Mad Love (1935 film)
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Mad Love is a 1935 horror film starring Peter Lorre, Frances Drake and Colin Clive. When the film was released, some countries banned the film while others cut out the violent scenes. The film is an adaptation of Maurice Renard’s novel Les Mains d'Orlac (1920). This classic horror movie was Lorre's first American movie role.
A concert pianist loses his hands after a horrible train wreck. The hands of a 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 doctor, Doctor Gogol, is in love with the man's wife and will do anything to have her. Lorre plays the bald insane doctor.
Box office and critical reaction
On its initial release Mad Love was one of the few Horror flops of the 30's, losing about $39,000,. As with most horror films, it received negative reviews, with 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. 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." [1]
