The Greed of William Hart

1953
5.1| 1h20m| NR| en
Details

Hart and Moore are grave-robbers who provide cadavers to the medical students of 19th-century Edinburgh. When the supply becomes low and demand still great, the two decide to create their own supply, a plan that proves profitable when they stick to vagrants, prostitutes and drunkards. But when they poison likable Jamie, the townsfolk retaliate. NB: This film was originally written to be about Burke and Hare, but after it was completed, the British censors refused to allow its release on the grounds those names themselves were offensive; thus the entire soundtrack was recut so that new names - Hart and Moore - recorded by the film's actors, were cut into the previously recorded lines, replacing the offending "Burke" or "Hare", sentence by sentence.

Director

Producted By

Gilbert Church Productions

AD
AD

Watch Free for 30 Days

All Prime Video Movies and TV Shows. Cancel anytime. Watch Now

Trailers & Clips

Reviews

Interesteg What makes it different from others?
NekoHomey Purely Joyful Movie!
Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.
SanEat A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."
rwagn In an attempt to clean up the soundtrack, which is rather scratchy and noisy, a digital audio remastering was done. The problem with this remastering is that between every line of dialog (where the background soundtrack noise would be audible) has now been reduced to absolute silence. The effect is jarring when you watch the movie as the dialog appears to start and stop. It is bad enough when listening via regular TV speakers but when run through an amplified system it becomes unnerving. Additionally, when there is background music in these segments between dialogue the music sounds incredibly muted. The same problem exists on Alpha Video's companion DVD "Sweeney Tood" so beware. These movies are 70+ years old and some leniency must be allowed when viewing these old prints. In this case, those who transfer these items to digital should have left well enough alone.
Erewhon Knowing that this movie is Tod Slaughter's take on the tale of Burke and Hare promises a great deal more than this tawdry, cheap little bore could possibly deliver. It's shot on cramped, ugly sets, the story moves in fits and starts, it's endlessly talky and never gives Slaughter a chance to cut loose in his grand style. The movies he made in the 1930s are all entertaining and, for the tolerant, enjoyable and watchable even today. But if you like those, you can safely skip this one. Slaughter is given few chances to emote in his gloriously florid style; instead, he's handed reams of dull lines to read, as is everyone else. He has a few moments, but not many; more are provided by Aubrey Woods as Jamie with the barrow.
todmichel This film is not at all "under one hour of running time", I suspect that some US video collectors saw only a cut version. The original running time - in Great-Britain - was 79 mins (7005 feet). It was released in the USA (as "Horror Maniacs") in the early Fifties, as part of a double-bill with another Tod Slaughter film ("The Curse of the Wraydons", renamed "Strangler's Morgue"), cut to 72 mins. And more recently, an American video company "offered" a totally butchered version, reduced to 53 mins!Happily enough, the complete 79 mins version is now available from some video companies.
BaronBl00d Under an hour in length, this film about two bodysnatchers named Wally Hart and Mr. Moore(obviously meant to be Burke and Hare)showcases the immense talent of British ham Tod Slaughter, one of the truly forgotten kings of horror. It is weak in plot development, and it has little action, but the film does a good job creating the atmosphere of the poor and wicked in Edinburgh during a time when bodies were needed for medical use. A lot more could have been done with the film, but taken as it is, it is entertaining just as a vehicle in which to see Tod Slaughter cackle and gesture about. It is not Slaughter's best, however, but he does have moments as an amoral ressurectionist who kills for money with no compunction or moral barrier at all. The rest of the cast is average at best, and the film suffers from a very evident low budget. This was one of Slaughter's last "big" films. It is a shame that he was never given a budget for a film that would have made him more popular with audiences today. So few people have seen his films, and this film seems to be somewhat obscure. I recommend the film based on his presence(not performance).