As much as its a movie about grisly killings, the body snatcher is also a movie about class. The body snatcher is a testament to a great use of star power. A very human and a most appreciated henry daniell role,matched only by karloff as coachmanbody snatcher. When he recovered work was already started on the body snatcher. Boris karloff, original name william henry pratt, born november 23, 1887, london, englanddied february 2, 1969, midhurst, west sussex, english actor who became internationally famous for his sympathetic and chilling portrayal of the monster in the classic horror film frankenstein 1931 karloff, the youngest of nine children born to edward and eliza pratt, deliberately failed. Despite his villainous roles in most films, in real life, he was a very gentle and wellliked man. The body snatcher, directed by wise, is a fine example of how lewtons movies not only avoided monsters, they also avoided outright villains and skillfully mined the moral grey zone. By 1919, karloff found regular work as an extra at universal studios. The body snatcher from 1945 was a great horror film from the era and also contains one of boris karloffs best speaking performances in movie history. The body snatcher is a 1945 horror film directed by robert wise and starring boris karloff, bela lugosi, henry daniell, and edith atwater. Boris karloff the crimson cult, house of evil stars as a cabman who steals recently deceased bodies to assist in the medical experiments of dr. The body snatcher features one of boris karloffs best and most sinister performances, though it is the lesser known and lower credited henry daniell who spends more time on screen.
Screen icon boris karloff plays the title role in the val lewton adaptation of robert louis stevensons the body snatcher, directed with subtle calculation by versatile robert wise west side. Boris karloff plays the title role in the lewton adaptation of robert louis stevensons the body snatcher directed with subtle calculation by versatile robert wise. Fettes russell wade urgent request for a cadaver from john gray boris karloff turns out badly for the street singer donna lee in the body snatcher, 1945, directed by robert wise, produced by val lewton, from the robert louis stevenson story. Starring boris karloff, bela lugosi, henry daniell, edith atwater, russell wade, rita corday, and donna lee.
Boris karloff john gray bela lugosi joseph henry daniell dr. All are on bluray, with the exception of gift of gab see below and rkos horror comedy youll find out 1940, which is on dvd. Gray, a dubious supplier of human cadavers for medical experimentation. It is based on the short story the body snatcher by robert louis stevenson. Also in the scene is russell wade as donald fettes. The body snatcher 1945 horror film boris karloff one. Boris karloff and bela lugosi team up to retell the story of burke and hare in this val lewton classic. Bride of frankenstein is a 1935 american horror film, the first sequel to frankenstein bride of frankenstein was directed by james.
Apr 22, 2020 william henry pratt aka boris karloff 18871969 was a british actor whose recognition came from playing monsters such as frankenstein and the mummy. The first and best of the three val lewtonboris karloff collaborations for rko isle of the dead and bedlam would follow, the body snatcher. Cabby boris karloff sells cadavers to doctor henry daniell in 1800s edinburgh. Released may 25th, 1945, the body snatcher stars boris karloff, bela lugosi, henry daniell, edith atwater the movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 19 min, and received a score of out of 100 on. Robert wise the val lewton horror collection cat people the curse of the cat people i walked with a zombie the body snatcher isle of the dead bedlam the leopard man the ghost ship the seventh victim shadows in the dark martin scorsese.
Despite or perhaps because of his brief screen time, lugosis performance is among the best of his career. But the body snatcher was the first of three films all first rate starring boris karloff the others being isle of the dead and bedlam. During these early stages of his career he was mostly left in obscurity. My favorite scene in which john gray karloff persuades dr. See more ideas about british actors, actor and frankenstein. The first and best of the three val lewtonboris karloff collaborations for rko. The youngest of nine children, he was educated at london university in preparation for a career as a diplomat. A doctor henry daniell needs cadavers for medical studies and karloff is willing to provide them one way or. Hes dominated by karloff in both of their scenes together. The body snatcher 1945 stream and watch online moviefone. I walked with a zombie the body snatcher horror double feature.
The body snatcher 1945 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Boris karloff and bela lugosi were given top billing in the val lewtonproduced the body snatcher, but the films protagonist is played by henry daniell. Boris karloff was two weeks in production with this movie when boris karloff needed a back operation. A truly great horror movie the first from director robert wise, the body snatcher also features a pair of truly great sometimes unhinged performances from boris karloff and henry daniell, the film remains the definitive cinematic version of robert lewis stevensons story featuring a terrific screenplay by phillip macdonald and val lewton under a pseudonym even with the liberties. Along with fellow actors lon chaney, bela lugosi and vincent price, boris karloff is recognized as one of the true icons of horror cinema, and the actor most closely identified with the general publics perception of the monster from the classic mary shelley book, frankenstein. The film offers a nice supporting performance from bela lugosi in what would be. Boris karloff list of movies and tv shows tv guide. The movie is set around the first balkan war 191219. The body snatcher 1945 rotten tomatoes movie trailers.
In the body snatcher, karloff is a body snatcher who gets stuff for people doing medical research. As a brief aside, the body snatcher is the last film that boris karloff and bela lugosi acted in together. Boris karloff, bela lugosi, henry daniell, robert wise. In 1831, in edinburgh, the prominent doctor and professor dr. A ruthless doctor and his young prize student find themselves continually harassed by their murderous supplier of illegal cadavers. Videos for the body snatcher turner classic movies. Boris karloff as the monster in bride of frankenstein frankenstein horror classic in which an obsessed scientist assembles a living being from parts of exhumed corpses. Lugosis role as one of macfarlanes servants is small and pitifully acted. However, they are not easy to come by, so he enlists the help of taxi driver john gray boris karloff and his assistant, joseph bela lugosi, to unearth bodies from the cemetery. The body snatcher was the last of eight films 19341945 that starred horror icons boris karloff and bela lugosi. Upcoming, new, and past boris karloff movies, tv shows, tv movies, appearances, specials, and more plus, a biography, news, awards, and nominations. Karloff simply wonderful with young girl,very gentle and kind to her. Bela lugosi, billed as karloffs costar, has a minor supporting role as karloffs assistant. Boris karloff, bela lugosi, henry daniell and edith atwater directed by.
The first and third lewtonkarloff collaborations, both also period pieces, are indicative of how lewtons later rko movies could be. Born as william henry pratt, he joined a touring company and adopted the stage name boris karloff. Even though lugosi is no more than a minor character, and is. Vintage gelatin silver, single weight, glossy finish photos, by rko studio photographer earnest a. Wolfe toddy macfarlane henry daniell buys corpses for his studies and classes of anatomy from the notorious cabman john gray boris karloff, who is also a body snatcher. Without boris karloffs layered, flatout creepy as hell performance, the film would be simply another of val lewtons betterthanaverage, low budget horror films for rkohandsomely done, but a little stodgy. The body snatcher was not the first historical movie by val lewtons production unit. Pierce to apply and his cumbersome costume weighed 48 pounds in the uncomfortable heat of summer. William henry pratt was born on november 23, 1887, in. Body snatcher, the 1945 movie clip if youre a real man.
The body snatcher 1945 the body snatcher 1945 user. With boris karloff, bela lugosi, henry daniell, edith atwater. Be the first to correct that lugosi and karloff appeared in a movie after this. The body snatcher john gray 1945 house of frankenstein dr. The first six were made for universal, the final two for rko. When suspicions about just how fresh the bodies are come to light, some minor dramatic stuff happens and then the film ends. Boris karloff full list of movies and tv shows in theaters, in production and upcoming films. So when the body snatcher was completed, he went back to shooting the isle of the dead two weeks later. The body snatcher 1945 horror film official trailer boris karloff. The body snatcher sign up now to find fans of your favorite movies and shows. The body snatcher returns dillian whyte v ivica bakurin official.