The Hands of Orlac, the 1924 silent version directed by Robert Wiene with Conrad Veidt in the title role, and Karl Freund's Mad Love (1935) with Colin Clive as Orlac and Peter Lorre as the demented Doctor Gogol still stand as the most memorable screen versions of the Renard novel while other renditions include the 1960 remake The Hands of Orlac with Mel Ferrer and Christopher Lee and numerous European television productions. Based on the 1920 novel Les Mains d'Orlac by French writer Maurice Renard, Hands of a Stranger (1962) is probably the most obscure movie adaptation of this famous horror tale which has been filmed numerous times before and since. Synopsis by Hal Erickson Hands of a Stranger was adapted by playwright Arthur Kopit from the best-selling novel by Robert Daley. Philip Casnoff is the smarmy coach who Armand's wife (Beverly D'Angelo) was in a no-tell motel with where they were starting an aborted affair (she changed her mind) when Arliss Howard broke into the room, tied them up, raped her and took pictures for blackmail. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. And I have not heard from anyone else that these movies seem a lot alike. When his sister and Dr. Harding appear, Vernon grabs the doctor and attempts to strangle him. He begins working on his own, often coming to wrong conclusions. web pages Addeddate. 1962, Celebrated pianist Vernon Paris (James Stapleton) is at the height of his talent and fame when he is severely injured in a traffic accident and his hands are mangled beyond repair. Sign Up now to stay up to date with all of the latest news from TCM. A competent TV movie version of Robert Daley's bestseller about ambitious cop Armand Assante trying to find the man who raped his wife during a romantic tryst. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Low budget with mediocre actors, it's still not bad. The story line is great, and you'll want to see the whole thing at one time. The two key women are extraordinarily good, Ms. Brown a model of professional intensity, Ms. D'Angelo the shattered victim. Uploaded by Crew. By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. As he reaches out to her, she becomes repelled by his scarred hands, knocking over a candle and setting her dress on fire. He is prevented from committing still another murder by the timely arrival of the police. Hands of a Stranger 2h 1987 Overview Synopsis Credits Film Details Notes Brief Synopsis Read More An ambitious, recently-promoted narcotics inspector becomes obsessed with discovering the truth about the rape of his pretty, neglected wife, while becoming involved romantically with an equally ambitious woman DA. Good performances by Armand Assante, Beverly D"Angelo and Blair Brown. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Armand Asante must have gained more of an understanding of gender roles from his Italian father than from his Irish mother because he is so much more believable as a hard-boiled macho cop than he would be as a drunken poet. A concert pianist loses his hands in a car accident, but has new hands transplanted from an unknown man. Addeddate. Will Assante forget everything he's learned about police procedure and attempt to take the law into his own hands? 1st of all whoever said this movie was only 2 hours & 10 minutes long must have seen a Butchered severely Edited version of it because I just saw the entire film and including the credits it's 3 hours,5 minutes and 46 seconds long. You can unsubscribe at any time. The fulcrum of the story is Joe Hearn (Armand Assante), an admired policeman who is just being promoted to Narcotics Bureau inspector. This 1960s horror film-related article is a stub. My favorite part of the clunky dialogue was the first . Discover the latest buzz-worthy books, from mysteries and romance to humor and nonfiction. This is a dark, seamy universe of policemen, lawyers and criminals, all caught up in some curious, at times appalling rite just teetering above total chaos. Totally underrated movie - great acting and great plot! When the hands of pianist Vernon Paris are destroyed in a taxicab accident, he receives a double hand transplant from a recent murder victim. Explore more. TV: NBC POLICE DRAMA, 'HANDS OF A STRANGER', https://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/09/arts/tv-nbc-police-drama-hands-of-a-stranger.html. In the subsequent days, Assante becomes something of an expert in rape evidence. Language. transplant, body horror, murder. When I first saw the preview for Derailed I immediately remembered a movie with Beverly D Angelo, where she has a fling, someone breaks into the hotel room, her and the Guy (the fling) are tied up or handcuffed, bad things happen to Beverly's character. Hands of a Stranger airs in two parts, Sunday and Monday at 9 p.m., on WPTV- Ch. by Jeff Stafford. 2023 Turner Classic Movies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. By using this site, you agree to our updated, Joining in midstream the concert introducing Vernon Paris (James Stapleton), cheered by his sister Dina (Joan Harvey) and press agent George (Michael Britton), joined afterward by girlfriend Elaine (Eileen Hunter), in, Facing the loss of the hands of injured pianist Vernon (James Stapleton), visionary surgeon Gil (Paul Lukather) confers with colleague Ken (Michael Du Pont), and the artist's agent (Michael Rye), in, Opening scenes, Los Angeles, a grisly, random killing, to the operating theater, surgically-masked introductions of Paul Lukather (as Dr. Gil Harding) and Michael Du Pont, who also produced, (as Dr. Ken Fry), in the low budget 1962 riff on. even without her wanting him to . He becomes distracted by becoming romantically involved with attractive lawyer Blair Brown. Search the history of over 797 billion Sign in Hands of a Stranger 1987 VHS Rip,. Also look and listen for jazz legends the Red Norvo Quintette in the background in one scene. It also features an early appearance by Sally Kellerman in her second film role as the ill-fated girlfriend of an assistant surgeon and Irish McCalla as a nurse; McCalla was a former pin-up in girlie magazines whose main claim to fame was playing the title role in the TV series, Sheena: Queen of the Jungle (1955-56). To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. What great promise this had, but what a "yawner" it was. A senior detective is assigned to crack a gang who are raping women and videoing them while doing so, then his own wife is raped, not by one of the gang but by a two-bit crook whose usual pastime is robbery coupled with blackmail. To view this content, please use one of the following compatible browsers: An ambitious, recently-promoted narcotics inspector becomes obsessed with discovering the truth about the rape of his pretty, neglected wife, while becoming involved romantically with an equally ambitious woman DA. Hands of a Stranger TV Movie 1987 TV-14 2 h 10 m IMDb RATING 6.0 /10 274 YOUR RATING Rate Crime Drama Romance A New York cop becomes obsessed with finding his wife's rapist. He visits the home of the cab driver responsible for the accident and hears his son play the piano. In the reviews I've read Clive and Jennifers characters have a fling and a Bad guy breaks in and rapes Jennifer's character, and then there is a major twist. Blair Brown is another police detective who is assigned to gang duty where a gang is doing the same thing, raping people and taking pictures. Mr. Casnoff's coach is strikingly persuasive, his smooth confidence quickly disintegrating into whimpering selfishness. He reveals his latest victim, then begins to manically pound on the piano keys, proving that he will never be able to play the instrument again. The experimental medical procedure goes awry when the new hands drive the pianist mad. Producer: Newt Arnold, Michael Du Pont Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future. Amazing things when you think about it. Hands Of A Stranger (1962) -- (Movie Clip) Try Something Radical, Ben Mankiewicz Intro -- Hands Of A Stranger (1962), Hands Of A Stranger (1962) -- (Movie Clip) There's Got To Be Death, Hands Of A Stranger (1962) -- (Movie Clip) Let My Ego Feed, Mar Eventually, the Hearn scenario expands to include Diane as Joe's lover and Mary's counsellor. 7. (music created by) Cinematography by Laszlo George . Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. Embarrassing or what? Menu. Topics. Despite the camp aspects of Hands of a Stranger, the movie is still more offbeat and engrossing than you'd expect from a relatively unknown B-movie of the sixties. See the article in its original context from. . [1962]starring Paul Lukather ,James Stapleton A concert pianist loses his hands in a car crash, but a surgeon gives him new ones. Hands of a Stranger (1987 TV Movie) Full Cast & Crew See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro Directed by Larry Elikann Writing Credits Cast (in credits order) complete, awaiting verification Produced by Music by Michel Rubini . 5 and WSVN-Ch. A community built around a love for movies. When the hands of pianist Vernon Paris are destroyed in a taxicab accident, he receives a double hand transplant from a recent murder victim. Like the characters, the pacing is caught up in an almost breathless tableau of rushing, darting and running. A 2 part miniseries about a cop who's bent on solving his wife's rape. Episode 23: The Ball of Light Part 2. Although lead surgeon Dr. Harding declares the operation a success, Vernon is visibly distressed and seems unable to accept his new hands. As he tries to heal, he finds himself slowly heading down the path of madness. Conducting his own investigation, Assante determines the rapist's identity while wiretapping a phoned-in attempt to blackmail his wife. | Larry Elikann. I guess seeing it in smaller installments, it would be more tolerable, but it just dragged, and dragged, and dragged. An ambitious, recently-promoted narcotics inspector becomes obsessed with discovering the truth about the rape of his pretty, neglected wife, while becoming involved romantically with an equally ambitious woman DA. The four-hour television movie - being broadcast tomorrow and Monday at 9 P.M. on NBC - is gripping from beginning to end. Is Hands of a Stranger (1987) streaming on Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Peacock, or 50+ other streaming services? . I haven't seen Derailed yet. While most of the pianist's homicidal behavior takes place off screen, there are two on-screen deaths that are still potent and disturbing [SPOILER ALERT]; the first involves former girlfriend Eileen (Elaine Martone) whose dress catches fire and she burns to death during a violent argument with Paris and the second is the demise of Skeet (child actor Barry Gordon), the son of the taxi driver who accidentally caused the fateful car accident. She turned the self-proclaimed 'party animal' into a devoted family man. Aired in United States on Video July 24, 1991. Armand Assante plays a New York City narcotics officer who aids DA Blair Brown in her investigation of a rape case in which drugs were involved. Director. Filming & Production Meanwhile, the doctor is questioned by Lieutenant Syms of the police department about the recent murder victim and the apparent secrecy surrounding his operating room. 13. Doesn't this movie remind you a lot like the new movie "Derailed"? He then becomes more focused on vengeance, and murders one of the doctors who assisted in the surgery, along with his fiance. Diane is importuning Joe to assign detectives to help her on a particularly vicious case. Feeling sullen and still unable to deal with having someone else's hands, Vernon seeks comfort from his girlfriend, Eileen, but she is unsympathetic. It carries an advisory from NBC, warning parents about its graphic visual content and rough language. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Director Larry Elikann Writers Robert Daley (based upon the book by) Arthur Kopit (teleplay by) Stars Armand Assante Blair Brown Beverly D'Angelo For example, Lt. Syms (Laurence Haddon), the detective investigating Paris's murdered donor, muses, "Hands. And only located it today on IMDb under Beverly D Angelo. Vernon then tries to play, but unable to do so, he attacks the boy, who hits his head on an obstruction and dies. He becomes distracted by becoming . TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Preceded by a warning that the film contained scenes of a violent and graphic nature, Hands of a Stranger was originally broadcast in two parts.Warning, I must remind viewers this video has sexual content. Co-starring in Hands of a Stranger is Arliss Howard as the scummy rapist. Hands of a Stranger is a 1962 American horror film directed by Newt Arnold and is unofficially the fourth film adaptation of The Hands of Orlac.[2]. Genres. But just from the reviews and the trailer I thought Derailed had to be a remake of this old movie I had seen years ago. Operating without authority, Dr. Gil Harding (Paul Lukather) decides to amputate the musician's ruined hands and replace them with those taken from a recent murder victim in the hopes that the experimental surgery will allow Paris to perform again. Armand Assante plays a New York City narcotics officer who aids DA Blair Brown in her investigation of a rape case in which drugs were involved. Close. Director: Newt Arnold A bit over the top in some ways, very thoughtful in other ways. Joe Hearn. Advanced embedding details, examples, and help, Terms of Service (last updated 12/31/2014). A surgeon (Paul Lukather) transplants a murdered man's hands to a concert pianist (James Stapleton) and the hands begin to drive him mad. Enjoy this party classic with an updated RT twist - fun for all the family! If you haven't seen it - go for it, you won't be disappointed. Although well-paced and appropriately doom-laden, Hands of a Stranger is also heavy-handed at times with often risible, theatrical dialogue that would not be out of place in a pretentious off-Broadway play. We're here to create a curated list of free movies you can watch online. Version which was done for TV - and then put on VHS is featured in two parts, and it's kind of long, almost 3 hours. Discussing their work with criminals, Joe and Diane agree that they enjoy ''being on the edge of something part of you doesn't want to see.'' (part 1) UK 3 January 1990 (part 2) France March 1992: Also Known As (AKA) (original title) Hands of a Stranger: Brazil: Chantagem: Brazil (alternative title) Nas Mos de um Manaco: Finland: Synopsis: Hands of a Stranger was adapted by playwright Arthur Kopit from the best-selling novel by Robert Daley. The U.S. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48_E9nF-03k, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mS8rvnHJ7c. Finally, after killing another doctor, Vernon retreats to an empty concert hall where his sister and Dr. Harding arrive shortly thereafter. A New York cop becomes obsessed with finding his wife's rapist.. I will definitely be adding this one to my home library. Morose, he visits his girl friend, Elleen Hunter, and is shattered psychologically when she is repelled by his scarred wrists. Consequently, when she knocks over a candlestick and sets fire to her gown, Vernon allows her to burn to death. The working title of this film is The Answer! 130 mins More at IMDb TMDb. Official Sites A brilliant pianist is horrifically injured in an automobile accident and ends up having new hands grafted to his body. I enjoyed watching Armand Assante as well as Beverly D'Angelo and Blair Brown. | Jack runs into Wendy at a grocery store and she ends up doing a startling reading on a complete stranger. Our hero's wife has been flattered by a younger man who takes her to one of these places on impulse after a liquid lunch - who says romance is dead? Everything comes together as Armand figures out that his wife *was* raped, but she lied to him about the circumstances. In today's world, many movies lack convincing story lines and sensible scenes - not so with this one, done in 1987. | I haven't seen Derailed yet. Diane Benton. "Hands of a Stranger (1962) - Full Synopsis - TCM.com", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hands_of_a_Stranger&oldid=1121232561, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 11 November 2022, at 06:39. Very intriguing story, and Armand Assante is intense as the detective who is trying to catch the guy who raped his wife. Writer. Filmed in Vancouver with, aside from the three leads and one or two others, an all-Canadian cast. Taut and unsettlingly irresistible, ''Hands of the Stranger'' marks a pronounced advance for the curious beast known as the television movie. Unlike Lorre's insidious surgeon in Mad Love who tries to drive his patient insane so he can possess his wife, Harding's intentions are noble and good, even though his romantic pursuit of Dina inadvertently pushes Paris to extremes. Although it is a shade on the long side, "Hands Of A Stranger" is a distinctly superior crime thriller with an unusual though plausible plot. Hands of a Stranger (Warner Archive DVD-R) Verified purchase. Synopsis. His modus operandi is taking embarrassing photographs of adulterers in one of those room-by-the-hour hotels. The hands of pianist Vernon Paris are horribly mutilated in a taxicab accident, and Dr. Gil Harding replaces them with those of a murdered man. misterwrightjos To view this content, please use one of the following compatible browsers: An experimental hand transplant leaves a pianist driven to kill. (1966) to The Thirsty Dead (1974). Half-crazed, he goes to an empty concert hall and maniacally pounds a piano keyboard. FEMAIL recapped their entire relationship . Richard LaSalle, who composed the dramatic score, was unusually prolific in the sixties and seventies, scoring everything from The Flight That Disappeared (1961) to Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! Although the transplant is successful, the pianist is so traumatized by the accident that he suffers a complete mental collapse, becoming increasingly violent with dark thoughts of revenge on those he holds responsible for his hated new appendages. All about cinema: directors and actors, rating, trailers, related news, stills. Hands of a Stranger is an effectively lurid B-movie take on the familiar story with atmospheric, noir-influenced cinematography by TV veteran Henry Cronjager, Jr. Writer/Director Newt Arnold provides some fresh variations on the Renard original that includes a close, almost incestuous relationship between Paris and his devoted sister Dina (Joan Harvey) and reverses our sympathies for the protagonists, making the pianist a raging monster and Dr. Harding the hero. Technical Specs, See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro, trainee assistant director (as Ani Barayvan), first assistant director (as James Robert Dyer), first assistant props (as Andreas Nieman), construction assistant (as Christian Rudolph), craft service (as Giselle Fredette) / first aid (as Giselle Fredette), body double: Beverly D'Angelo (uncredited). It was based on Robert Daley's best-selling novel, first published in 1985. Details. In his novel ''Hands of a Stranger,'' Robert Daley, a former deputy police commissioner for public affairs in New York City, brings the reader vividly into the often murky world of police precincts and courthouses, of deals and cutting corners. Woody, now 61, met Laura, now 58, in 1987, when he hired her as his assistant. Cinematography: Henry Cronjager, Jr. Product details Package Dimensions : 7.5 x 4 x 1 inches Date First Available : May 28, 2014 Actors : Armand Assante, Blair Brown, Beverly D'Angelo 2023 Turner Classic Movies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Brief Synopsis An experimental hand transplant leaves a pianist driven to kill. Paperback - Import, January 1, 1987. Screenplay: Newt Arnold Find out where you can buy, rent, or subscribe to a streaming service to watch it live or on-demand. And Mr. Howard's Felix is certainly one of the year's, if not the decade's, creepiest villains. Top Billed Cast. 2000: I have not seen this movie since it first aired twelve or so years ago, but I remember it as having a powerful impact. A New York cop becomes obsessed with finding his wife's rapist. Doesn't this movie remind you a lot like the new movie "Derailed"?