Two men go into business supplying medical colleges with cadavers by robbing graves.Two men go into business supplying medical colleges with cadavers by robbing graves.Two men go into business supplying medical colleges with cadavers by robbing graves.
- Natalie
- (as Katya Wyath)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFinal feature film of Frederick Piper.
- GoofsWhen Daft Jamie is being shown at the medical school, in the close-up of his foot, his toes move.
- Quotes
[telling an anecdote over dinner with Dr Selby]
Dr. Knox: He was a great barrel-chest of a man - heart like a steam engine, lungs like a pair of bellows. "Slip your trews down, man," I say. So he lets his trews fall down round his feet. "And your under-drawers," I say. "How can I examine you with your drawers on?" "I'd rather not," he says. "I'm very sensitive - it's my person, it's very small". "Good heavens, man!" I say, "That's nothing to worry about. I see dozens of them every day - big ones, small ones. Come on, don't waste my time." So reluctantly he lowers his drawers. At first I cannot see a thing. Then I see it: a wee mushroom peeping through the heather, and him such a fine strapping man, too - you never can tell. "It certainly is very small indeed," I say. "Er, tell me. Do you ever get an erection?" With tears in his eyes he says "I've got one the noo, Doctor".
[everyone laughs]
- Alternate versionsThe UK cinema version was cut by the BBFC to remove a shot of Hare stabbing a man with a broken bottle during a fight and a scene where a prostitute 'corrects' her male client by beating him with a cane.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Francoise Pascal - Skool's Out! (2023)
What you might recall about this film more than anything else is its theme song, which is certainly rather fun and moving. Bringing this tale to life is important and a great addition to horror cinema. Sure, it had been done before as "The Body Snatcher" and "The Flesh and the Fiends"... but it is my understanding that this was the first to be so explicit in the title.
The film also asks another question, perhaps philosophical or ethical: do dead bodies have value? Certainly murder is a terrible crime, but what of people who died naturally? Certainly their owners do longer need them -- why not be taken for medical science? (We now have donor cards and the like, but indeed, how were surgeons to learn their craft without practice?)
- How long is Burke & Hare?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- The Bodysnatchers
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 34 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.66 : 1