Mad Love (1935 film)

Mad Love
Poster
Directed by	Karl Freund
Written by	John L. Balderston Guy Endore P.J. Wolfson Florence Crewe-Jones (translation)
Based on	Les Mains d'Orlac 1920 novel by Maurice Renard
Produced by	John W. Considine Jr.
Starring	Peter Lorre Frances Drake Colin Clive Ted Healy Sara Haden
Cinematography	Chester A. Lyons Gregg Toland
Edited by	Hugh Wynn
Music by	Dimitri Z. Tiomkin
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release dates	July 12, 1935 (1935-07-12) (U.S.) August 2, 1935 (1935-08-02) (U.K.)
Running time	68 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$403,000[1]

Mad Love (also released as The Hands of Orlac) is a 1935 American body horror film, an adaptation of Maurice Renard's novel The Hands of Orlac. It was directed by German-émigré film maker Karl Freund, and stars Peter Lorre as Dr. Gogol, Frances Drake as Yvonne Orlac and Colin Clive as Stephen Orlac. The plot revolves around Doctor Gogol's obsession with actress Yvonne Orlac. When Stephen Orlac's hands are destroyed in a train accident, Yvonne brings them to Gogol, who claims to be able to repair them. As Gogol becomes obsessed to the point that he will do anything to have Yvonne, Stephen finds that his new hands have made him into an expert knife thrower.

Mad Love was Freund's final directorial assignment and Lorre's American film debut. Critics praised Lorre's acting, but the film was unsuccessful at the box office. Film critic Pauline Kael found the film unsatisfactory, but argued that it had influenced Citizen Kane. Cinematographer Gregg Toland was involved in the production of both films. Mad Love's reputation has grown over the years, and it is viewed in a more positive light by modern film critics, gaining the status of a cult classic.^[2]