THE BODY SNATCHER is a wonderful cheap film from Val Lewton. Directed by Robert Wise, the film features both Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff, slightly before their more illustrious careers. Based off of a Robert Louis Stevenson story, THE BODY SNATCHER follows a young medical student named Donald as he comes under the wing of Dr. MacFarlane. MacFarlane is a famous and prestigious doctor, but he instructs more than anything else, and when a young girl comes to him in search of a surgery to cure her paralysis, he turns her away, lamenting that he has not learned enough about human anatomy. With Donald, he discusses a shady affair he maintains with a cabman named Gray. Gray (Karloff) is commissioned by MacFarlane to dig up newly dead bodies in order to use for instruction. MacFarlane justifies this because he knows that he will be able to save the living with what he learns, but never really exerts this notion concretely, shying away from opportunities, and prompting the meek Donald to keep his secret. Soon, however, Gray realizes his power, and exerts it. In the climax of the film, there's a brilliant and beautifully impressionistic chase scene: cheaply made but smartly executed, which is how the entire film acts, simplistically telling a short story devised moral, while maintaining smart visuals.
★★★
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