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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 319

Hands of a Stranger

196285 minUnited States
ThrillerHorror
Video edition
YouTube · Channel’s colorized edition
Original language
English
This copy runs
85:29
Subtitles
English

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Synopsis

A concert pianist survives a road accident but loses the hands on which his identity depends. An experimental transplant offers physical recovery without restoring his confidence or musical ability. As he struggles to accept the replacement hands, resentment and fear turn his encounters with doctors, loved ones and strangers toward violence.

Cast

DirectorsNewt Arnold

Inspirations

The premise revisits Maurice Renard's The Hands of Orlac, a story repeatedly adapted for the screen. Newt Arnold's version emphasizes the pianist's psychological response to surgery and his damaged sense of self, rather than treating a successful operation as the end of the ordeal.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Wikipedia — film referenceInternet Archive — catalogue recordPublic-domain film catalogue — rights cross-referencePublic-domain film catalogue — rights cross-reference

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

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Availability checked on September 10, 2026.

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