Movie Review: Mad Love (1935)

Synopsis: Doctor Gogol is in love with British actress Yvonne Orloc but Yvonne is already married to pianist Stephen. When Stephen's hands are severely injured in an accident, Gogol replaces them with a set of hands from a recently executed knife-throwing murderer. 

Who's in it? The movie stars Peter Lorre, Frances Drake, Colin Clive, Ted Healy and Sara Haden.


 

Review: I've had the film Mad Love in my library for some time now. I had never watched it but knew of it, partially because of a movie spoof from the show The Simpsons. I finally got around to seeing it this morning and wasn't disappointed.

One of the first things that impressed me about this movie is how it didn't make Gogol's (Lorre) weirdness/creepiness a secret. It was clear from the start he was both obsessed with Yvonne (Drake), even keeping a wax statue of her in his house. Plus, he clearly had some extra abilities, such as an apparent ability to hypnotize people.

I especially liked how this wasn't something that went unnoticed by those around him. I've seen a lot of films that featured a bad guy that was clearly evil, but everyone either didn't see it or chose to ignore it. Yvonne especially sensed this and only turned to him as a last resort when she was desperate to save Stephen (Clive).

Another thing I liked about this film was how it made great use of practical effects to make something seem "off" about Stephen's hands. This included both scarring and, at times, the appearance the hands were too large for his body. That made the premise of the movie a lot more believable, I think.

I think my favorite part of this though was the hint of mystery surrounding Stephen's actions. Were the hands controlling him? Was he going mad? Was someone else committing murders so he would be blamed?

My only complaint about the movie was the ending. It had a bit of suspense but ultimately left quite a few loose ends. I won't go into spoiler-level details, but the attempt at a semi-happy ending really didn't fit the overall theme of the movie in my opinion.

Final Opinion: This is a solid classic movie that, thanks to its star, has a great "creep" factor to support an intriguing plot. It's worth taking the time to watch as a result.

My Grade: A-


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Here are some reviews of other movies from 1935:

Movie Review: The Case of the Curious Bride (1935)

Movie Review: The Case of the Lucky Legs (1935)

Movie Review: Woman Wanted (1935)

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