realism, best exemplified by the train wreck sequence. The aftermath of the train wreck, which goes on for quite a while, is rather harrowing although very little is actually seen of the ill-fated passengers; everything is conveyed by the difficulty of the rescuers (including Yvonne), as they try to make their way through the wreckage and their horror at the unseen damage. The dream sequences are also powerful, as Orlac behaves much like Cesare, the somnambulist played by Veidt in Caligari. While light is often splashed weirdly and creates a dissociative effect, it's never quite as off the wall as in Caligari, but it's certainly well suited to this other tale of a highly troubled mind. The line between Orlac's dementia and reality frequently blurs, with vital clues that seem to be from within his psyche obtaining a suspicious reality that sets up the modestly disappointing finale. The surreal atmosphere is heightened by the churchlike set design that emphasizes the forbidden areas of Orlac's mind that are being tapped into, starting with the Freudian castration symbolism and the possibly Oedipal rivalry between Orlac and his father. The pace is definitely deliberate, and between that and the overacting on the part of some cast members, this can be something of a tough viewing.

However, Hands of Orlac is rarely seen and certainly of historical importance, especially for the reteaming of Veidt and Wiene. The basis of the presentation is a 35mm print that was found in 1995 and restored by the F.W. Murnau Foundation. In presenting this DVD, Kino has also added about three minutes of footage derived from a 16mm print held by the Raymond Rohauer Collection; although a bit dupier, that material is certainly welcome. About five minutes of the film remains totally lost. The intertitles are presented in English, with English translations of letters and newspaper articles being inserted over the German texts.

Rating for Style: B
Rating for Substance: B

 

Image Transfer

 One
Aspect Ratio1.33:1 - Full Frame
Original Aspect Ratioyes
Anamorphicno


Image Transfer Review: On the one hand, the source print is in fairly rough shape, with some contrast problems that result in blooming whites, warps, tears, scratches and other forms of damage. On the other hand, there's not much other choice for 35mm source material, and as the bonuses demonstrate the 16mm source prints aren't very good either. The greyscale is pretty good when contrast is not overwhelming. Kino has done a fine HD transfer, however, and there is no ghosting of any kind. The film seems to be run at sound speed, which is somewhat ridiculous at times but at others the action is so slow that it's hard to imagine the running time being much longer.

Image Transfer Grade: B
 

Audio Transfer

 LanguageRemote Access
DS 2.0(music only)no


Audio Transfer Review: Paul Mercer provides an original score which, while undeniably creepy, is seldom concerned with the action onscreen. In short, this might as well be a needle-drop score, especially since it offers strings playing while Orlac plays the piano (though there is an emulation of a gramophone in one short sequence). It is well-recorded, however, and certainly sets a mood of discomfort and doom.

Audio Transfer Grade: A- 

Disc Extras

Static menu with music
Scene Access with 16 cues and remote access
Production Notes
Packaging: generic plastic keepcase
Picture Disc
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: RSDL
Layers Switch: 01h:15m:49s

Extra Extras:
  1. scene comparisons
  2. gallery
Extras Review: Kino offers some intriguing extras in support of the feature. First up is a set of comparisons between three key sequences as seen in the 35mm print and the 16mm print, which are from different negatives and are edited differently as well. On occasion these offer the same takes, but not always, giving some very different readings, especially to Veidt's Orlac. These can be viewed separately, or simultaneously on the screen, the latter with an informative commentary by Kino's Bret Wood. It's a fascinating glimpse at silent filmmaking with multiple cameras to create domestic and export negatives, and as an extra excerpts from Renard's floridly-written book that describe these scenes are included too. There is a solid set of notes on the restoration, and 30 screens of notices by John T. Soister about the film itself, including the reviews from Europe (which generally loved it) and the United States (which generally hated it, albeit in cut-down fashion). Finally, there's a gallery of 18 stills and posters.

Extras Grade: C+
 

Final Comments

Although it may be difficult going for some, this presentation is definitely of interest to silent fans and students of German Expressionist technique; Veidt's thoroughly deranged performance makes it enjoyable on a number of levels. While the source print is in somewhat rough shape, this is an exceedingly rare film and many allowances need to be made.

Mark Zimmer 2008-02-19