In Paris, a demented surgeon's obsession with a British actress leads him to secretly replace her concert-pianist husband's mangled hands with those of a guillotined murderer with a gift for knife-throwing.
Director:
Writers:
Stars:
Award:
- 1 nomination.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| Peter Lorre | ... |
Doctor Gogol
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| Frances Drake | ... |
Yvonne Orlac
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| Colin Clive | ... |
Stephen Orlac
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| Ted Healy | ... |
Reagan
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| Sara Haden | ... |
Marie
(as Sarah Haden)
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| Edward Brophy | ... |
Rollo
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| Henry Kolker | ... |
Prefect Rosset
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| Keye Luke | ... |
Dr. Wong
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| May Beatty | ... |
Françoise - Gogol's Housekeeper
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| George Davis | ... |
Chauffeur (scenesDeleted)
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| Billy Dooley | ... |
Undetermined Role (scenesDeleted)
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| Harold Huber | ... |
Thief (scenesDeleted)
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| Isabel Jewell | ... |
Marianne (scenesDeleted)
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| Leo White | ... |
Undetermined Role (scenesDeleted)
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| Sam Ash | ... |
Detective Arresting Stephen (uncredited)
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| Hooper Atchley | ... |
Train Conductor (uncredited)
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| Agostino Borgato | ... |
Stage Doorman (uncredited)
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Maurice Brierre | ... |
Taxi Driver (uncredited)
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Mike Cantwell | ... |
Man (uncredited)
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| Julie Carter | ... |
Nurse (uncredited)
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| Harvey Clark | ... |
Station Master (uncredited)
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| Cora Sue Collins | ... |
Gogol's Lame Child Patient (uncredited)
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| Nell Craig | ... |
Suzanne - Nurse (uncredited)
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| Frank Darien | ... |
Lavin - Waxworks Proprietor (uncredited)
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| Kay English | ... |
Woman (uncredited)
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| Alphonse Ethier | ... |
Assistant Prefect (uncredited)
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| Christian J. Frank | ... |
Detective Escorting Rollo on Train (uncredited)
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| Billy Gilbert | ... |
Autograph Seeker on Train (uncredited)
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| Robert Graves | ... |
Detective Escorting Rollo on Train (uncredited)
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| Roger Gray | ... |
Detective Arresting Stephen (uncredited)
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Ramsay Hill | ... |
Actor as 'Duke' (uncredited)
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| Otto Hoffman | ... |
Blind Man (uncredited)
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| Robert Emmett Keane | ... |
Raoul - The Drunk (uncredited)
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| Murray Kinnell | ... |
Charles - Theater Official (uncredited)
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Edward Lippy | ... |
Pierre - Henry Orlac's Clerk (uncredited)
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| Rollo Lloyd | ... |
Varsac - Fingerprint Expert (uncredited)
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Marc Loebell | ... |
Actor as 'Prince' (uncredited)
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| Theodore Lorch | ... |
Actor at Party (uncredited)
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| Michael Mark | ... |
Execution Official (uncredited)
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Mary Jo Mathews | ... |
Woman Outside Theater of Horrors (uncredited)
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| Edward Norris | ... |
Man Outside Theater of Horrors (uncredited)
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| Sarah Padden | ... |
Mother of Lame Girl (uncredited)
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Earl Pingree | ... |
Detective Interviewing Henry's Clerk (uncredited)
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| Russ Powell | ... |
Gendarme (uncredited)
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| Matty Roubert | ... |
Newsboy (uncredited)
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| Rolfe Sedan | ... |
Traffic Gendarme (uncredited)
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| Bernard Siegel | ... |
Man (uncredited)
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| Carl Stockdale | ... |
Actor as 'The Notary' (uncredited)
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| Charles Trowbridge | ... |
Dr. Marbeau (uncredited)
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Jacques Vanaire | ... |
Police Broadcaster (uncredited)
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| Monte Vandergrift | ... |
Audience Member (uncredited)
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| Clarence Wilson | ... |
Piano Creditor (uncredited)
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| Ian Wolfe | ... |
Henry Orlac - Stephen's Stepfather (uncredited)
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Directed by
| Karl Freund | ||
Written by
| Maurice Renard | ... | (from the novel: "Les Mains D'Orlac") |
| Florence Crewe-Jones | ... | (translation and adaptation: novel "The Hands of Orlac") |
| Guy Endore | ... | (adaptation) |
| P.J. Wolfson | ... | (screen play) and |
| John L. Balderston | ... | (screen play) |
| Leon Gordon | ... | (contributor to dialogue) (uncredited) |
| Edgar Allan Woolf | ... | (contributing writer) (uncredited) |
| Gladys Von Ettinghausen | ... | (contributor to dialogue) (uncredited) |
| Leon Wolfson | ... | (contributing writer) (uncredited) |
Produced by
| John W. Considine Jr. | ... | producer |
Music by
| Dimitri Tiomkin | ||
Cinematography by
| Chester A. Lyons | ... | (photographed by) (as Chester Lyons) |
| Gregg Toland | ... | (photographed by) |
Editing by
| Hugh Wynn | ||
Art Direction by
| Cedric Gibbons | ||
Makeup Department
| Norbert A. Myles | ... | makeup artist (uncredited) |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Dolph Zimmer | ... | assistant director (uncredited) |
Art Department
| William A. Horning | ... | associate art director |
| Edwin B. Willis | ... | associate art director |
Sound Department
| Douglas Shearer | ... | recording director |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Dolly Tree | ... | wardrobe |
Music Department
| Oscar Radin | ... | musical director |
| R.H. Bassett | ... | composer: title music (uncredited) |
| Paul Marquardt | ... | orchestrator (uncredited) |
| Charles Maxwell | ... | orchestrator (uncredited) |
| Leonid Raab | ... | orchestrator (uncredited) |
| David Snell | ... | composer: organ music (uncredited) |
| Jack Virgil | ... | orchestrator (uncredited) |
Additional Crew
| John Langan | ... | dialogue director (uncredited) |
Production Companies
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (presents) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)
Distributors
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1935) (United States) (theatrical)
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1936) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1992) (United States) (VHS)
- MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1996) (United States) (video) (laserdisc)
- Warner Home Video (2006) (United States) (DVD) (on "Hollywood's Legends of Horror Collection")
- Magnus Opus (2009) (Brazil) (DVD)
- Image Entertainment (1996) (United States) (video) (LaserDisc)
- The Criterion Channel (2020) (United States) (tv) (digital)
- Warner Archive Collection (2021) (United States) (Blu-ray)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association of America (acknowledgement)
- Turner Entertainment (VHS package design)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
In Paris, great surgeon Dr. Gogol falls madly in love with stage actress Yvonne Orlac, and his ardor disturbs her quite a bit when he discovers to his horror that she is married to concert pianist Stephen Orlac. Shortly thereafter, Stephen's hands are badly crushed in a train accident--beyond the power of standard medicine. Knowing that his hands are his life, Yvonne overcomes her fear and goes to Dr. Gogol to beg him to help. Gogol decides to surgically graft the hands of executed murderer Rollo onto Stephen Orlac, the surgery is successful but has terrible side effects.
Written by Ken Yousten |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | A new, a strange, a gifted personality comes to the screen! See more » |
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| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
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Additional Details
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Box Office
| Budget | $257,502 (estimated) |
| Cumulative Worldwide Gross | $793,520 |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | Charles Chaplin called Lorre the screen's best actor after seeing his performance in "Mad Love." See more » |
| Goofs | Throughout the picture, the wax figure moves slightly whenever Frances Drake is subbing for the actual statue. Most noticeable when the bird lands on her shoulder, making the "lifeless" statue sway. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Edited into The History of the Hands (2016). See more » |
| Soundtracks | Etude Opus 10, no.4 See more » |
| Crazy Credits | At the end of the opening credits, the titles are painted on a glass window pane that is broken by a fist punching through it. See more » |
| Quotes |
Françoise, Gogol's Housekeeper:
[referring to the wax figure of Yvonne]
It went out for a little walk! See more » |