Rating: 3.5/5
Hooptober 8.0 | 7/34 | Decades 1/8 | 20s
Orlac is a famous pianist. His wife, Yvonne, goes to the train station to meet him upon returning from his tour. But Orlac’s train collides with another.
Folks rush and scramble to assist anyone who may be injured. Yvonne goes to the location of the wreck to find Orlac. She climbs in and out of shattered rail cars. She finds him severely injured.
A spotlight casts an unsettling glow on the car as Yvonne drives to the wreck.
Meanwhile, a convicted killer named Vasseur is to be executed. A professor and his assistant will bring the body to their lab after his death.
The professor cares for Orlac. Yvonne hangs her head like a penitent Mary Magdalene awaiting the news. The professor can save everything but his hands.
Save his hands. His hands are more important than his hands.
A head watches, laughing in the window. The bandages are removed from Orlac’s arms. The hands move.
A spectral face emerges in the night. A giant fist comes down on Orlac. Orlac awakes to a note. The hands are Vasseur’s, not his.
He can no longer play the piano like before. They also do not embrace Yvonne as before — the hands have their machinations.
The film drags a bit, even by silent movie standards, as it indulges in dread and anticipation.
The film is full of beautifully composed shots that create a ton of space, putting characters at the edges.
Although the film has elements of long shadows and dark edges, it doesn’t cross into the abstract world of German Expressionism. It fits closer to Fritz Lang regarding formal qualities and the pulpy mystery at the center.