Les Mains d'Orlac

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Les Mains d'Orlac
Les Mains d'Orlac.jpg
First edition: Nilsson, Paris 1920
Author Maurice Renard
Country France
Language French
Genre Fantasy, body horror
Set inFrance
Published1920 (Serialized Publication)
PublisherL'Intransigeant
Publication date
May 15——July 12, 1920 (L'Intransigeant)
Pages248

Les Mains d'Orlac (English: The Hands of Orlac) is a French fantasy/horror novel written by Maurice Renard, first published in 1920. It is an early example of the body horror theme in fiction. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Plot

The pianist Stephen Orlac suffers a railway accident that gives him serious head injuries and deprives him of his hands. The famous and controversial transplant doctor Cerral gives him new hands, transplanted from a freshly guillotined assassin. Afterward, Orlac begins to wonder if he has become a Mr. Hyde who has inherited the criminal proclivities of his donor via his hands.

He seems to suffer from hallucinations and sinks into depression. His wife attempts to save him, but the couple are caught in a spiral of conspiracy, mystery and crime.

Origins

The character of Dr. Cerral was inspired by real-life French surgeon and Nobel Prize winner Alexis Carrel (1873–1944), and his experiments with biological transplants and grafting procedures. [4]

Adaptations

The story has been adapted into film and television many times, including the following:

The story was also an inspiration for the 1976 Doctor Who serial The Hand of Fear .[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

A brain transplant or whole-body transplant is a procedure in which the brain of one organism is transplanted into the body of another organism. It is a procedure distinct from head transplantation, which involves transferring the entire head to a new body, as opposed to the brain only. Theoretically, a person with complete organ failure could be given a new and functional body while keeping their own personality, memories, and consciousness through such a procedure. Neurosurgeon Robert J. White has grafted the head of a monkey onto the headless body of another monkey. EEG readings showed the brain was later functioning normally. Initially, it was thought to prove that the brain was an immunologically privileged organ, as the host's immune system did not attack it at first, but immunorejection caused the monkey to die after nine days. Brain transplants and similar concepts have also been explored in various forms of science fiction.

<i>The Island of Doctor Moreau</i> 1896 novel by Herbert George Wells

The Island of Doctor Moreau is an 1896 science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells. The text of the novel is the narration of Edward Prendick, a shipwrecked man rescued by a passing boat. He is left on the island home of Doctor Moreau, a mad scientist who creates human-like hybrid beings from animals via vivisection. The novel deals with a number of themes, including pain and cruelty, moral responsibility, human identity, human interference with nature, and the effects of trauma. Wells described it as "an exercise in youthful blasphemy."

<i>The Beast with Five Fingers</i> 1946 film by Robert Florey

The Beast with Five Fingers is a 1946 American mystery horror film directed by Robert Florey from a screenplay by Curt Siodmak, based on a short story of the same name written by W. F. Harvey and first published in 1919 in The New Decameron. The film stars Robert Alda, Victor Francen, Andrea King, and Peter Lorre. The film's score was composed by Max Steiner.

<i>Mad Love</i> (1935 film) 1935 film by Karl Freund

Mad Love is a 1935 American body horror film, an adaptation of Maurice Renard's novel The Hands of Orlac. It was directed by German-émigré film maker Karl Freund, and stars Peter Lorre as Dr. Gogol, Frances Drake as Yvonne Orlac and Colin Clive as Stephen Orlac. The plot revolves around Doctor Gogol's obsession with actress Yvonne Orlac. When Stephen Orlac's hands are destroyed in a train accident, Yvonne brings him to Gogol, who claims to be able to repair them. As Gogol becomes obsessed to the point that he will do anything to have Yvonne, Stephen finds that his new hands have made him into an expert knife thrower.

Maurice Renard was a French writer.

<i>Eyes Without a Face</i> (film) 1960 film by Claude Sautet, Georges Franju

Eyes Without a Face is a 1960 French-language horror film directed by Georges Franju. The film stars Pierre Brasseur and Alida Valli. Based on the novel of the same name by Jean Redon, it revolves around a plastic surgeon who is determined to perform a face transplant on his daughter, who was disfigured in a car accident. During the film's production, consideration was given to the standards of European censors by minimizing gore. Although Eyes Without a Face was cleared by censors, its release in Europe caused controversy. Critical reaction ranged from praise to disgust.

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<i>The Hand</i> (1981 film) 1981 film by Oliver Stone

The Hand is a 1981 American psychological horror film written and directed by Oliver Stone, based on the novel The Lizard's Tail by Marc Brandel. The film stars Michael Caine and Andrea Marcovicci. Caine plays Jon Lansdale, a comic book artist who loses his hand, which in turn takes on a murderous life of its own. The original film score is by James Horner, in one of his earliest projects. Warner Bros. released the movie on DVD on September 25, 2007.

<i>The Hands of Orlac</i> (1924 film) 1924 film by Robert Wiene

The Hands of Orlac is a 1924 Austrian silent film directed by Robert Wiene and starring Conrad Veidt, Alexandra Sorina and Fritz Kortner. It is based on the novel Les Mains d'Orlac by Maurice Renard.

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Norbert Jacques was a Luxembourgish novelist, journalist, screenwriter, and translator who wrote in German. He was born in Luxembourg-Eich, Luxembourg and died in Koblenz, West Germany. He created the character Dr. Mabuse, who was a feature of some of his novels. Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler, the first novel to feature Mabuse, was one of the bestsellers of its time; it sold over 500,000 copies in Germany. Today, Jacques is known best for Dr. Mabuse. In 1922, he received German citizenship.

<i>Hands of a Stranger</i> 1962 film by Newt Arnold

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.

The Hands of Orlac may refer to:

<i>The Hands of Orlac</i> (1960 film) 1960 French film

The Hands of Orlac is a 1960 British-French horror film directed by Edmond T. Gréville, starring Mel Ferrer, Christopher Lee, and Dany Carrel, and based on the novel Les Mains d'Orlac by Maurice Renard.

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Augustin Viard is a French musician who plays the ondes Martenot, an electronic instrument developed in the 1920s.

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Figures de Cire is a 1914 French short silent horror film directed by Maurice Tourneur. The film stars Henry Roussel, and was based upon the short story of the same name by André de Lorde. De Lorde adapted the story from the stage play he wrote with Georges Montignac, which was first performed in 1912 at the Grand Guignol in Paris.

<i>Le Docteur Lerne, sous-dieu</i> 1908 fantasy novel by Maurice Renard

Le Docteur Lerne, sous-dieu is a fantasy novel by the French writer Maurice Renard, published in 1908.

<i>LHomme truqué</i> (The Doctored Man)

L'Homme truqué is a short novel by Maurice Renard, initially published in March 1921 in the magazine Je sais tout. Regularly republished in France during the 20th and 21st centuries, it also benefits from numerous publications abroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scientific marvelous</span> Literary genre that developed in France from the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century.

Scientific marvelous is a literary genre that developed in France from the end of the 19th century to the middle of the 20th century. Akin today to science fiction, this literature of scientific imagination revolves around key themes such as mad scientists and their extraordinary inventions, lost worlds, exploration of the solar system, catastrophes and the advent of supermen.

References

  1. Norris, J. F. (October 31, 2018). "Pretty Sinister Books: HALLOWEEN SPECIAL: The Hands of Orlac - Maurice Renard".
  2. Wass, Janne (June 13, 2018). "The Hands of Orlac".
  3. "The Hands Of Orlac". www.goodreads.com.
  4. "Arthur B. Evans- The Fantastic Science Fiction of Maurice Renard". www.depauw.edu.
  5. "Maurice Renard". BFI. Archived from the original on June 5, 2019.