The Body Snatcher (1945)

Director:

Robert Wise

Writers:

Robert Louis Stevenson (short story "The Body Snatcher")
Philip MacDonald (written by) ...

Release Date:

1946 (Turkey)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

INVADED!...the sanctuary of the Dead!...by the Hero of Horror!...and the Master of Menace!

Plot:

A ruthless doctor and his young prize student find themselves continually harassed by their murderous supplier of illegal cadavers.

Plot Keywords:

Cemetery | Medical Student | Doctor | Medical | Murder

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Boris Karloff	...	Cabman John Gray
Bela Lugosi	...	Joseph
Henry Daniell	...	Dr. Wolfe 'Toddy' MacFarlane
Edith Atwater	...	Meg Camden
Russell Wade	...	Donald Fettes
Rita Corday	...	Mrs. Marsh
Sharyn Moffett	...	Georgina Marsh
Donna Lee	...	Street singer

Also Known As:

Robert Louis Stevenson's 'The Body Snatcher' (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

77 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate #10563) | Australia:PG | Germany:12 (video rating) | Spain:13 | Sweden:(Banned) | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

Although based on a fictional short story by Robert Louis Stevenson, the author came up with the idea from actual events occurring in 19th century England and Scotland, particularly those of grave robbers Burke and Hare.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Gray kills Joseph, the latter's right arm is stretched out from his shoulder at a 90 degree angle and Gray reaches over to shoo away his cat who begins to nuzzle Joseph's right hand. In the next shot, the right arm of the dead Joseph has suddenly moved to a position where it lies parallel to his body.

Quotes:

Cabman John Gray: I'm a pretty bad fellow myself, but MacFarlane's the boy - Toddy McFarlane I call him. Toddy, order your friend another glass.
[to Fettes]
Cabman John Gray: Toddy hates me.
Dr. Wolfe 'Toddy' MacFarlane: Don't call me by that confounded name.
Cabman John Gray: Hear him! Did you ever see the lads play knife?
[thrusts a knife into a loaf of bread]
Cabman John Gray: Toddy would like to do that all over my body.
Donald Fettes: We medicals have a better way than that. When we dislike a friend of ours, we dissect him.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows (2007) (TV)

Sinisterly marvellous!

A sinister coach driver John Gray (Boris Karloff) supplies corpses for Dr. Wolfe MacFarlane (Henry Daniell) and his assistant Donald Fettes (Russel Wade), but things start going pair shape when Dr. Wolfe finds out more about where these corpses are coming from, as supplies are running short and he tries to get rid of Gray, who doesn't share his buddy's (or Toddy's) thoughts. Another thing on their minds is that a mother of a young girl with a bad vertebra that's getting worse asks Dr. Wolfe for his help, but he refuses at first. But with the constant bugging from assistant Fettes, he finally goes ahead with the operation.

The more I watch this film, the better it seems to get! Val Lewton's "The Body Snatcher", which is set in the year 1831, Edinburgh - is an excellently well-handled thriller that holds SUCH great performances from the likes of Boris Karloff, Henry Daniell, Russel Wade, Edith Atwater and Bela Lugosi. What shines and drives the film other than its performances - is the intelligent screenplay and hypnotic atmosphere and setting that reeks of death and coldness. The foggy, empty and dark streets of Edinburgh during the night have an approaching sense of menace, especially when Karloff is on screen. An impressive Boris Karloff as John Gray the Cabman evokes such tension and depth. He always makes his presence distinguishable, with the scenes he's in being the most interesting. His appearance and body language has some unsettling effect - in a captivating way. His performance in my opinion is up there with the likes of "The Mummy" and "Bride Of Frankenstein". I read a lot positive remarks towards Karloff's performance, but IMHO Henry Daniell was equally as good. He's great as the troubled Dr. Wolfe, who is haunted by Gray. You could say he was the backbone of the film. When these two shared the screen, is when the fireworks certainly occurred. Russel Wade is quite sympathetic in his role, as the reluctant assistant who gets drawn into Dr. Wolfe's mess. Edith Atwater delivers a sound performance and there's basically a neat cameo role by Bela Lugosi.

I wasn't bored, but for some people it might be a tad too slow and real talkative, as what this film thrives on, is its vivid literature, well-rounded characters and potently gripping confrontations, especially between Wolfe and Gray. The story has its moments of psychological suspense that steadily develops into a thrilling and powerful finale (that has the usual thunderstorm evident). The way the final lines of dialogue were set up in that sequence is truly unnerving. Also throw in elements of greed, guilt and pride and how it gets the better of people. So there is a moral to all of this. Sudden shocks and jolts fill the film, but definitely not cheap ones. Mostly the deaths are implied, though there is great use of sound in those situations eg. The sound of a horse trotting. It's very effective! It isn't stylish or spirited directing by Robert Wise, but to cap it off, he achieves a downright inventive and believable movie piece.

My only small complaint is that it could've been a much darker film, but it's the lightness of the sub-plot about the crippled girl that "slightly" spoilt it. Was it trying for an innocent point of view?Nonetheless, it's still my favourite Lewton/Karloff film, to date.

"Never get rid of me!"