The Anatomist

Dr. Knox (Alastair Sim) is THE ANATOMIST, in desperate need of cadavers for his anatomy classes. This leads to his assistant employing the services of a pair of "resurrectionists" named Burke and Hare (David Blake Kelly and Michael Ripper).

As the demand rises, the gleeful ghouls must increase the supply. So, they decide to take a few "short cuts" in their corpse-acquiring business.

While it may seem a tad talky to modern audiences, this British made-for-TV movie does deliver the gruesome goods in the end! However, don't expect another FLESH AND THE FIENDS, as the more homicidal aspects of the film are performed off-camera.

Sim's version of Knox is complex, cold, and pragmatic. Even so, he's somehow likeable. Ripper is particularly despicable in the creepiest role of his career! Adrienne Corri is also quite good as the ill-fated Mary Paterson.

Well worth viewing for the horror fan...

This I a cheap TV version of the Burke & Hare body snatchers. The story seems to take place mainly on one set So it is all talk and little action. No version of the story would be complete without the presence of Michael Ripper.

English TV version of the Burke and Hare story focusing primarily on Alister Sim as Dr Knox, the man who wants fresh bodies for his classes.

Talky pro-science film seems to be stretched and occasional unfocused, its not bad but I often wasn't sure what the point of the film was.Clearly the point was to say that what science does sometimes is shocking and that Knox was bothered but what happened, but at the same time making the film less a boogeyman story takes the edge off the oft told tale. It doesn't help that the love story thats been shoe horned in is far from compelling with the fiancé of a Knox associate coming off as a bit shrewish. Its a came try but it doesn't really work.

Not bad, but not really worth your time either unless you're a huge Alister Sim fan.

The gruesome true story of Scottish rascals Burke and Hare has long held a fascination for film audiences; consequently, in the last 70-odd years, we have seen their body-snatching exploits dramatized for the big and small screen no less than 11 times and, in fact, this is the sixth official version that I have gotten under my belt – or the seventh if one counts the definitive Val Lewton variation, THE BODY SNATCHER (1945) which had provided Boris Karloff with one of his finest roles – and the most intriguing one that remains for me to catch up with is the Tod Slaughter one entitled THE GREED OF WILLIAM HART aka HORROR MANIACS (1948)!

Anyway, the film under review (actually the second of three TV adaptation of James Bridie's play that had been made in 1939 and 1980) is so obscure that some online sources cannot even agree on the year in which it was made, with some giving it as 1956 and others as late as 1961! Given the fact that stars Alastair Sim (who plays Dr. Knox in a typically eccentric characterization) and George Cole (as one of Dr. Knox's most admiring students) had already appeared together several times – including SCROOGE (1951) and THE BELLES OF ST. TRINIAN'S (1954), not to mention the black comedy THE GREEN MAN (also from 1956), the earlier date makes more sense – especially since both of them would make infrequent appearances in film from the 1960s onwards. Besides, by 1961 Michael Ripper (who plays Hare here) had already gone some way into establishing himself as Hammer Films' unofficial mascot and, after all, the Baker-Berman film version THE FLESH AND THE FIENDS starring Peter Cushing was only released in 1960…so, again, the earlier date is the more plausible one. Curiously enough, since we are speaking about Horror icons and their ilk, the IMDb states that prolific writer-producer Harry Alan Towers adapted this version of THE ANATOMIST but, frankly, I am sure I would have spotted his name in the credits had it actually been there!

So, when all is said and done, how does this retelling of the familiar tale stack up against previous (and more renowned) versions? Well, to say that it is literate and stately is to state the obvious and, indeed, it is too talky for its own good with just one assault – that on drunken bar wench Adrienne Corri – being depicted for the benefit of the viewers with the rest of the 81-minute running time dedicated to Cole's romantic hiccups with his stuffy girl Jill Bennett and Sim's own flirtations with the latter's sister (which sees him ostensibly playing the flute and donning a cloth over his head in the manner of a High Court Magistrate's wig to officiate over the Cole-Bennett case before him)! Having said that, it is interesting and unusual to see the age-old "Science vs. Morality" debate from the feminine viewpoint (in spite of that title!) that culminates in their giving shelter inside their house to a fleeing Sim from the ire of a pursuing lynch-mob!

The Burke and Hare tale has been filmed many times. This film should make no apologies for not stressing the horror elements. Instead it tackles the historical elements. Sim is good as the head strong completely dedicated Dr. Knox. He faces the hypocrisy of the day where people demand cures but within the confines of proper social behaviour. Knox knows that if medicine is to march forward it must ignore such hypocrisies. George Cole plays his earnest but weak willed assistant. Jill Bennett does a lovely job as Cole's annoying, dim fiancée.

There are some genuinely creepy moments but the story focuses on Knox and his battle with proper society. One reviewer called this a poverty row production! Sorry, but this is what much British TV looked like in 1956. It's low budget compared to films but a standard 1956 TV production. The best way to sum it up is to say it is not a horror film, but a fine TV drama from the period.