A concert pianist, Stephen Orlac (Colin Clive), loses his hands after a horrible train wreck. The hands of Rollo (Edward Brophy), an executed killer and expert knife-thrower, are sewn on. Unfortunately, now the man has murderous thoughts and the hand-skills of the man who owned them before him. Meanwhile, the brilliant surgeon, Dr. Gogol (Peter Lorre), is in love with the stage-actress Yvonne Orlac (Frances Drake), the man's wife, and will do anything to have her.
Box office and critical reaction
On its initial release Mad Love was one of the few horror films to bomb at the box-office in the 1930's, losing about $39,000. As with most movies of the genre, it received largely negative reviews, with the review in Time magazine stating, "This is the type of film that brought about censorship."Over time the film has gained a cult following and is now regarded as a horror classic. Film critic Richard Scheib's 2000 review notes, "The role of Gogol is the one that solidified Lorre with American audiences and ensured a career in horror and noir that lasted until his death in 1964." 
External links
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Last updated on Monday June 09, 2008 at 06:02:54 PDT (GMT -0700)
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