Original subtitles

-- Subs ripped from Hulu by PLiSSKEN -- -- Subs corrected by darthfrede --

Keep passaging.

It's been too long, Gil.

More adrenaline.

Cardiac needle.

Go ahead, Gil.

If you need to practice.

It can't always work, Gil.

There's got to be death for everyone some time.

Why?

I've been watching you for over three hours.

That's a long time to take when you die.

It took nine months on the other end.

As one dedicated man to another,

there are few questions I wanna ask you.

That's right, local office of bullets and bodies.

What can you tell me?

Only that a few ounces of lead

just destroyed three thousand years of medical research.

Please, doctor, I saw your little outburst of perfectionism in there

and I'm sure you have several million words

on the ideals and objectives of medical science,

but all I'd like to know is what happened,

so I can start an accurate report.

The body will be in the morgue tomorrow. Why bother me?

I find it valuable to get as many details as possible,

before minds have become colored by the...

calmness and disinterest born of time.

It's the kind of attitude that's raised me to lieutenant,

made my wife and children very proud of me.

There's nothing I can contribute to your next promotion.

Come now, doctor. As assistant chief of surgery...

in a hospital of this size,

a man of your age.

You must have more than average ability and powers of observation.

There were three thirty-eight-caliber bullets.

- Weren't there? - Yes.

What was the specific cause of death?

Three bullets.

Yes, I see, I shouldn't have put it that way

in your present state of mind.

Acute hemorrhage, complicated by lung and spinal damage.

The bullet shattered ribs, entering from the back

penetrating the lung...

and exiting just to the right of the sternum. Alright?

Indicating a tight little pattern of rapid fire at a slight upward angle.

Our murderer could have been a short man standing

or any kind of man sitting.

Would it be your habit to sit on the curb at 8:00 or 8:30 on a night this cold?

Hardly.

The fresh tire marks we found do associate them.

I see you pinning on captain's bars already.

Anything else?

No.

Now, if you'll excuse me.

Yes?

Unusual, considering the extent of damage...

but while we were getting ready for surgery,

Ken told me they almost had to pry his hands from the lamp post.

While I was operating, I noticed them too.

Powerful hands...

yet sensitive at the same time.

They never relaxed even while he was still alive and unconscious.

Now, that's the type of thing I might never have realized.

It could tell us a great deal about him.

Hands.

Amazing things when you think about it.

A genius device of flesh and bone

that can paint a beautiful picture,

control a scalpel, press the trigger

and perhaps the delicately line pictures on the tips of those hands themselves

may tell me all I want to know.

- You were wonderful. - Little sister approves?

Congratulations!

I wasn't sure, during that last encore.

Fifteen years of work, practice, and hope came into complete focus.

I know that tonight's the beginning.

There's nothing that can't be done now.

Well, I wouldn't exactly call you an amateur

during these last six years.

But any minute now, the thundering herd is coming through that door

to lift you on their shoulders.

I still have to get some details straight with you

about the New York concert and recordings before I make that 12:30 plane.

Just a few minutes, George, to let my ego feed off the crowd.

Dina, I want you to go ahead to the party with the others.

I'll join you soon as George and I are through.

Lucky piano.

Lucky me.

I'm jealous of you both, you know?

I want to be so much to this magnificent man.

Wouldn't that be a little like playing the same composition over and over?

Beautiful, perhaps, but monotonous.

You're not only brilliant, you're obscene.

I'll forgive you only if you promise to keep me

very close to you all of this exciting night.

I want you to go ahead to the party with Dina and the others.

George and I have business first.

You're hard to love sometimes.

Dina, I know all of this makes you very happy, but...

when does your life begin?

When do I trade in my brother and his piano on babies and things?

Something like that.

When he doesn't need me anymore, I guess.

I think it's time.

He's old enough, successful enough.

He certainly always seems to have plenty of women around him.

Implying a scandalous relationship between me and my brother?

Well?

George...

You see those soft gray gloves he always wears before and after he plays?

Remember the time you kidded him about them?

Said they were a great publicity gimmick

and you wished you'd thought of them first.

I think that's the only time I ever saw him angry at you.

He needs those gloves.

They protect his hands from the cold

and they help keep his fingers completely flexible when he plays.

It may be psychological...

but it's a part of his greatness with music.

Everything's a part of it.

You're his gray gloves of the business world and...

And you're his gray gloves against loneliness?

For the time being.

A great many women love the dramatic concept of Vernon Paris

at a Saturday night concert and the parties that go after.

It's amazing how few of them are willing to wait

and fight through the hours of practice and insecurity

that make each Saturday night possible.

Dina, I don't think he's that dedicated.

But he is. You should know.

He's the most selfish man in the world

when it comes to his concept of the creation of beauty.

He pours everything into it.

It's the source of his greatness...

and of his loneliness.

Hey, you're the guy on the billboard, aren't you?

What was that?

The poster outside the theater.

You're the guy with the piano.

That's right.

- My kid sure loves music. - Really?

Yeah, he practices all the time.

He'd really like to meet you.

Well, bring him around next time I'm here.

I'll have some passes for him.

You're okay, Mr. Paris.

Maybe sometime you could even hear him play?

Maybe.

- How old is he? - Ten.

Don't think he's a sissy.

He's a best shortstop on the school team.

I play the piano and I don't think I'm a sissy.

You know what I mean.

Yes, I know.

Ten-year-old boys just don't usually.

It's something his mother always wanted.

She died four years ago.

And I found this teacher who'd come give lessons at night.

It's a good time for it too.

Night.

That's when you can start thinkin' about a lot of things.

Yeah, a lot of things.

This piano and all the practicing make it easier.

Even the bad notes.

Music and people go together.

Like kids and dogs.

And be sure you teach him the creation of beauty.

Something you can never lose.

Once achieved, it's with you all your life.

I think he knows it already.

I only hope it makes him amount to something more than his old man.

He's got to fight too.

You tell him most people waste time with meaningless fights.

The only real enemies the world has are the enemies of beauty.

That's the only thing he'll ever have to fight.

I never thought about it like that.

Yeah.

Hey, I want you to see a picture of my kid.

I've got it right here.

Look out!

I don't see any other way.

Get him ready.

What are you going to do?

You're not supposed to be in here.

Regulations be damned! What are you going to do?

Alright, Mr. Britton.

You have a right to know.

I'm going to amputate what's left of his hands.

You're mad. This man is Vernon Paris.

You can't cut off his hands.

He no longer has anything left that resembles hands.

You're wrong, you've got to be wrong.

I was at the accident. I saw them.

They were cut, bleeding, bent, yes...

but, my God, they were still hands.

You're overlooking a basic fact.

His gloves were on, cut, torn, and blood-stained,

but still with a semblance of shape.

That's what you saw.

Gloves.

You know... to do this to a man like that...

it'd be better just to drive your scalpel through his heart.

Simpler for you...

same result for him.

Without his hands, Vernon Paris will be dead.

Tell me, doctor...

What would your reaction be, if suddenly...

you were to find yourself without either one of these?

Yes... Now, let's pretend they are your hands.

What would you do?

- Well, there's... - Yes.

...there's only one possibility.

The odds against success are almost total.

Almost as opposed to something that's already definite.

I wonder if we're thinking the same thing.

It couldn't be anything else under the circumstances, could it?

You've got to get permission first.

There's no time.

Perhaps it was lucky for all of us

that you were just behind him at the crash.

We're going to try something radical.

I don't know if you're gonna like it.

It doesn't matter as long as you save his hands.

Nothing will save them... but he'll have hands.

Mechanical hands are of no use to this man.

Don't you understand that?

Perfectly.

I said hands.

Some years ago, people would have called you crazy

if you told them that you could take part of one human eye

and place it in another.

Yet today, a corneal transplant is a standard operation.

It gives renewed sight.

Yes, I know, but hands are different.

A different part of the same human body.

Surgical scientists in every country all over the world

are dedicated to the future truth...

That human life, one day, might be extended indefinitely

by the replacement of defective or worn-out parts.

Right now, such a principle is the only one

that will save the musical talent of your friend.

But, muscles, nerves... How do you know th...?

I've already told you, we don't know.

Now, do we go ahead or not?

You know why I want you here?

I'm asking you to stick your neck out.

Maybe.

I pulled you in on a lot of operations.

Made you watch and study.

Deliberately made you accept a crash program of training,

because you have the mind and heart of a great surgeon.

I want you to be ready sooner.

You'll have even more time to save lives and make others better.

I'm grateful, Gil.

Don't be grateful, be good.

Pay closer attention tonight than ever.

You have five years on both Ross and me.

In your lifetime,

this type of an impossible in surgery may become a reality.

Later, you'll be making the contributions.

Stand opposite to me at the table.

- Gil. - Yeah?

I don't think you're asking me to stick my neck out.

No?

No.

I think you fully expect this to work.

Keep him as close to the surface as possible.

I want maximum response in the muscles and nerves.

And now...

Why?

My God, why?

What right have they got to do a thing like that?

Not to Vernon, not his hands.

Dina, you've got to understand.

I understand you're trying to make me believe a nightmare.

I can only tell you that surgically everything went as planned.

"Surgically everything went as planned."

Dina Paris, Dr. Harding.

I'm sorry we have to meet under these circumstances.

I'm sorry we have to meet at all.

I know how must feel about his loss.

You pretend to understand what a pair of hands means to man like my brother?

I think a surgeon is aware of the importance of

the human hand in all its aspects.

Well, perhaps there's one you've overlooked!

You think you understand the human hand?

I'll teach you more than you ever thought you knew about.

You're not a doctor! You're a monster!

A selfish, crazy monster!

I must be having a nightmare.

I know I'll wake up, I've got to.

I've transplanted other hands, yes.

Done in order to save his talent, not destroy it.

What I cut from the ends of his arms no longer resembled hands.

It's a lie!

It's got to be a lie!

You needed some kind of a guinea pig for your insane experiment!

Miss Paris, what we did in that operating room just now

could end all our careers.

If you want vengeance, you can have it very easily,

because we didn't get your approval.

But if you choose that vengeance,

you may set off a chain of emotional reaction in your brother

that'll guarantee failure.

Guarantee that he'll never have hands!

You cannot turn my brother into some kind of

a freak two-headed dog just for the sake of science!

There is something you have to see.

You can't do that.

I don't think she'll understand any other way.

Please.

I saw them before the operation.

No.

No.

The genius that flowed through these hands is no more.

But his basic genius remains.

With a great deal of luck, we'll have made it possible for him to continue.

You must have faith.

Is it faith, doctor?

Or just ego as far as your particular talents is concerned?

Tonight, four people did everything in their power to help your brother.

I appreciate your feeling of personal tragedy,

but I think you've wallowed in it long enough at my expense.

Listen, doctor. I realize you've been through a great deal tonight,

- ...but I don't think... - Well, I do think!

From now on, the only thing that's important

is the absolute cooperation of everyone involved in this man's life.

Cooperation that will create the proper recovery state of mind for him.

Your attitude is a very crude one, doctor.

Maybe we ought to wait until...

No, George.

This man who's taken such sudden control of Vernon's life...

I want to know what he expects to do.

And I wanna know whose hands he put on my brother's arms!

- Can you answer that? - No, I can't.

There's no precedent for what we've done.

No published catalogue of spare parts to choose from at the local deep freeze.

Then you know nothing about the other man at all.

Coincidence placed him on that table

two hours before your brother's accident.

He had powerful hands, that's all we have to know.

That's all?

If you're concerned with the possibility that he might have been some kind of mad man,

let me assure you that psychotic tendencies

don't transfer themselves mystically to the physical extremities after death!

You know that for a fact?

No. No, I don't.

I don't even know about Mother Goose or the Wee People in the Glen!

You're right.

Guess I was cracking under it.

A personal loss for us.

A terrible responsibility for you.

We'll be back in the morning.

The man has been finger-printed.

A complete check will be run, I assure you.

When can we see him?

Not for a week.

He's under heavy sedation and additional radiation treatments.

It's a critical period for his body's acceptance of the hands.

Can't we even see him?

Trust me, if you can.

And when you do see him,

it's vital that he believe he's only had simple emergency surgery.

I've got to have at least six weeks before the final bandages come off.

How long until we really know?

It won't be long before his body gives us the answer.

What we do as far as his mind is concerned...

Well, he'll need all of us for that.

You know, doctor...

I'm one of those people who believes that our department

renders a definite service to the safety and welfare of the community.

Just as you do. Now, I'm...

I'm sure you observe certain regulations

and make your work more... orderly...

more effective. Am I not correct?

Generally.

Well, now, so do we.

For instance, when we have a homicide to contend with and...

we receive a body at the morgue,

we feel it's reasonable to expect that we'll receive all of it.

Don't ask me why, but I hold a feeling of kinship

and respect for a man like you.

On the other hand,

I suspect you of some premeditated diddling on the hill side.

Mind you, I've said nothing about this at the department

because I am sure you have a totally worthy explanation.

So...

exactly what have you done with those hands?

It's nice to know you're sympathetic to my needs,

but you know this isn't enough.

What if I told you it had to be enough?

For now.

Doctor, when I was in college,

one of my best friends was a medical student, so...

one night, he stole into the laboratory

and removed part of a cadaver which he then utilized

to produce a therapeutic effect on a timorous young lady at a beer party.

Surely, you have progressed beyond this.

Inspector, let's pretend it's the past.

Say two months prior to the time this technique of identification was established.

Suppose you came to me and you said that you were on the verge of a...

discovery that would greatly advance your profession...

and mankind as a result.

Yet for definite reasons, you needed those last two months...

in order to prove it.

Would you expect me to block you or to... interfere?

Very good analogy. I'm sorry you thought of it.

Well?

It's fortunate for you that I seem to sense

a certain quality of honesty and greatness,

otherwise, I'd pulled you in right now.

Will you go along with me for that long?

For the promise you'll be given the complete story

at the second it's possible?

You have enough on this chart for a full preliminary check.

You're complicating things for me at the department.

I suppose I can create an acceptable story.

I suppose I'm as idealistic as you in many ways.

I'm sure my wife and children would support me in that up to a point.

And for everyone's sake...

let's hope we don't pass that point.

This will be his first moment of true consciousness.

Please let me handle explanations.

Guard your reactions against any indication of seriousness.

Mr. Paris.

You have visitors.

Mr. Paris?

My hands.

You're going to be perfectly alright.

What's happened to my hands?

There was a traffic accident.

Some of your fingers were broken.

You're going to be alright.

Cab.

That fool driver...

Why are my hands like this?

We knew who you were,

what your hands meant to you.

We've immobilized them so the fingers will mend perfectly.

I have to be in New York.

Concert, recordings.

I postponed them until you're well again.

You will play again, Vernon. You will.

Dina, don't lie to me.

I'm not lying, darling.

Dr. Harding did a beautiful job.

Your hands will be perfect.

Doctor... Harding?

"Perfect," Dr. Harding... in your terms or in mine?

In yours.

In just a few weeks, you'll have full flexibility again.

Full-timing.

Why did it have to happen to my hands?

You're lucky it was only this.

Glass was shattered from every window of the cab.

You can see to play...

and you will play.

All you need is that belief.

And some patience.

Not very aesthetic, is it, George?

Might make an unusual shot for our next poster.

You're going to be alright, Vernon.

Does Eileen know about this?

- I don't know. - Thank you.

But she was at the party.

Isn't that where they notified you?

Yes.

Well, it's alright.

My little dramatic butterfly wouldn't like it here very much.

No bright lights...

mink stoles.

You don't serve martinis...

do you, doctor?

Not for the time being.

Well, I guess she'll be around again

when things aren't so stark and sterile.

It'll be a month before we can remove the bandages.

You can go home in a week.

I think you'll be more comfortable there.

Home.

Where I can stare at the piano.

Wonder how long it's going to be...

and how good it'll ever be again.

So you can stare at it.

Remind yourself to be patient.

To fight for something that's important...

and beautiful.

Look at that.

Perfect fusion on both.

- You've done it, Gil. - Not yet.

All we know is that his body's accepted the hands.

We don't know how they're going to function.

But nobody's even gotten this far before.

You realize what that means?

It only means we've taken a step, Ken, that's not enough.

Not enough?

Gil, even if the rest fails,

if the nerve and muscle connections don't work...

It must work!

But you can't hope for too much.

Why not?

It's the only way we have the courage to take the next step...

and the next.

Well, when will we know?

That's why I've called you in here.

I've waited longer than I planned to be sure.

Now.

I'm going over to remove the bandages and make the first reflex test.

I want you all there, because you helped make it possible.

Also, I think he'll need all the moral support we can give him.

This may not be pleasant,

so if any of you don't want to come, say so.

Ross?

Kenny?

Holly?

Did I ever tell you I couldn't stand the sight of blood?

Let's see if our dream's a realistic one.

If it's possible to recreate beauty out of chaos.

Dina, push the lamp back a little.

We don't need that much.

Hope you don't mind an audience.

Ross, Ken and Holly all helped the night of the accident.

I'm used to audiences.

Glad to have one again after so long.

These weeks of waiting haven't been easy,

but if it ends well, I'll be grateful to all of you.

You're ready?

After seven weeks? Yes, I'm ready.

You must do one thing for me.

I ask you not to question it.

I want you to close your eyes and keep them closed...

until I tell you.

That shouldn't be so hard.

Only a few more minutes after seven weeks.

Apparently, dramatics aren't limited to the stage.

Keep your hands flat on the table.

Now, I'm gonna touch the fingers of your hand.

Each time when you feel the touch,

I want you to move that finger.

Before you open your eyes, I'm going to tell you one thing.

I want you to remember it. It's vital that you do.

Are you trying to ease me into acceptance of a failure, doctor?

What we've done for you surpasses my hopes.

But the success of every surgery depends on two things.

Medical skill, and acceptance on the part of the patient.

Are these your usual terms for such a thing as simple as broken fingers?

- I don't think so. - Keep your eyes closed.

The response in your fingers is eighty percent correct.

The rest will return, but it's going to take practice on your part.

You were right about one thing.

It was more than just... broken fingers.

But the thing that you've got to believe is that we've been successful.

Because we have.

During these weeks of waiting,

you told me about your absolute belief in music and beauty.

When you open your eyes, you're going to see something

that will demand a great deal of the sensitivity,

courage and creative thinking you have as an artist.

Now...

open your eyes.

What have you done to my hands?

They were terribly mangled in the accident.

- We've made it possible... - What have you done?

We've made it possible for you to have perfectly good hands.

These aren't my hands.

What have you done?

We've given you hands, while you had none.

When you arrived at the hospital, we were faced with a tragedy.

We didn't accept that!

We fought to restore the beauty that was so important to you.

And we did!

They're strong normal hands.

And your body's accepted them.

Now, you must accept them, and fight.

- Why? Why? - Because it is.

What have you done with my hands?

What you brought to the hospital were no longer hands.

Stand up.

Take hold of my arm.

Take hold of my arm!

Both hands!

Grip it. As hard as you can.

The fact that you can even do that proves the muscles work.

Can you feel my arm?

That proves the nerves are functioning.

Muscles and nerves, that's all you need.

These hands are new, but your talent isn't.

What happened to you seven weeks ago was cruel.

What I'm doing to you now is cruel.

But what we did in that operating room wasn't.

Now, you can accept or you can quit.

It's up to you.

Get out.

- Vernon, we... - All of you.

Patience, exercise, belief.

There's every chance in the world.

Every chance...

that beauty can once more be created by your surgical freak.

- It can. - You're right, doctor.

You were cruel just now.

But your bluntness has restored reality for me.

I'm just not sure how long it can remain.

I suggest you leave now.

Tomorrow, we'll talk about that reality.

I'll be back, Vernon.

- Dina... - I know, George.

Thank you. I'll call.

Let him have his anger and torment for now.

I think he'll be strong enough later to accept the fight.

His finger reactions weren't even right.

- Yes, they were. - But when you touched...

I touched the fingers on each hand in sequence at first.

Then I deliberately changed the sequence.

The finger that reacted was the one he thought should react next.

Then I went back and touched the finger... and it moved.

It's simply a matter of...

mental coordination on his part.

Seems so much to expect.

Dina, what we've done has never been done before.

It's a triumph for us.

But it's got to be one for him too.

I think I'd better move in here for a while.

He'll need you.

I wonder if there'll ever be a day when he doesn't.

I know how hard it is for you to accept.

But do you realize what Gil has done for you?

Yes, he made them come true.

Those dreams I've had through the years about something happening to my hands.

Gil's genius has made it possible for your talent to continue.

His genius with a knife and the human body

has put on my arms the hands of some man I don't even know.

Is that important if you can play again?

Important?

It's important my sanity could even accept that these aren't mine.

His genius has given me hands to feel with.

But can he guarantee these...

stolen chunks of flesh and bone will ever be...?

These are your hands!

Now, it's up to you to make them sing in the future as they did in the past.

It's you who control your hands.

Don't you understand?

I was my hands, they were my life.

Now, I'm carrying the life of someone I know nothing about!

Then you must learn again!

Or you will have no life.

Why me?

Why couldn't this have happened to that cab driver

who doesn't need his hands so much?

I only know from Gil that the man suffered too.

His life may not be as delicate or... as complex as yours...

but I'm sure he'll fight to maintain it.

Leave me alone.

I'm going to stay here for a while.

I'll be back as soon as I get some things from my apartment.

Please be patient.

Why, you're a half-hour...!

Why, Vernon, what a pleasant surprise.

I wanna talk to you.

I can't right now.

It's important.

Alright, but I only have a few minutes.

You always did have a talent for creating the proper visual mood.

This is no concern of yours.

Obviously, since our relationship is primarily a social one.

What does that mean?

It must be if you haven't been interested enough to see me during these past weeks.

I called the hospital the following day, left my sympathies.

Very generous of you!

Vernon, I'm very sorry about your accident, but...

Pain isn't a desirable substitute for laughter and excitement, is it?

Vernon, I've had a great many things to do.

I'm also expecting a guest within a half hour...

- A guest? - You don't own me, Vernon!

I know!

- But now I need you. - How interesting.

Well, there were times when I needed you.

Remember your favorite line?

"That would be too much like playing a great composition over and over.

You had to play many in order to live and grow as an artist."

There's a difference now.

Look, I... I can't explain everything right away,

but my life has changed. You've got to understand.

Vernon, if one of your other women has put you in your place,

I don't see any reason to come crying to me.

That's not it!

Yes, there were others! There were others for you too.

I don't think either of us had any illusions about that!

But for me, you were always the most important...

the loveliest.

In the back of my mind, maybe I always thought... someday...

Vernon, neither of us ever thought that "someday."

You were always a very exciting, very desirable man.

But this attitude in you now, this heaviness...

I don't like it at all.

I'll be very happy to see you on the old basis,

but right now I'd wish you'd go.

What if the old basis has been changed by something I can do nothing about?

I don't like you this way and I don't like riddles.

What if there won't be any concerts or parties?

- What if there'll only be me? - Stop it, Vernon.

I've never seen you this way and I don't want you this way.

- What if there'll only be me? - Stop it! Stop it!

- Answer me! - Let me go.

Your hands are breaking my arms!

- Your hands! - Yes, my hands.

The hands that brought you concerts, parties, glamour, excitement.

That's what happened when you called to leave your sympathies.

My hands that you knew so well.

Look!

They don't look like my hands, do they? They're not.

My hands were destroyed the night of my greatest concert.

But medical science gave me a new pair of hands.

Hands from another body, so that I can play again.

Yes, Eileen, I may play again.

But I may not. What if there'll only be me?

What will you do if I need your help now more than I need your beauty?

Don't touch...!

Why don't you take off? You too, Holly.

Kenny can handle emergency tonight.

Sure! And when do I get a chance to get married?

I have a girl who's pretty fed up already.

Who ever heard of young doctors getting married?

You have to be middle aged before you can afford to be married.

Yeah. I see what you mean.

Come on, junior. I have a new trick I wanna show you with the scalpel.

You know...

I've got a boyfriend who's the greatest guy in the world, but...

Holly... Never get interested in a dedicated man.

May look good on the surface...

but you can always end up second,

no matter how much he feels for you.

Thanks, Gil... for putting it the nice way.

She's a lucky girl.

I know this must make me look pretty much like a snoop, but...

I'm sure you understand it's part of my job.

I also understand we made a bargain.

With the time factor that was up a week ago.

You see, I'm not without patience.

The main point was I give you the complete story

as soon as it was possible.

You implied you'd trust my judgment.

Yes, I remember but there's a problem.

I have somewhat of a neurotic respect for perfection in my work.

I don't like to see assignments go unsolved.

Although, I recognize there's no set schedule for this solution.

Specifically, the fingerprint you gave me

have been thoroughly checked and they gave me nothing.

And you think I gave you a false set?

You're not that kind of a man.

We're in the process of checking them through foreign bureaus, but...

while we're waiting, I...

thought there might be something new you could offer

to keep my mind at peace.

There's nothing I can tell you yet.

There's a human factor that's involved.

It's critical.

Trust me a while longer.

- Very well. - Thanks.

In the meantime...

please remember my wife and children.

When I got back last night, he was sitting at the piano dazed.

He didn't say a word all night.

I don't think he went to sleep either.

And then in the morning came the tragic news

of the death of a woman who was very important to him.

He was more depressed.

- When did he leave? - Late this morning.

He said he wanted to be alone.

I... I wanted to go with him, but...

he was cruel in the way he rejected me.

I'm frightened.

Don't be frightened.

It's natural in the beginning.

He's got to feel sorry for himself.

Hate everyone and everything that caused this.

He'll be back.

I hope you're right.

In the meantime, I think this separation is good for us.

Let's have dinner. We've never done that.

I know a little place with violins not far from here.

We'll be back early.

Does Tony Wilder live here?

Yes, sir.

- Is he in? - No, sir.

But he'll be back in a little while.

He went to get somethin'. A dog.

Isn't that great?

I'm an old friend of his, used to ride in his cab all the time.

I wanna talk to him.

I really shouldn't let you in, but...

I guess you look okay.

You like dogs?

Okay. Come on in.

You ever had a dog?

Hey, mister, you ever had a dog?

Yes, a long time ago.

When you were a kid like me?

You got a piano once too?

Were you any good?

I'm good too.

Want me to play for you?

I'm not bad, honest!

I like to play.

Dad never has to make me.

You know a lot about the piano?

I... I'll play a real great tune I just learned.

It'll make you feel better, because...

you... you don't look so hot.

No. Not right now.

Come on. I like to play for people.

Helps me not to be nervous.

I'll make you a deal.

If you don't like it, I'll quit. Okay?

And they were both killed when we were very small.

We ended up with relatives who resented the obligation.

So more or less, we banded together for emotional survival.

You both had a great desire for life, even then.

- That's important for him now. - Perhaps.

But I think we became too close as a result, too dependent.

I had talent too, but his was greater.

I used my talent to help him.

The whole thing was a calculated plan

to bring us independence and freedom.

And now just when we were both reaching a point when we could be truly free...

Dina, nothing's going to be wasted.

Don't you see, by going through this

he can become part of a new and even greater kind of beauty?

Maybe that's a lot to imagine right now,

but eventually there can be no such thing as a permanently defective heart...

a permanent cripple...

a permanent birth malformation... blindness.

There'll always be accidental deaths.

But from these tragedies science will be able to

sustain and recreate joy for the living.

And when people know that

a worn out or defective part of their body can be replaced,

they'll approach life itself with a great deal less fear.

Three thousand years of research, Dina.

And we're just beginning.

This is the next major step, and he's the key part of it.

If it had to happen...

I thank God we found you.

- Gil, whose hands are they? - We don't know yet.

But they're strong, normal hands.

They might be hands from someone even more talented than Vernon.

But they could be from someone...

Don't let fear drive you into a pit of superstition.

But are we sure the soul really controls the outside?

Or is what we call a soul

really shaped by our own pleasures or hatreds with the outside

and how they're accepted by the world?

If you love beauty,

you conquer handicaps so beauty can live.

And if you don't?

Well, mister, how did you like it?

Good.

You play very well.

You mean it?

You could be good, very good, if you practice.

Did you practice a lot when you were a kid?

Yes, I practiced a lot when I was like you.

But I can't remember many things about being ten years old.

Yes. Yes, I can.

Are you still any good?

I don't know.

Come on and try.

I wanna hear you play now.

First you gotta take your gloves off.

Whoever heard of playing the piano with their gloves on?

- I can't take them off. - Sure you can.

You put them on, didn't you?

Gee, mister, you got strong hands.

Maybe someday, I'll have hands like that...

so I can play a lot easier.

Come on.

Gee, mister, it must've been a long time,

'cause you sure can't play now.

How can you play the piano if you can't even hit the cords?

Don't say that! I can play.

I will play again!

Music is my life!

You mustn't say I can't play! I will play!

I've never known anything else.

That's why I'll play again.

I must play again.

You see that, don't you?

Skeet.

I'm home, Skeet.

Easy, boy. Easy.

I know it's strange. You'll get used to it.

Skeet!

Skeet! Skeet!

Skeet, where are you?

Well, this time, I don't think we'll have to be as critical.

You can open them.

It's working, Vernon.

It's all working.

Should I say congratulations again, doctor?

To yourself for your patience.

Every finger response was correct.

Timing was a little slow, but with this much progress this soon,

there's no reason why full dexterity can't return.

All you need now is a strong incentive.

But it's something you've had for a long time.

Yes, doctor.

I think I'll enlarge on your exercises...

to include the piano.

Congratulations.

Congratulations.

It's wonderful, Mr. Paris.

Ouch!

I want you and Dina to have dinner with me tonight.

Go someplace where we can laugh for a change. How about it?

It's time to see again

what the outside world and smiling faces look like.

How about it?

Yes, sir, a beautiful throw. A beautiful throw.

Here's a smiling little doll to take home with you

to remind you of your shining hour.

You take that thing home and you're gonna be the one that has to dust it!

Test this game of skill.

Win yourself a beautiful prize of a tryout with the L.A. Dodgers.

A warm-up pitch. Only a warm-up pitch.

Even the greatest need that.

Try again.

Hey, what are you...? Some kind of a nut makin' fun?

- That'll be twenty bucks, buddy. - I'm sorry.

Forget the "sorry." I said twenty bucks, buddy.

And if you don't know how to use your hands, stay away from here!

- I'm gonna call a cop! - Okay, wait a minute.

Here's more than enough to take care of the damage.

Alright, but I'm still gonna call a cop.

That guy is some kind of a nut!

Look, here's more.

Please, forget it. He's a patient of mine.

He's been through quite enough as it is.

Give him a break.

Okay.

But if you can't handle him, buddy...

we got a place right down the street that specializes in freaks.

Vernon, you know how proud I am of you.

The new attitude you've had since Gil returned.

- Are you? - Very.

Remember the night the three of us went out together?

I remember.

It started then, didn't it?

I think it started a long time before that.

Gil's proud of you too.

I told him you've been practicing every day since then.

You don't know how important it is to him

that he used his skill to bring you a new life.

Yes. They all brought me a new life.

And for me... I...

I think you know how I've come to feel about Gil.

I want you to be happy for that too.

I'm very glad that you've come to mean so much to each other.

Why won't you let me stay on nights that you practice?

You know me at my best,

I want you to hear me that way the next time.

Besides,

you haven't regretted all the time you've been able to spend with him, have you?

Alright. I'll wait.

What time you'll be back tonight?

11:00 or 12:00. Just dinner and a conversation.

Have a good time.

Hey. Don't you wanna marry me?

- Yeah. - Yeah.

When?

A year or so, maybe.

I can't ask you to live on what I'm making now.

- I can't even live on it. - I wouldn't mind working.

I've... I've done it before.

Well, you might have to if we get married in a year or so.

Then why not now?

It's just too rough.

You're too intent on your work.

I admit it.

It's the future, Sue,

and I've got a chance to be a part of something wonderful.

I guess I'm selfish...

because I want it to be the right kind of future...

for my work... and for us.

- Don't you understand? - You know I do.

It's just that I wish there could be more time for us.

I'm not gonna stop loving you, Ken.

It's... It's just that the night's get lonely out.

It can't be.

Gil. Gil, can it?

It must be a record.

He never bought any of his own records.

He was always afraid of becoming a mechanical copy of himself.

I know his style so well.

I don't know. It may be possible...

if he's really been practicing and exercising the way you said.

It's... It's one of his more simple pieces.

Gil... Gil, it must be.

Vernon, was that you playing?

I'm sorry you heard.

I wanted it to be when I was a little better.

It sounded wonderful.

Well, it's the only one I've worked on.

It's taken me all these weeks.

What does the man who made it all possible have to say?

I'm... I'm surprised...

But you told me yourself there was no reason why it shouldn't happen...

with exercise... practice.

Yes, I know.

But I didn't expect this much dexterity this soon.

Not even when the incentive, the desire to create beauty,

is strong enough?

You did your work well, doctor. Now, I'm doing mine.

If it's true,

there's no one outside you two who could be happier than I am.

Then smile, doctor.

Get rid of that troubled questioning look.

Help us rejoice in the success of our mutual triumph.

I know what I have to do now.

Please play for us.

It's been very hard to get this far

and I think even the doctor will tell you

that it's natural to expect fatigue to set in easily.

Well, make it soon.

It will be.

Understand one thing.

I wanna believe.

Then do it, doctor.

Do it because you too have the incentive.

Gil.

Well, I'm sorry. I know he was a close associate of yours.

Did you know the girl, too?

Tragedies of this kind are always senseless, but...

I'm afraid I have to press you about the significance behind it.

How can there be any significance to waste?

Some time ago, I read a routine report

about a death that occurred in the suburbs.

A man came home and found his son dead.

Apparently, as the result of a burglar who was discovered and panicked.

The unusual thing was that most of the boys fingers were broken.

Possibly, it was the result of a fight...

except that the fingers were all squeezed together

as if they'd been crushed.

The man was an ex-cab driver named Wilder.

Can you raise the sheet farther this time and look at your friend's hands?

Done with a bookend.

If you're thinking it might have been a burglar, forget it.

It was calculated. The bookend was placed in the girl's hand

to make it look as if she defended herself against a sex attack.

Then you have your answer.

That's rather difficult to believe since the girl was choked to death.

A series of tragedies with one thing in common... The human hand.

The same thing that brought us together, doctor.

- It's ridiculous to assume that... - Is it?

Perhaps, if anybody else but your friend had been involved.

This is the kind of coincidence that forces me to become less patient.

I think I know now what's happened.

If I'm correct,

it's an amazing piece of surgery, doctor.

Under the circumstances, I must insist

you meet me at my office within a half-hour.

I...

I hope I'm wrong. I hope this is pure coincidence.

Otherwise, it means you failed to control

an experiment that could have been of great value.

Regardless...

both of our objectives are the same.

I think you know why I wanted you to be the first to hear me play.

Vernon, I've never been so happy.

You won't mind if it's the same piece?

I wouldn't care if it was the scale of C in one octave.

Just to know you can play again.

Even though I can play, I'm still nervous about...

about these hands.

Takes all my concentration.

Would you mind sitting in the other room just this once?

I'd listen to you from the other end of the world

if it would help make you great again.

Dina... I want you to remember just one thing.

Tonight, I'll play my greatest concert.

I need you to help make it complete.

I'll remember.

Now what do I do? Destroy the very thing I created?

Help him. Any jury will call it insanity.

With proper treatment, he can be brought back.

And Ken? Can I?

Gil, I was almost as close to Ken as you were.

But even his sacrifice can't stop our work. It mustn't.

How stupid I was.

What he said about incentive... Oh, yes, he had one, alright.

Vengeance on everyone he thought destroyed his ability to create music.

The driver, Ken.

I think we can take care of ourselves.

- Dina. She's with him! - He won't hurt her.

She's on his side. We're the enemies.

With a maniac as shrewd as he's become, I won't take that chance.

- I'm coming too. - No, you're involved enough.

Go home to your security.

Try to figure out why it's so hard to find for men like me...

and don't make the same mistakes.

- Are you sure about this? - It must be.

He made a special point about it.

"Tonight, I'll play my greatest concert."

- Dina, I... - I don't blame you, Gil.

How can you blame anybody for this?

I just feel numb.

For all the loneliness and misery he must be feeling inside.

Thank you for remembering what I said, Dina.

I was sure I could depend on the audience.

Very important part of the concert.

Yes. I'm going to play for you, doctor.

I'm used to a great deal of applause after my concerts.

And what could be more desirable

than applause from the man who made it all possible?

There were others almost as much a part of it as you

who should be here.

But I don't think we'd find their applause very enthusiastic.

Now...

I did manage to convince one of them though.

We had a long chat on the way down here.

It turns out he was very partial to music and my future ability.

The only trouble was he didn't mean it.

He was only trying to trick me.

Why, Vernon?

It was only a matter of time before you would have played again.

Time?

Time to cut off these hands and give me others.

And others if those don't work!

I guess the doctor has all the time he needs in his laboratory.

He can do anything... except give me back my life!

- He tried to save that life! - He failed!

How do you know yet?

- Shall I show you? - It's too soon.

I said I was going to play for you.

I am, now.

I want you beside me, Dina, because you were always there in the past.

You can't go out there.

- He still needs me. - It's a trick!

I might be able to humor him. Still save him, I've got to.

It's too much of a chance. You can't do it.

Then take a gun and go out there and shoot him now!

Listen...

Behold the wonders of medical science and your kind doctor.

Your triumph, doctor, and now mine.

Let her go.

Go on back. We'll be alright.

The talented Dr. Harding, still in charge.

You're right about one thing.

I'm not responsible for the loss of your hands.

But I am for this.

Like your friend, you imagine yourself a clever psychologist.

It won't work, doctor.

You're interested in nothing but vengeance?

Beauty is no longer important to you!

On the contrary,

justice is a form of moral beauty.

Or is that too unscientific?

I did everything I could surgically.

And your body's accepted it.

Beyond that I know I failed you.

Your mind couldn't accept.

That's very beautiful.

What a shame it's only meant to throw me off guard.

What do you want?

I want you to take another look at your work.

Just for this moment, I want to share this triumph with you.

Have you found out whose hands they are?

Not yet.

Does it make any difference?

I think you know we'll have to talk sooner.

Then maybe you'll be able to tell me if we have the right to push ahead so fast...

even when we believe.

Men like you who aren't afraid to grow...

they'll always be the right.