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The Doctor and the Devils (movie) Contents I. Introduction II. Cast III. Plot IV. Reception V. Other Films Based on Burke, Hare, Dr. Knox

I. Introduction

The Doctor and the Devils is a 1985 film based on real-life serial killers Burke and Hare, and on Dr. Robert Knox, who purchased the cadavers of their victims for use in teaching anatomy. The screenplay by Ronald Harwood (The Pianist) was adapted from an unproduced 1953 screenplay by the great poet Dylan Thomas. The director was the veteran cinematographer and director Freddie Francis, best known for his work in Hammer Films during the 1960's.   The names of Burke and Hare were changed to Broome and Fallon, and Dr. Knox to Dr. Rock.

'''II. Cast'''

Timothy Dalton                           Doctor Thomas Rock

Jonathan Pryce                           Robert Fallon

Stephen Rea                              Timothy Broom

Twiggy                                   Jennie Bailey

Julian Sands                             Doctor Murray

Phyllis Logan                            Elizabeth Rock

Patrick Stewart                          Professor Macklin

'''III. Plot'''

Dr. Rock walks alone and thinks back on his experiences. He hopes he has benefited humanity but feels that he may be remembered more for his association with murderers Fallon and Broom. He is a complicated, conflicted man. Scientific progress, especially in his field, medicine, is vitally important to him. His motivation is not fame but the benefits to society he believes progress can bring. Dr. Rock is respected and liked by his students. Lecturing them, he describes himself as a rationalist, someone who believes the heart is simply an organ pumping blood, and not the seat of love. However, he tells his students that he is also a moralist, and a man of sentiment. He wants them to know that people in the medical field need compassion. He cares about people and his students know this. At the same time, Dr. Rock is single-minded in his determination to get cadavers for his medical students, so that they can learn anatomy thoroughly. He is even ready to turn a blind eye to how his suppliers, Broom and Fallon, got the bodies they sell him. Rock tries to deny it to his assistant, Dr. Murray ("I do not hire murderers"), and even to himself. Broom and Fallon start as body snatchers; people who rob graves, steal corpses from their coffins and sell them to medical schools like the one in Edinburgh,Scotland, where Rock lectures. Broom and Fallon soon realize that grave-robbing can earn them far more than they could make as laborers, or at any legal trade. In the poor neighborhoods of Edinburgh, they see elderly people and chronically ill people. Many live alone, with few friends or relatives in the city. The two men believe such people could be murdered wihtout anyone noticing. Fallon especially, has no hesitation about murdering. He tries to rationalize his lack of feeling on past experiences. Years before, he had worked with seriously wounded people, possibly as a hospital orderly. The people in authority, he says, encouraged him to put these patients out of their misery. They would die a quick death, rather than a long painful one. Whatever the truth is, Fallon is now a sociopath. He is a persuasive talker, able to lure his victims to places where he can kill without witnesses. The violence appears to give him as much pleasure as the money he receives from Rock. Broom gradually realizes that the two of them are already suspects, and they must end the killings. Their last victim was an elderly woman from Donegal. Fallon saw her as a perfect victim; newly arrived in Scotland, without even an acquaintance in Edinburgh. During the murder, the woman's finger is severed. A lodger in her rooming house finds the finger in a fireplace, intact. Broom tells Fallon they must stop. Fallon is deaf to Broom's words. Broom finally understands Fallon's nature: "There's a madness in you." Soon after, both are arrested and charged with murder. To save himself, Broom makes a full confession and goes free. Fallon is hanged. Dr. Rock is not formally charged, but his reputation is tarnished, tarnished permanently, in the minds of many friends, students and professional colleagues.

'''IV. Production'''

The Doctor and the Devils was produced by Brooksfilms and by Twentieth Century Fox.

V. Reception

VI.Other Films Based on Burke, Hare and Knox Several other films told the story of Burke and Hare's killings, or used their killings as background for fictional plots. Perhaps the most respected is The Body Snatcher (1948, Director Robert Wise, Producer Val Lewton). The Body Snatcher takes place a few years after Burke and Hare's murder trial. The main character, Dr. MacFarlane (Henry Daniell) had narrowly escaped association with the killers, mostly due to the testimony of a former friend, Gray (Boris Karloff). Gray feels that MacFarlane never showed him the thanks he deserved, and continues to harass MacFarlane. The longstanding bitterness leads to violence. Flesh and the Fiends (Mania) deals with the actual events and characters. Like The Doctor and the Devils, this film clearly shows the poverty and desperation in early 19th century Edinburgh.

References

1. Wikipedia: The Burke and Hare murders (Historical background) 2. Wikipedia: Mel Brooks (Later career) 3. imdb: The Doctor and the Devils (Box office) 4. Wikipedia: The Burke and Hare murders (Aftermath)