The Hands of Orlac

The Hands of Orlac is a 1960 French-Italian horror-thriller film directed by Edouard Molinaro. The movie is an adaptation of a novel of the same name by Peter Curtis, and it stars Mel Ferrer as Dr. Delambre and Melina Mercouri as his wife Solange. The film begins with Dr. Delambre (Ferrer) performing surgery to graft new hands onto a pianist, Stefan Orlac (Jean Sorel). Orlac is a world-famous pianist known for his exceptional talent and beautiful music. However, during a performance on a night train, a derailment causes severe injuries to Orlac, and both of his hands are amputated in a desperate attempt to save his life. As Orlac begins his physical therapy and recovery process, Dr. Delambre explains that the new hands to be grafted onto him were obtained from his brother André, who was a convicted murderer. It's revealed that André Delambre was put to death for his crimes, but his hands were spared during the autopsy, and they have been kept for transplantation purposes. Orlac is initially unsure about the origin of his new hands, but as he starts to play the piano again with the grafted hands, he becomes increasingly unsettled. At first, he attributes his unease to the still unfamiliar feeling of his new limbs, but as time passes, he begins to sense something peculiar about his transformed hands. He experiences vivid, disturbing dreams, where the hands seem to have a life of their own, hinting at the dark history they bear. As Orlac delves deeper into his brother's case, he uncovers a dark family secret: Dr. Delambre had also experimented with other transplantation procedures, including attaching an arm to a deceased woman. Orlac becomes consumed by his brother's dark legacy and the hands' eerie aura, feeling an inexplicable connection to André and his atrocities. Orlac's behavior becomes erratic and violent, causing friction between him and his sister-in-law Solange (Mercouri). Solange tries to understand Orlac's transformation and struggles to connect with him as a caring wife, but she is also increasingly disturbed by her former husband's sinister transformation. As the hands continue to exert an unsettling influence over Orlac, Solange becomes convinced that they have indeed taken control over his actions. She confides in her husband, Dr. Delambre, hoping for guidance on how to help her husband, but he seems unconcerned and more focused on his experimental endeavors. Meanwhile, a detective, who had been investigating Andre's crimes, is on the hunt for any remaining clues. Unbeknownst to Orlac, he had been involved in André's trial and had developed a fixation on the case. He begins to look into Dr. Delambre's past, searching for connections between the missing body parts and the tragic accident on the night train. As tensions escalate, Solange attempts to take the hands off Orlac, hoping that will break the grip of the dark energy driving him. In a heart-wrenching confrontation, Solange confesses to the doctor that she believes Orlac is not himself anymore, and the hands have taken over his body and soul. In a climactic and terrifying twist, it becomes clear that Orlac's fate is sealed. Dr. Delambre's true intentions as Orlac's caregiver, however, are finally exposed: he has no intention of separating the hands; they are an integral part of his larger plan for transplanting various body parts, effectively transforming humans into hybrids of sorts. Solange's desperate attempt to rescue Orlac fails, and, in a state of absolute despair, she is forced to flee for her own life. Tragically, Orlac, consumed completely by the malevolent energy emanating from the hands, succumbs to a gruesome and untimely demise.