The Thieving Hand
The Thieving Hand | |
---|---|
Starring | Paul Panzer |
Distributed by | Vitagraph Studios |
Release date |
|
Running time | 6 minutes (16 frames per second) |
Country | United States |
Language | Silent film |
The Thieving Hand (1908) is a
Plot
A one-armed
Film
The film was shot on location in
No director is credited in the film. Some sources say the director is unknown[1][3] while other sources attribute it to J. Stuart Blackton.[4] None of the sources describe how they arrived at their conclusion, nor acknowledge a difference of opinion with other sources.
It is anthologized in the
The final frames in the final scene are missing in the sole known surviving copy of the film. They show the pencil vendor set free from jail after all becomes clear he was the innocent victim of the arm's true owner.[1]
It was reviewed in
Influences
According to Ryan Sweet, the plot has similarities to earlier stories that may have influenced the makers of the film.[4] The street ballad "The Thief's Arm", collected by John Ashton in 1888, tells the story of an amputee who is fitted with a new arm that has an agency of its own, like in the film it steals without the owner's direction.[5] Another possible influence according to Sweet was the popular song "The Steam Arm" from c. 1835, about an amputee fitted with a steam-powered limb that he can't control and that goes on a death and destruction rampage.[6]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Program Notes" (PDF). Treasures from American Film Archives. 2000. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-11-10. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
.. by a now unknown director ..
- ^ Moving Picture World. 2 (5): 72. February 1, 1908.
- ^ "Progressive Silent Film List: The Thieving Hand". Silent Era. Retrieved 2010-06-27.
- ^ ISBN 9783030785895.
.. directed and produced by J. Stuart Blackton ..
- ^ Ashton, John (1888). "The Thief's Arm". Modern Street Ballads. London: Chatto & Windus. pp. 150–152.
- ^ "The Steam Arm". Ballad sheet. 1835. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
External links
- The Thieving Hand at IMDb
- The Thieving Hand from Treasures from American Film Archives (includes music)
- "Program Notes" from Treasures from American Film Archives