Question 1

What caused a 32-year delay between the script completion and the film's release?

Accepted Answer

Dylan Thomas' screenplay was written in the 1940s, but plans to film it fell through. It was published after his death in 1953, then attracted director Nicholas Ray in the 1960s, but that production was abandoned. The project was inactive for another twenty years until finally made in 1985.

Question 2

Who is the real-life inspiration for Doctor Thomas Rock?

Accepted Answer

Dr. Thomas Rock is based on Dr. Robert Knox, whose association with the Burke and Hare murders damaged his reputation and ruined his career.

Question 3

How did director Freddie Francis ensure the film stayed true to Dylan Thomas' original screenplay?

Accepted Answer

Freddie Francis was appalled to learn that producer Mel Brooks originally intended to use none of Thomas' original screenplay. Francis insisted on going back to the Thomas script as far as possible, though revisions were made by Ronald Harwood.

Question 4

Which real-life murderers are the basis for Robert Fallon and Timothy Broom?

Accepted Answer

Robert Fallon and Timothy Broom are based on William Burke and William Hare, who committed the Burke and Hare murders (also known as the West Port murders), totaling seventeen deaths.

Question 5

What is the central conflict in The Doctor and the Devils?

Accepted Answer

In Victorian England, graverobbers supply a wealthy doctor with bodies for anatomy research, but greed drives them to seek an easier means of getting the job done.

The Doctor and the Devils

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