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 | |
---|---|
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 by | Butcher's Film Service |
Release date |
|
Running time | 61 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
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.
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]