When Laurel & Hardy take on the gothic, it adds a degree of human solidarity, a reduction of the distance that separates us from them. They sneak into a cemetery in the middle of the night and are afraid, just as most of us would be. On many other occasions, they are obliged to carry out little tasks that inevitably lead to disaster; however, this time they do not have to deliver a piano but rather dig up a cadaver in the interests of science. Or so it seems, since we immediately have doubts about the professor who hires them when he begins using his jacket pockets as an ashtray. The knot of discomfort we feel when seeing our heroes engage in such an abject task (possibly reinforced by echoes of the later films Frankenstein and The Body Snatchers) gives Habeas Corpus a strangely queasy feel, which enriches the film. Nevertheless, the gags are both excellent and abundant. Some (such as the surprising echoes produced when hands are clapped in a graveyard) benefit from the possibilities offered by sound – specifically the Vitaphone system, which allowed the images to be synchronised with music and sound effects recorded on disc.

Andrea Meneghelli