Reviews & Ratings for
The Devil and Daniel Webster More at IMDbPro »All That Money Can Buy (original title)

1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER (William Dieterle, 1941) ****, 13 October 2006

Author: MARIO GAUCI (marrod@melita.com) from Naxxar, Malta

One of Hollywood's greatest fantasies: after a slow start (deleted from the shorter version), the film creates a wonderful atmosphere (with just the right period note, i.e. not over-glamorous), blending Americana with Expressionism (perfectly rendered by the exquisite cinematography and remarkable special effects).

The music score by the great Bernard Herrmann (only his second film and for which he won his sole Academy Award) is an accomplished mix of original pieces and popular tunes orchestrated in a way that they feel entirely Herrmann-esquire (especially for non-American viewers). Script, direction and acting capture both the human drama and the inherent playfulness of the whole thing (not forgetting the obvious political angle which is, however, not unduly stressed). Both Walter Huston and Edward Arnold (I truly doubt original choice would have been any better) - in the title roles - capped their distinguished careers with their respective performances here; James Craig and Anne Shirley manage to make their characters very real in their moving plight for happiness; Simone Simon is a delightful femme fatale with a distinctly feline personality, which stood her in good stead for her most famous part - that of Irina Dubrovna in the Val Lewton-produced horror films CAT PEOPLE (1942) and THE CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE (1944); the supporting cast is well chosen (including the bit parts like H.B. Warner's Judge Hawthorne in the fantastic 'trial' sequence) but especially John Qualen as the ultimately repentant "Miser" Stevens.

The film has any number of memorable scenes: Huston and Simon's individual entrances, Arnold's speeches (particularly the all-important trial), the ghostly 'dance of the damned', "Miser" Stevens's soul personified by a moth fluttering away out of Mr. Scratch's black book before it is captured once again. Apart from being based on Stephen Vincent Benet's popular short story, the film has obvious parallels with the Faust Legend; interestingly, William Dieterle had been an actor in the Silent-screen's most famous version (directed by F.W. Murnau in 1926). Actually, I recently watched another variation on the theme - Rene' Clair's LA BEAUTE' DU DIABLE (1950) - which also takes a tongue-in-cheek approach; all three are superb films in my estimation, definitely among the best work of each director but, for my money, Dieterle's is the most accomplished and sheerly enjoyable one.

The 'added' scenes - I first watched the film in its shorter incarnation and dubbed in Italian - enhance the various characterizations no end and, obviously, I prefer the original director's cut. Much has been said about the substandard transfer (for a Criterion release, anyway): this may well be true but it's certainly acceptable for such a problematic title as this and, in any case, I'm sure they did the best they could. The extras are plentiful and very interesting: a pretty busy Audio Commentary (despite its over-emphasis on recounting biographical details of the various personnel); the comparisons with the alternate version HERE IS A MAN are nice though, perhaps, the optical flourishes of the latter were too experimental in nature; the music essay (with the ability to play the various cues) is quite well done though, in essence, a specialty item; the reading of the original story is, quite simply, one of the best supplements on any disc; the two radio adaptations are less satisfactory, however, especially in view of the low quality of the sound recording.

Add another review

Related Links