The Hand (1960 film)

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The Hand
"The Hand" (1960).jpg
U.S. theatrical poster
Directed by Henry Cass
Written by Ray Cooney
Tony Hilton
Produced by Bill Luckwell
Starring Derek Bond
Reed De Rouen
Bryan Coleman
Cinematography Walter J. Harvey
Edited by Robert Jordan Hill
Music by Wilfred Burns
Production
company
Distributed byButcher's Film Service
Release date
  • October 1960 (1960-10)
Running time
61 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Hand is a 1960 British horror film directed by Henry Cass and starring Derek Bond and Ronald Leigh-Hunt. [1] [2] It was written by Ray Cooney and Tony Hilton. The film is memorable for its nightmarish premise and opening scene that belies its censorship certificate.

Contents

Plot

The story begins during the Burma campaign (mislabeled as '1946'), in which three captured British soldiers are threatened with torture if they refuse to divulge military information. Two refuse and have their hands chopped off.

Some time later, in post-War London, a gentleman of the night is found with his hand surgically removed and £500 in his pockets. This begins a criminal investigation, returning the plot to the opening situation.

Cast

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "This is a grisly mystery thriller of no great interest or authority, wordy, confused and only too slow." [3]

Britmovie wrote, "this Ray Cooney scripted post-war revenge thriller opens promisingly enough but soon all tension and mystery is lost due to the predictable plot development and clumsy editing". [4]

Unseen Films wrote, "this is a neat little film that never fully makes 100% sense...I liked this movie a great deal. It's far from perfect, but it does hold your attention." [5]

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References

  1. ↑ "The Hand". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  2. ↑ "The Hand". BFI. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009.
  3. ↑ "The Hand". The Monthly Film Bulletin . 27 (312): 155. 1 January 1960 – via ProQuest.
  4. ↑ "The Hand". britmovie.co.uk.
  5. ↑ Steve Kopian. "Unseen Films". unseenfilms.blogspot.co.uk.


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