alexanderdavies-99382 "The Body Snatcher" from 1945, is the greatest horror film from producer Val Lewton.Boris Karloff certainly had a character to get his acting chops into, in the title role. Rarely has he played such an evil character. The way he is by different turns, sly, cunning, ruthless and vindictive makes for a fine performance from Karloff.Henry Daniell offers excellent support. This film was the last time those two horror legends Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi would work together. The latter has a handful of brief scenes but the plot allows the two actors one last time to share a scene. It is a highlight as well.The dialogue is better than usual and the director Robert Wise does a fine job.The film works best as a horror film of atmosphere and suggestion.

Alex da Silva Simpleton student doctor Russell Wade (Fettes) is American and speaks in a naive manner that has you astounded he can make it through to medical school. Anyway, it's 1831 Edinburgh – or Edinburrow as Wade pronounces it – and the Hare and Burke case is fresh in everyone's minds. Hare and Burke murdered people to provide bodies for medical research. Henry Daniell (MacFarlane) is the doctor that Wade is assigned to and stays with during his training. Bodies are needed for dissection purposes – enter cabman Boris Karloff (Gray). Karloff provides a service for Daniell. These two characters have a history that needs resolving… The story is about grave robbing and murder as a business. The two main characters – Karloff and Daniell are excellent in their roles. Karloff is scary and funny and Daniell is funny and flippant. They, along with some memorable scenes are the good points of the film. These scenes include the final nightmare cab ride that Daniell takes and the scene where servant Bela Lugosi approaches Karloff to blackmail him. Bad move.Unfortunately, the film is let down by some overbearingly awful sentimentality. We get a terrible singer that is allowed to sing on more than one occasion. The film spends way too much time with her awful, annoying voice and stupid songs. When Karloff gets in his cab one evening to pursue her we get what is the most satisfying moment of the film. Ha ha ha. My wife and I laughed out aloud at that point. Great moment. However, we also get a sentimental story about a crippled child and some nonsense about a white horse that doesn't work and really annoys. You know the kind of thing – will the crippled child walk again when she sees the white horse – guess what..? …I'm gonna puke. So, the film loses marks for this insulting crap.So, overall, the film is OK, let-down by an awful child actress and an awful singer. They are, unfortunately, in the film for long enough to ruin the whole experience. Karloff is great, though.

begob An apprentice doctor accepts promotion by his revered teacher, but finds he must make a ghastly compromise if he wishes to survive ...The first thing I noticed was the architecture in the opening shots - emphasising hierarchy and dominance. Then we get into a drama of class and ignorance, which is mostly a crime story that just about clears the horror hurdle in the last sequence. It's really a study in déformation professionnelle (yeah, I looked it up on wikipedia).The story is a bit jumbled, as the hero is way overshadowed by the villains, and the women have no impact other than exposition and snoozy sentimentality. But the villains are played brilliantly, with a whiff of Iago and Shylock. Karloff is magnificent - particularly in a murder scene with Lugosi, where he tosses off the word "tosspot" without a hint of a snigger.It really is a talkie-talkie, so not a great movie, but the pace is OK for such a short run time. The music is standard orchestral nerve tinglers, but not overwhelming. Didn't notice much in the editing, but the sets and photography were nice and moody.Overall: engaging, and elevated by the performances of the doctor and his nemesis.ps. Does Jeremy Irons channel Karloff?

AaronCapenBanner Robert Wise directed this Val Lewton production based on the Robert Louis Stevenson short story. Henry Daniel stars as Dr. Wolfe MacFarlane, who teaches in a medical school in Scotland in 1831. Russell Wade plays Donald Fettes, a student in his class who becomes his assistant. Fettes wants to help a young paralyzed girl walk again, and needs MacFarlane to operate, but he refuses. It turns out that he has a nefarious deal with sinister Cabman John Gray(played by Boris Karloff in one of his finest performances) to supply him with bodies for dissection, in order to properly teach his students, even though it is against the law. MacFarlane gets in deeper and deeper with Gray, until events spiral beyond their control... The best of the nine films Val Lewton made at RKO, is superbly acted and directed, with wonderful period atmosphere and solid script, leading to a haunting end.