Hands and feet for love

The plot of the film is based on real events that happened in Edinburgh in the 1820s . With the advent of the Enlightenment in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh has become one of the leading centers for teaching medicine. For anatomy classes, medical school lecturers needed fresh corpses , which in those years could only be obtained illegally. Irish immigrants William Burke and William Hare , who came to Edinburgh to earn money, learn about this source of income and become suppliers of corpses for the famous doctor Robert Knox , a professor at Edinburgh College of Medicine .

Initially, they dig up fresh corpses in cemeteries and get rid of the corpses of tenants who owe housing fees to Margaret Laird, the wife of Hare. Having learned a better life in the highest circles of society, Burke and Hare strive for more profit and begin to kill people in the vicinity of West Port in the Old Town . At the same time, Burke meets an aspiring actress Ginny, who is looking for a sponsor for the production of the famous play " Macbeth " in an alternative presentation. For the love of Ginny, Burke is ready to kill more and more people.

With an increasing number of corpses, Edinburgh police were able to attack the trail of criminals and captured both Irish and their lovers. Burke pleads guilty, thereby saving others from the death penalty, and accepts his punishment by hanging . After death, his body is on the preparation table. Hare and his wife found a funeral home, Ginny becomes an actress in London , but does not differ in talent. The young assistant to Dr. Monroe , Charles Darwin , later publishes the scientific work, Origin of Species , based on knowledge gained in Edinburgh.

Initially, David Tennant was selected for the role of William Hare, but then Andy Serkis was taken in his place.

The shooting took place in the vicinity of Edinburgh, Sterling , London and Knowle House in Kent . Part of the scenes was shot in studio at Ealing Studios .

• In the scene at the Greyfraers Cemetery, you can see the famous Greyfraers Bobby dog, known for its extraordinary devotion to the owner - after his death she spent 14 years on his grave. However, Bobby lived in the second half of the 19th century, while the events that the film tells about take place half a century earlier.
• In real life, Burke's lover was Helen McDougal, with whom he lived in a rented apartment at the Hare. The story with actress Ginny is an invention of the author.
• Joseph Nieps , one of the pioneers of photography, takes heliographic photographs of corpses in the film after opening them with Dr. Knox. In fact, there is no evidence of Niepce's stay in Edinburgh.
• It was Burke who did not admit what he had done, and the rest frankly admitted.
• In a scene in the tavern, offering a drink, Hare takes out of his pocket and shows Burke the Soviet ruble with the profile of Lenin.

• " Feet-hands for love " (Eng.) On the Internet Movie Database  
• Legs hands for love on the Rotten Tomatoes website