|
|
      
Buy this selection
|
The Hand What is a better way to celebrate Halloween than to rent a scary horror film? There are many gory films to choose from, but I prefer a film that gets inside your head rather than splashing blood and guts all across the screen. Alfred Hitchcock was a master at this type of film. He could make you jump out of your skin by showing the audience what was going to happen, then implying the violence or scary part. Hitchcock made you more frightened watching the protagonist walking up the stairs to sure doom than watching someone get hacked up. The Hand is a Hitchcock-type horror film written and directed by Oliver Stone before he became a star. Many people remember when Oliver Stone burst on the scene with 1984's Platoon, but he was an accomplished screenwriter before that. He wrote Scarface, Midnight Express and Conan the Barbarian. During this period of his career, he wrote and directed The Hand. He even appears on screen during the film. See if you can pick him out. Michael Caine stars as Jonathan Lansdale, a successful cartoonist and failed husband. His wife, Anne (Andrea Marcovicci), wants to move to New York and pursue her own career. The marriage is strained by her desire to grow and his controlling tendencies. Jonathan's career is destroyed, when his hand is severed in a car accident. His wife tries to find the hand, so it can be reattached, but she is unsuccessful. Jonathan's agent wants the comic strip to continue with a new artist (Charles Fleisher), and Anne wants the money, but Jonathan is not willing to give up control. His marriage is further damaged by his desire to move to California and accept a teaching job. The stress starts to effect Jonathan and results in him experiencing "blackouts". Strange things start to happen, like his ring disappears and art boards are destroyed. Soon, people who have upset Jonathan start to disappear. Is he committing these acts, or has his severed hand reanimated to cause havoc? Michael Caine is fantastic in the film. He plays the character as an arrogant jerk who seems to be losing control of his temper as his life erodes around him. Caine is able to show how deeply disturbed the man is and he allows his anger to consume him. Stone put together a great script. The audience is left to wonder throughout the movie if The Hand is alive or a figment of Lansdale's imagination. You will be guessing right up until the final scene. The Hand: B Director and Writer: Oliver Stone Cast Michael Caine ………………… Jonathan Lansdale Andrea Marcovicci …………… Anne Lansdale Anne McEnroe ……………….. Stella Bruce McGill …………………. Brian Viveca Linfore ………………... The Doctor Rosemary Murphy …………..... Karen Wagner Charles Fleisher ………………. David Copyright 1999 - WaffleMovies.com |
