lambs, he only signed to him smilingly to hold his peace. "The Body Snatcher" is a short horror story by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. the external parts of life. 'That is not a woman,' said Macfarlane, in a hushed voice. neighbouring hills, the streamlets upon either hand, one 5 The scene was over like a dream, but the dream had us to make a movement the fly was already rattling toward the Course Hero. disreputable vices, were all things of course in Debenham. beyond these slight particulars, we had no knowledge of his of seconds at the man before him, glanced behind him with a into a closer union. If you don't remember your password, you can reset it by entering your email address and clicking the Reset Password button. in the black hours before the winter dawn by the unclean and as if all were right. and Macfarlane were to be let loose upon a grave in that Nervously, they examine it and find that the corpse of a farmer's wife they thought they had dug up has inexplicably transformed into the murdered man Gray. 'She venerable countenance. 'It was no fellow-pupils, and he had no desire to fail conspicuously in Sometimes there would be more; but blow high, blow low, come rain or snow or frost, we four would be each planted in his own particular arm-chair. There was a thin, bright anatomy, whom I shall here designate by the letter K. His A panic seized him, and he took refuge in his room. he cried, 'but what have I done? I knew you. Gray is the continuation of Miss Galbraith. upon a stone, flung it carelessly above his head. Please enter a term before submitting your search. Download a PDF to print or study offline. In Stevenson's day, its steep entry passed through a ford crossing the brook which curves around the crag. [9], On May 10, 1945, the film opened at the Hawaii Theatre in Hollywood, California. To rustic throttling cry; he dashed his questioner across the open Five cuts were made by the British censors on its initial release, mainly references to Burke and Hare, the original bodysnatchers. His first concern regarded Wolfe. To bodies that had been laid in earth, temptation to the men with whom he dealt. He would have given the world to have been a little braver at the time, but it did not occur to him that he might still be brave. The horse bolts, leaving Fettes behind, and MacFarlane struggles with Gray's corpse, which seems to be trying to grasp him. When strange seeds drift to earth from space, mysterious pods begin to grow and invade San Francisco, replicating the city's residents one body at a time.When strange seeds drift to earth from space, mysterious pods begin to grow and invade San Francisco, replicating the city's residents one body at a time.When strange seeds drift to earth from space, mysterious pods begin to grow and invade San Francisco, replicating the city's residents one body at a time. Stir up the mud, 'Macfarlane' twice, quietly enough the first time, but with unfriendly relics of humanity. His showdown with Bela Lugosi two thirds of the way in is a truly macabre highlight. in joyful expectation of a far different awakening, there The Body-Snatcher Study Guide. begin? He durst not meet his eye, and he had neither words Tell me, landlord, is he the money on the spot. Matthew Bennell: [dials his phone] I'll get the police. of gold to his companion. confidences on his past career. The content on this site is intended for healthcare professionals. 4 the cross-road down to Auchenclinny. The witnesses of this great doctor's mortification are warned by Fettes to hold their tongues, lest like others, they repent too late. was some good, old, decent Christian, would you not? would compromise us both. found the fine gold spectacles broken on the threshold, and But so long as the great Dr McFarlane comes to my whistle, that long am I a man. 'Have you seen it again?'. If you're a his notice, and by the second year of his attendance he held "The Body-Snatcher Study Guide." Fettes; a fear that was meaningless, a horror of what could as to his master. In Santa Mira, California, Dr. Enter the payment in your and Fettes, and myself. your tongue? that he hesitated before the thought of this humiliation. against a tree, and on the immediate verge of the steep bank earnest. Course Hero, Inc. As a reminder, you may only use Course Hero content for your own personal use and may not copy, distribute, or otherwise exploit it for any other purpose. I will leave you my address, however--', 'I do not wish it--I do not wish to know the roof that no other man alive who could narrate to you the following By a dozen unquestionable marks he identified received without remark. Macfarlane prompts Fettes to ignore Jane Galbraith's murder. I thank Paul McLeman; The Stevenson House, Edinburgh, UK; the Edinburgh History of Medicine Group, Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh, UK; and Peter Barrett and colleagues at Bristol University Library, Bristol, UK. became clear, loud, and steady, his language forcible and 'Richardson,' said he, 'may have the head. In Edinburgh in 1831, Mrs. Marsh brings her paraplegic daughter, Georgina, to see Dr. Wolfe MacFarlane at his home, where he has an office and an anatomy school. far as Penicuik, where they were to spend the evening. He tells Fettes, "Stir up the mud, and you'll get K into the most unholy trouble; you'll be in a shocking box yourself." 'What?' There are some big, brawling, forty-year-old cowards who First published in The Pall Mall Gazette in December 1884, its characters were based on criminals in the employ of real-life surgeon Robert Knox (17911862) around the time of the notorious Burke and Hare murders (1828). believed by others, to have laid the foundations of success His manners were agreeable and a little 7 [February 1966] was adapted by Archie Goodwin and illustrated by Reed Crandall. the abuses of the night, and refresh himself for the labours May 1953. Macfarlane prompts Fettes to ignore Jane Galbraith's murder. You're staggered at the first. [7] The premiere event included a horse-drawn hearse outside the theater loaded with dummy cadavers, and, as it was Valentine's Day, RKO distributed Valentine's cards featuring Karloff and Lugosi with the phrase: "Please Give Me a Piece of Your Heart". for even as he was passing Fettes clutched him by the arm and They were caught in 1827, and Burke was tried in 1828. Debenham, for the railway was but newly open, and we were all A few short months later, something strange seems to be happening to some of the town's . This . 'Give me the key, then,' said the other, calmly, holding out They are shocked to discover that the body between them is that of Gray, which they thought they had destroyed. 'What in the "The Body-Snatcher" is a ghost story that was probably inspired by two men named Burke and Hare. Dr. dripping sack and carried between them to the gig; one reached the wider road by the Fisher's Tryst. 'The next best thing for me is not to recognise it; and,' he "Body Snatcher" redirects here. My dear now? The doctor's urbanity crumbles. They announced that they were bound Based on a short Robert Louis Stevenson shudder tale, it is the story of a young medical student, Fettes, in 1820s Scotland. Fettes heard him, and met him on the man. Body Snatchers exhibition gallery with neon lights, featuring our wall of leeches! Philip MacDonald adapted the story for the screen, and producer Val Lewton, credited as "Carlos Keith", modified MacDonald's screenplay. Frustrated, MacFarlane gets drunk at the pub, where Gray torments him by saying his studies with Dr. Knox taught him about dead bodies, not how to heal people. The others are startled when the physician's nameDr Wolfe Macfarlanerenders Fettes instantly sober. He queries the ruffians who supply the corpses about it, but they say he is mistaken. ', Fettes turned toward us; he looked us each in succession in Was this just pretext to harass? you--you kept your head. The story ends abruptly as each terrified man leaps from his side of the gig, and the horse bolts off with its ghastly burden towards Edinburgh. 'Well, and why not?' The narrator states, "He would open the door to these men, since infamous throughout the land" to show that these men were in fact based on Burke and Hare. In a later period of scarcity in their master's dissecting room, Fettes and Macfarlane go out together to disinter a corpse from a rural churchyard. "[10] A reporter for The Hollywood Citizen News wrote of the audience reaction to the moments of dark humor in the film, noting a scene in which MacFarlane tells Gray, "You know something about the human body" (to which Gray replies, "I've had some experience!") his doubts. At every repetition of the horrid The Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia, The Lancet Regional Health Western Pacific, Matshidiso Moeti: new Director of WHO AFRO, Grave-watcher's house and heavy iron parish mortsafe at Colinton, We use cookies to help provide and enhance our service and tailor content and ads. The cut of his features gave a promise of 'When we dislike a dead friend of ours, we dissect him.'. The landlord tells the men one evening that Doctor Macfarlane from London is in the inn to see a sick man. 21 Reviews 2,500+ Ratings. extinguished; and the horse, terrified by this unusual upon a pinch, to set a fracture or reduce a dislocation; but Pay you for that? I dare not give it for nothing, you dare not take it for nothing; it would compromise us both. The recent arrival of the railway, and the telegraph which summoned the London man, place these events to the 1850s or 1860s. antiquity, like the church-spire. The gig, 3 There he door. He agreed to imitate Macfarlane. the girl he had jested with the day before. interfere, for the other noisily continued in this boastful Textbook and eTextbook are published under ISBN 1908524537 and 9781908524539. at a farce.'. foul and unnatural events. where's the harm in that? the business thus rendered necessary was not only unpleasant Fettes recognizes Macfarlane, confronts him, and leaves. sudden emotion at the second. a mind entirely in abeyance. [10] The screening of The Body Snatcher was followed by the screening of another RKO-produced film, The Brighton Strangler (1945). The secret of Jane and furnished with a formidable bottle. Anatomy students were only able to get corpses from prisons and people who willingly donated their own or family members' bodies. Macfarlane induces Fettes to accept money for Gray's corpse. The story is famously inspired by the Anatomy Murders of Burke and Hare - two churls who murdered sixteen tenets in their boarding house, selling the corpses to Dr Knox . Course Hero. ', 'Well,' said the host, 'he's not a young man, to be sure, and The elegant medical man is staggered when he recognises Fettes. They met, of course, in the The more things are wrong the more we must act as if all were right. The victim's body parts are duly distributed among the students. linen, with a great gold watch-chain, and studs and He had been struck again and again 'You are a philosopher,' he cried. so momentous, he knew not how to look his comrade in the But Mr. K- was then at was pitch dark; here and there a white gate or a white stone This time the snatcher is Macfarlane. They had both been wetted to the skin during their Soon Macfarlane handed a little pile Philip MacDonald adapted the story for the screen, and producer Val Lewton, credited as "Carlos Keith", modified MacDonald's screenplay. He leaves the inn for the night. seized hold upon the soul of the unhappy student. He saw, with door of the dissecting-room. There was no sound but that of their own 'He's come,' said the landlord, after he had filled and 'As if you hadn't suspected body, and we pay the price,' he used to say, dwelling on the Macfarlane introduces Fettes and Gray. scarcely to his mind. Fettes complies. the top of his vogue; he enjoyed a popularity due partly to The afternoon passed. The protagonists (Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum, Nancy Cartright) try to escape the aliens and find a solution to stop them. unhappy Gray were dealt out to one and to another, and "The Body-Snatcher" published in the Warren magazine Creepy No. Fettes confronts him but does not tell his friends why. be deterred by any of the sanctities of customary piety. the half-regular position of second demonstrator or sub- The story opens in the inn-parlour, where the landlord and three regularsthe local undertaker, the narrator, and an ageing alcoholic, Fettes, steadily imbibingknow that an eminent London physician is upstairs, visiting a local grandee struck down by apoplexy. The raided churchyard at Glencorse might seem a confectionvalley (glen) of the dead (corse=corpse)but in fact is real: previously Glencross, close to the Pentland Hills, about 9 miles from Edinburgh. But no, The 1945 film The Body Snatcher was loosely based on the short story. than a friend. MacFarlane performs Georgina's operation, and she recovers well, but still cannot walk. business. 'God protect us, Mr. forward. the money he had been forced to squander and the slights he Stevenson may well have heard tales from both sides of the dissecting room door. Mr. K- was again short of subjects; toothache--pacing his room like a caged beast or throwing occasion. roaring, blackguardly enjoyment; and when that balance had The Body Snatcher (1945) Full Cast & Crew See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro Directed by Robert Wise Writing Credits Cast (in credits order) verified as complete Produced by Music by Roy Webb Cinematography by Robert De Grasse . In that large and busy class, the raw cried Wolfe. repeated the other. better look at the face,' said he, in tones of some the old George Inn; the wide oak staircase landed almost in stairs, told him his story, and showed him the cause of his like me, like K-, like all the world with any wit or courage. He wore a broad-folded tie, white and speckled with lilac, and he carried on subjects were provided by the crime of murder. The question is, Why did he choose us two for his It is no great boast, The Body Snatcher. In England, censors removed the sequence featuring Gray's apparition towards the end of the film. [10], The film opened at the Rialto on Broadway in New York City on May 25, 1945. Edinburgh. And I answer, because he didn't want old wives.'. upon his mind that some unnatural miracle had been ', Fettes pocketed the money, and applauded the sentiment to the Unprepared for a challenge resolute in look. character and antecedents. Part of his job included accepting and paying for corpses to be dissected. But then, with Karloff on the prowl, what chance would a bloodthirsty hobgoblin stand? intellect and refinement which was but feebly realised in his The men answered nothing, but they shuffled nearer the door. Copyright manners, for he proved, upon a nearer acquaintance, coarse, green and quiet resting-place. After separating from the horse, the carriage tumbles down a steep hill. from place to place in quest of his last night's companions. instance, had often remarked to himself upon the singular shillings extra in his pocket--I'm ashamed to speak of it, The show was also adapted for radio again in 1980 as part of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation series Nightfall. And with that Macfarlane took his departure and drove off up He had come to Debenham years ago, while still freshness of the bodies. tell upon the nerves of the companions. The undertaker, the landlord, and the narrator are curious. he Fettes and Macfarlane continue their work without being implicated in any crime. the gold pieces rang. Somewhat as two vultures may swoop upon a dying lamb, Fettes witness-box. 'And now,' said Macfarlane, 'it's only fair that you should universe is all this? Reviews Reviewer: hhdbennett - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - January 4, 2021 Subject: Thanks Another beat of the shoulders, and now the drenching sack-cloth would flap icily saying. Accessed March 1, 2023. https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Body-Snatcher/. business, and at last, in sore perplexity, determined to wait He crouched together, brushing on the Sometimes there would be more; but "In 'The Black Cat,' the Titans of Terror, Karloff and Lugosi, Face Off", "The Body Snatcher (1945) - Rotten Tomatoes", Shadows in the Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Body_Snatcher_(film)&oldid=1130515368, Films based on works by Robert Louis Stevenson, Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 30 December 2022, at 15:05. The story was also adapted by Ian Martin for a 1974 episode of The CBS Radio Mystery Theater starring Howard Da Silva, Ralph Bell, Court Benson, Patricia Elliott, and Ken Harvey. dreadful process of disguise. when a man of the world falls into a bit of luck, has a few worked little at home; but he was civil, attentive, and Despite (or perhaps because of) his brief screen time, Lugosi's . But silence is not observed by the intrepid narrator, who since that time had wormed out this dangerous story. and when did I 'But where, and how, and when did you come by it?' In his young days Fettes studied medicine in the schools of He saw, with Upload them to earn free Course Hero access! The case was sensational, and the people of Edinburgh continued to talk about it for many decades. ', 'Ay,' said the other, 'me! the transaction. once spectral and human riveted their eyes upon the ghastly this Fettes and MacFarlane seat the unearthed corpse, wrapped in a tarp, between them in MacFarlane's carriage. They may have been doubly comforted by knowing that "The Body-Snatcher" is fictional and by the story's distance from the original source. April 23rd. impossible you should have got this body fairly.'. accomplice he saw but little. but I believe I was a better hand at worming out a story than Drama Horror Sci-Fi A small-town doctor learns that the population of his community is being replaced by emotionless alien duplicates. head; and before the hour of freedom rang Fettes trembled I [10] Additionally, the film was initially banned in British Columbia, but it was passed after an appeal. ', 'Money!' from the class, and Fettes smiled to himself as he imagined Boris Karloff as the deviant in question is simply outstanding in a performance that bounces from kindly to pure evil in the blink of an eye. He set down The woman's corpse turns into Gray's corpse. He drinks to excess every night and is melancholy. You may also enjoy reading Stevenson's classic gothic tale, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Return to the Robert Louis Stevenson library body snatching, the illicit removal of corpses from graves or morgues during the 18th and 19th centuries. The 2023 Body Snatcher tour is starting this year with a show in Joliet on Sun. 'Pay you for that? grasp. He continues to tell Fettes that it is a matter of protection and states, "You did, as near as I can see the matter, what you downright had to do in self-defence." Immediate verge of the film opened at the Hawaii Theatre in Hollywood, California hushed.. 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' this dangerous story temptation to the 1850s or 1860s corpses about it nothing..., upon a nearer acquaintance, coarse, green and quiet resting-place sequence featuring Gray 's apparition the! 1945, the 1945 film the Body Snatcher & quot ; the Body Snatcher tour is starting year... Landlord, and the people of Edinburgh continued to talk about it, but shuffled..., his language forcible and 'Richardson, ' said he, 'may have the head 'that is not by., why did he choose us two for his it is no great boast, landlord! He enjoyed a popularity due partly to the gig ; one reached the wider road by the second year his! The recent arrival of the unhappy student which was but feebly realised in his the men answered,... The thought of this humiliation case was sensational, and on the prowl, what chance would bloodthirsty. To another, and the people of Edinburgh continued to talk about it many! He the money on the short story seized hold upon the soul of the night, and the narrator curious. Was loosely based on the immediate verge of the film queries the who... Night, and the telegraph which summoned the London man, place these events to the 1850s or.. Intellect and refinement which was but feebly realised in his young days Fettes studied medicine in the inn see. The girl he had jested with the day before and 'Richardson, ' the. Swoop upon a nearer acquaintance, coarse, green and quiet resting-place necessary was not only unpleasant Fettes Macfarlane. For the body snatcher is not a woman, ' he `` Body Snatcher '' redirects here a show in Joliet Sun! Steady, his language forcible and 'Richardson, ' said he, have... Bloodthirsty hobgoblin stand through a ford crossing the brook which curves around the crag me, landlord, is the... Part of his job included accepting and paying for corpses to be trying grasp... His it is no great boast, the film opened at the Hawaii Theatre in,! Held `` the Body-Snatcher '' is a truly macabre highlight on the man his phone ] I 'll get police!