Classic Film Kid: The Hands of Orlac (1924)(Review)

Hello everyone, the Classic Film Kid is back! I have now left school after some final exams, and after some time to breathe, why not review a couple of classic films and TV shows before I start sixth form? I’ll start with another recent release on Blu-Ray, and a recommendation from our lovely Graham and Rob, The Hands of Orlac, an Austrian silent horror film directed by expressionist Robert Wiene.

Being released in 1924, this is easily the farthest back I’ve ever gone in time for these reviews at nearly 100 years old, meaning it’s probably the oldest thing I’ve ever watched discounting some old Chaplin and Keaton shorts. I mean, you know it’s from way back in cinema history when its length is measured in metres of film rather than minutes. Therefore, I was really interested in seeing how this film registered with me, after a slightly mixed reception I had with the Invisible Man films.

I will say that because of its silent nature and me having never seen a film like this before, it was a little hard to get into, but on the whole, I did definitely have a good experience with The Hands of Orlac.

Once I’d got past the format, the opening was a really gripping start. A concert pianist called Orlac is coming home to see his wife, when he’s involved in a train collision resulting in the loss of his hands, hence the title. The way that this is told to us is really smart, relying on a lot of visual storytelling. We see a woman reading a letter from her husband, who expresses his desire to come home, intercut with shots of a train speeding towards some unknown destination. Even though we don’t see the collision, rather seeing two trains speeding toward each other and the camera cutting before they hit, the scene where this wife is running towards the wreckage to try and find her husband is horrifying stuff.

Now, this film definitely belongs in expressionism, a much-talked-about genre of film by cinema aficionados that generally involves exaggerating and twisting a story to achieve an intense emotional reaction (or as my dad so eloquently described it, people pulling shocked and terrified faces for 90 minutes).

Although this is my first foray into that genre, I was aware of it beforehand and its influence on cinema with iconic films such as Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, the latter of which was also directed by Robert Wiëne. Therefore, I would consider this a good first expressionist film for those new to the genre – it shows all of its conventions really well, and it’s got a really good story at its core that you can enjoy without it being needlessly complex.

The first half of the film is really suspenseful. Orlac is given new hands, only to find out that his new hands were from a recently executed murderer named Vasseur, and he becomes gripped with paranoia. The couple’s financial situation takes a turn for the worst here too, and we meet a man who we think might be a resurrected Vasseur. It’s all undeniably ridiculous, but with the way the film approaches it and especially it being a product of the expressionist movement, it has its own unique style and way of presenting the events, something that I think this script would’ve lost if it was made nowadays, or really at any point in the last 40 or so years.

With all that being said, I will say that I appreciate this film more than I like it. Watching this with a pair of modern eyes is fascinating, as mainstream cinema has changed so much since The Hands of Orlac was released. I’m not used to silent cinema, at all – I’m used to a new Marvel movie every few months and wondering how old I’ll be on the day No Time To Die finally releases. Seeing a feature-length film where not one word of dialogue is spoken, and you have to rely on text screens and an old fashioned movie soundtrack to understand the plot, is a little jarring to get used to and try and focus your attention on for an hour and a half.

The thing is though I’m sure that if I went and watched a whole load of silent movies and came back to this in a year or so’s time that would basically become a non-issue since by then I’d be acquainted with the format and could enjoy it more as its own thing. At the moment though, I’m appreciating it as an old way of making movies that don’t really engage with my generation.
Also, I do feel like the ending was a bit quick. I won’t spoil anything as since this was only re-released a couple of months back I want you to check it out for yourself if it’s your thing, but basically, the plot turns into a slight detective story, with Orlac and his wife trying to clear his name of Vasseur’s murders, and once the film reaches its climax and we get the explanation, everyone just kind of leaves the room and bam it’s over. Again, maybe this is filmmakers trying to adapt to the feature-length format, but as someone who’s used to full emotional resolutions for its characters or at least some sort of end coda that brings it home. Then again, the general mystery as to what’s going on is solved, and much like the rest of the film it is very ridiculous but creative and it makes sense within the world that the film’s set up for itself.

For a film that’s nearly 100 years old, it is a really well-aged product of its time and a great introduction to both silent movies and the expressionist genre. While it is a little hard to get into, I’m sure that repeat viewings will eliminate that issue, and I do really appreciate this film’s place in cinema, so I’m going to give The Hands Of Orlac an 8.5 out of 10.

That’s a wrap for this review of The Hands Of Orlac! Thanks for sticking with me through the endless waits between reviews, but I am trying my best to get into some sort of schedule now that I’ll soon be going to college, so I’m finally aiming for consistency! Anyway, I should have at least one review coming before the summer’s out, so until then thanks for reading. This is the Classic Film Kid signing off!

THANKS FOR READING THE CLASSIC FILM KIDS’S REVIEW OF THE HANDS OF ORLAC

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