IMDb > The Beast with Five Fingers (1946)

The Beast with Five Fingers (1946) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.4/10   761 votes
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Up 13% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Robert Florey
Writers:
William Fryer Harvey (story)
Curt Siodmak (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Beast with Five Fingers on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
8 February 1947 (USA) more
Genre:
Horror more
Tagline:
You've never seen the like of it! more
Plot:
Locals in an Italian village believe evil has taken over the estate of a recently deceased pianist where several murders have taken place... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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NewsDesk:
(3 articles)
NYC’s Scary Movies 3 gets Red; free tickets to American Werewolf w/Landis!
 (From Fangoria. 8 October 2009, 9:47 AM, PDT)
Nobody Shows Any Old Horror Movies In NYC - Except All Of These:
 (From Icons of Fright. 5 October 2009, 2:22 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
Wonderfully Suspenseful more (36 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
Robert Alda ... Bruce Conrad

Andrea King ... Julie Holden

Peter Lorre ... Hilary Cummins
Victor Francen ... Francis Ingram
J. Carrol Naish ... Police Commissario Ovidio Castanio
Charles Dingle ... Mr. Arlington - Ingram's elder heir
John Alvin ... Donald Arlington - younger heir
David Hoffman ... Duprex - Ingram's atty.
Barbara Brown ... Mrs. Miller - Gullible tourist

Patricia Barry ... Clara (as Patricia White)
William Edmunds ... Antonio - Ingram's servant
Belle Mitchell ... Giovanna
Ray Walker ... Edward Miller - gullible tourist
Pedro de Cordoba ... Horatio - sidewalk cafe waiter
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
88 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)
Certification:
UK:15 | Australia:PG | Finland:(Banned) (1947) | USA:Approved (PCA #11334, General Audience)
Company:
Warner Bros. Pictures more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The piece of piano music played by Francis Ingram (Victor Francen) and later, his disembodied left hand, is the Bach Chaconne in D minor, as arranged to be played by the left hand alone by Johannes Brahms. It was selected by Max Steiner because the story required a piece of music that could be performed by a pianist with only his left hand, and Steiner, who was born in Vienna and whose family were friendly with Brahms, rather than composing his own original piece, immediately recognized its potential in underscoring such a grim tale. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in El ángel exterminador (1962) more

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
12 out of 15 people found the following comment useful.
Wonderfully Suspenseful, 7 September 2003
8/10
Author: David (Handlinghandel) from NY, NY

This movie has you on the edge of your seat. Its atmospheric direction is brilliant.

The cast, too, is excellent: Andrea King, a damsel in distress but a little icy and with kind of an edge (and a hairstyle resembling a headdress0; Robert Alda as the wry romantic lead figure. And of course, Peter Lorre -- neurotic as ever (in roles he was cast in.)

It's scary and has superb music and gorgeous photography.

It does have two flaws: the illogical central conceit of a disembodied hand and the obvious casting of Lorre. Yes, he is excellent, but wouldn't it be nice to see him the hero occasionally, instead of the delusional, pathetic villain?

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Other 'Hand' movies boredashell619
Just excellent ... romojo
Don't touch my books!! thegoochie
The Beast With Five Fingers nsweet
Contrived Ending? bookworm111
not so bad buzink
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