The Hand (1960 film)

The Hand is a 1960 British horror film directed by Henry Cass[1] and written by Ray Cooney and Tony Hilton. The film is memorable for its nightmarish premise and opening scene that belies its censorship certificate.

The Hand
U.S. theatrical poster
Directed byHenry Cass
Written byRay Cooney
Tony Hilton
Produced byBill Luckwell
StarringDerek Bond
Reed De Rouen
Bryan Coleman
CinematographyWalter J. Harvey
Edited byRobert Jordan Hill
Music byWilfred Burns
Production
company
Distributed byButcher's Film Service
Release date
  • October 1960 (1960-10)
Running time
61 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

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
  • Derek Bond as Roberts / Roger Crawshaw
  • Ronald Leigh-Hunt as Inspector Munyard
  • Ray Cooney as Sgt. David Pollitt
  • Reed De Rouen as Michael John Brodie
  • Bryan Coleman as George Adams
  • Walter Randall as Japanese commander
  • Tony Hilton as Police Sgt. Paul Foster
  • Harold Scott as Charlie Taplow
  • Gwenda Ewen as Nurse Johns
  • Michael Moore as Dr. Metcalfe
  • Ronald Wilson as Doctor
  • Garard Green as Dr. Simon Crawshaw
  • Jean Dallas as Nurse Geiber
  • David Blake Kelly as Jay Marshall
  • Reginald Hearne as Noel Brodie
  • Madeleine Burgess as Mrs. Brodie

Critical reception

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" ;[2] while 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."[3]

References
  1. "The Hand". BFI. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009.
  2. "The Hand". britmovie.co.uk.
  3. Steve Kopian. "Unseen Films". unseenfilms.blogspot.co.uk.


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