Plan B Forum

Trying to identify an old film that featured a dis-embodied hand playing a piano. What was the name of the film and the classical musician that actually played the piano? I think the hand on the keyboard, without anything attached to the hand, was featured on the film poster. My memory is spotty but tells me the pianist was very accomplished, but made very few recordings.

thanks, Snailgate

It could be one of two films I am thinking of: The Beast with Five Fingers (likely); Wikipedia defines the music as Brahms transcription for left hand of the chaconne from Johann Sebastian Bach's Violin Partita in D minor, performed by Warner Bros. pianist Victor Aller (whose hand is shown as the hand in the movie).

The other is Hands of a Stranger.

I also recall a movie called Mephisto Waltz (which is a Liszt composition) where an aging pianist robs the body of a younger one so he can continue playing, but I don't think that's it.

Let’s just change your handle to “Movie Encyclopedia!”

What can I say, it is the result (primarily) of a misspent youth (although I still misspend some of my time watching a variety of movies from good to horrendous).

Quick... hide the piano.