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All That Money Can Buy

  • 19411941
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 47m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
5K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
James Craig, Anne Shirley, and Simone Simon in All That Money Can Buy (1941)
Theatrical Trailer from Warner Bros. Pictures
Play trailer1:58
1 Video
15 Photos
  • Drama
  • Fantasy
  • Romance

A nineteenth-century New Hampshire farmer makes a pact with Satan for economic success, then enlists famed orator Daniel Webster to extract him from his contract.A nineteenth-century New Hampshire farmer makes a pact with Satan for economic success, then enlists famed orator Daniel Webster to extract him from his contract.A nineteenth-century New Hampshire farmer makes a pact with Satan for economic success, then enlists famed orator Daniel Webster to extract him from his contract.

IMDb RATING
7.6/10
5K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • William Dieterle
  • Writers
    • Stephen Vincent Benet(story "The Devil and Daniel Webster")
    • Dan Totheroh(screen play)
  • Stars
    • Edward Arnold
    • Walter Huston
    • Jane Darwell
Top credits
  • Director
    • William Dieterle
  • Writers
    • Stephen Vincent Benet(story "The Devil and Daniel Webster")
    • Dan Totheroh(screen play)
  • Stars
    • Edward Arnold
    • Walter Huston
    • Jane Darwell
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 68User reviews
    • 45Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 2 wins & 1 nomination total

    Videos1

    The Devil and Daniel Webster
    Trailer 1:58
    The Devil and Daniel Webster

    Photos15

    Walter Huston in All That Money Can Buy (1941)
    Edward Arnold, James Craig, and Walter Huston in All That Money Can Buy (1941)
    Edward Arnold and Walter Huston in All That Money Can Buy (1941)
    Edward Arnold, James Craig, and Walter Huston in All That Money Can Buy (1941)
    Walter Huston in All That Money Can Buy (1941)
    Edward Arnold in All That Money Can Buy (1941)
    Anne Shirley in All That Money Can Buy (1941)
    Edward Arnold and Walter Huston in All That Money Can Buy (1941)
    James Craig, Anne Shirley, Simone Simon, and Anita Lee in All That Money Can Buy (1941)
    Edward Arnold, Walter Huston, and Simone Simon in All That Money Can Buy (1941)
    James Craig, Anne Shirley, and Simone Simon in All That Money Can Buy (1941)
    Edward Arnold, James Craig, Walter Huston, Anne Shirley, and Simone Simon in All That Money Can Buy (1941)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Edward Arnold
    Edward Arnold
    • Daniel Websteras Daniel Webster
    Walter Huston
    Walter Huston
    • Mr. Scratchas Mr. Scratch
    Jane Darwell
    Jane Darwell
    • Ma Stoneas Ma Stone
    Simone Simon
    Simone Simon
    • Belleas Belle
    Gene Lockhart
    Gene Lockhart
    • Squire Slossumas Squire Slossum
    John Qualen
    John Qualen
    • Miser Stevensas Miser Stevens
    H.B. Warner
    H.B. Warner
    • Justice Hawthorneas Justice Hawthorne
    Frank Conlan
    • Sheriffas Sheriff
    Lindy Wade
    Lindy Wade
    • Daniel Stoneas Daniel Stone
    George Cleveland
    George Cleveland
    • Cy Bibberas Cy Bibber
    Anne Shirley
    Anne Shirley
    • Mary Stoneas Mary Stone
    James Craig
    James Craig
    • Jabez Stoneas Jabez Stone
    Frank Austin
    Frank Austin
    • Spectatoras Spectator
    • (uncredited)
    Walter Baldwin
    Walter Baldwin
    • Hankas Hank
    • (uncredited)
    Eddie Borden
    Eddie Borden
    • Poker Playeras Poker Player
    • (uncredited)
    Hazel Boyne
    • Womanas Woman
    • (uncredited)
    Sonny Bupp
    Sonny Bupp
    • Martin Van Buren Aldrichas Martin Van Buren Aldrich
    • (uncredited)
    Bob Burns
    Bob Burns
    • Townsmanas Townsman
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • William Dieterle
    • Writers
      • Stephen Vincent Benet(story "The Devil and Daniel Webster") (screen play)
      • Dan Totheroh(screen play)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit
    A down-on-his-luck farmer makes a deal with the devil for seven years of prosperity. When Mr. Scratch comes to collect, orator and hero of the common man Daniel Webster comes to the rescue. —Little Pine Weasel <kristinat@cerritos.edu>
    • horse drawn sleigh
    • soul
    • devil
    • new hampshire
    • deal with the devil
    • 157 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • A GREAT MOTION PICTURE DARES TO BE DIFFERENT! (original print media ad - all caps)
    • Genres
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Romance
    • Certificate
      • Passed
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      William Dieterle had a habit of directing with white gloves on. Robert Wise said that everyone thought it was because he had a germ or dirt phobia. During shooting of one scene, Dieterle noticed there wasn't enough mud on a carriage wheel. He pulled off his gloves, grabbed some mud, rubbed it onto the wheel, then wiped his hands on his pants and put the gloves back on to continue directing.
    • Goofs
      Shortly after filming had begun, Thomas Mitchell fractured his skull and was replaced by 'Edward Arnold'. Not many scenes had been shot, none were re-shot, so Mitchell is still visible in some scenes.
    • Quotes

      Mr. Scratch: You shall have your trial, Mr. Webster. But I'm sure you'll agree, this is hardly the case for an ordinary jury.

      Daniel Webster: Let it be the quick or the dead, so long as it is an American judge and an American jury!

      Mr. Scratch: 'The quick or the dead!' You have said it.

      [he stomps on the barn floor; a door opens]

      Mr. Scratch: You must pardon the leathery toughness of one or two.

      Jabez Stone: [afraid] Mr. Webster!

      [a line of ghosts begin entering from the trapdoor]

      Mr. Scratch: Captain Kidd - he killed men for gold. Simon Girty, the renegade - he burned men for gold. Governor Dale - he broke men on the wheel. Asa, the Black Monk - he choked them to death. Floyd Ireson and Stede Bonnet, the fiendish butchers. Walter Butler, King of the Massacre. Big and Little Harp, robbers and murderers. Teach, the Cutthroat. Morton, the vicious lawyer... and General Benedict Arnold. You remember him, no doubt.

      Daniel Webster: A jury of the damned...

      Mr. Scratch: [laughs] Dastards, liars, traitors, knaves. Your suggestion, Mr. Webster - 'the quick or the dead.'

      Daniel Webster: This is outrageous, I asked for a fair trial...

      Mr. Scratch: Americans, all.

    • Crazy credits
      For some prints released under the title "The Devil and Daniel Webster", the opening credits start with the phrase "in front of the camera..." followed by a list of names only of the primary cast (no character names) and then the phrase "in back of the camera..." followed by a list of names only of the primary production crew, without their job roles, ending with the phase "all collaborated on the picture...." Then the title card is shown, with a story credit to Stephen Vincent Benet, and the note "this picture was originally shown with the title 'all that money can buy'." The title card is all in lower case. Finally, the opening prologue is shown as noted in another crazy credit item.
    • Alternate versions
      Over the years, this film was re-released more than once, partly because of its poor box office, and gradually cut down to 85 minutes. It remained in this form for many years, until it was recently restored to its full length. When this was done in the 1990s, it was unfortunately all too easy to tell which sections are restored... all the footage from the 85 minute version was in absolutely pristine, mint condition, while the long-lost, formerly missing footage has less than perfect sound and picture quality. However, the quality has been considerably improved on the DVD and on recent TV showings.
    • Connections
      Featured in Ain't It Cool with Harry Knowles: Citizen Kane Is the Best Film of All Time (2012)

    User reviews68

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    A Marvelous Film that Stands the Test of Time
    William Dieterle's adaptation of Stephen Vincent Benet's The Devil and Daniel Webster is the product of a great, albeit brief, era of quality Hollywood film-making that has never been repeated. Released within a three-year period that yielded such classics as The Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind, Gunga Din, The Maltese Falcon, and Citizen Kane (just to name a few), The Devil and Daniel Webster is only now earning the accolades it deserves. The film is late to join the aforementioned classics because a definitive version of it has been elusive for nearly sixty years. For their 2003 DVD release of the title, The Criterion Collection finally discovered a complete print that had been in the director's possession. Now restored to its full length, and painstakingly restored, The Devil and Daniel Webster has never looked and sounded better.

    A cautionary tale of greed and power, the narrative centers around the character of Jabez Stone (played by James Craig), a down-on-his-luck farmer who is barely able to support his family in 1840s New Hampshire. When the nefarious Mr. Scratch (Walter Houston) appears during a moment of weakness, Jabez agrees to sell his soul in exchange for seven years of good luck. Much to the dismay of his wife (Ann Shirley), mother (Jane Darwell), and beloved politician Daniel Webster (Edward Arnold), Jabez slips into a downward spiral as a result of his newfound wealth and power. When his seven years are up, Jabez learns the error of his ways and wants to make amends. To escape his contract with the devil, Jabez puts his fate in the hands of the almost mythic Daniel Webster, who represents him in a climactic barn room trial against Mr. Scratch and a jury of the damned.

    The execution of this story is remarkable, from the elegant direction and incredible performances to the innovative camera work and stylish mise-en-scene. Dieterle infuses the film with stark contrast lighting and masterful compositions rich in detail and multiple layers of action. When Mr. Scratch appears in Jabez's barn, he is heavily backlit and accompanied by ethereal sounds. His accomplice, the creepy Belle, is similarly introduced beside a fireplace. To portray the film's more ghostly effects, including Belle's dance to the death with Miser Stevens and the barn room trial, Dieterle relies on multiple exposure and diffused lighting. These visual effects and others, such as items bursting into flame, were ahead of their time - as were the lighting schemes. Influenced as Citizen Kane was by German expressionist films, The Devil and Daniel Webster features bold, suggestive lighting where shadows alone often represent a character. Dieterle succeeds in creating a visual distinction between the real world and the netherworld by frequently bathing Scratch and Belle in soft light or diffusion and removing all natural sounds from the soundtrack when they appear. Belle's dance of death and Scratch's fiddle playing at Jabez's party are accompanied by severe under lighting, insinuating the hellish forces at work in both scenes. Every shot in the film, even in the mundane world, seems painstakingly planned and executed, with decisive lighting and many intricate camera movements, rare for this era of film-making.

    The most remarkable performance in the film is Walter Houston's Mr. Scratch.

    Houston, an Oscar-winner for his role in Treasure of the Sierra Madre, exudes unbridled glee with every devilish grin. His devil is a gentleman-like puppet master, a smooth talker, and very persuasive. He never flaunts his evil powers. He doesn't have to. His appeal is understandable because he can offer what everyone in the movie wants - wealth and power. It's easy for the Devil to sell his wares to struggling farmers, so he's confident and playful in his duties. Houston throws away one-liner after one-liner, owning the screen and stealing the show. At one point, he offers to help Daniel Webster win the presidential election. Webster replies, "I'd rather see you on the side of the opposition." As Webster walks away, Houston replies, "Oh, I'll be there, too," and sticks a cigar in his mouth.

    To combat the devil, Dieterle cast Edward Arnold (who was actually recast when the original actor was injured during filming). Arnold had a tough job in the film, making believable not only Daniel Webster's mythic stature, but also his flowery rhetoric about patriotism and the goodness in all men. He admirably succeeds in not only persuading the jury of the damned, but in holding his own against Walter Houston in their many scenes together.

    Everyone else in the cast is also excellent. James Craig pulls off Jabez Stone's fall from grace, and Ann Shirley is a believable virtuous wife. Jane Darwell, fresh off her Oscar-winning stint as Ma Joad in The Grapes of Wrath, seems to be playing the same character in The Devil and Daniel Webster, but it serves the movie well. The most notable supporting player is Simone Simon, whose mesmerizing Belle haunts every frame in which she appears. It's easy to see why Jabez would fall under her spell, because we, as an audience, do as well.

    The icing on the Devil's cake is Bernard Herrmann's Oscar-winning score, a dynamic one that works on many levels. Herrmann incorporates several traditional folk songs into his original music, including "Devil's Dream", "Springfield Mountain", and "Miss McLeod's Reel". For Mr. Scratch and Belle, Herrmann manipulated the sound of telephone wires "singing" in the wind to create an eerie, atonal sound for the netherworld. The film also provided Herrmann a wealth of other opportunities, including a square dance and two lullabies.

    A good story makes a movie worth watching once. Exquisite aesthetics makes it worth watching many times. The Devil and Daniel Webster stands the test of time as an endearing narrative with lessons we have still to learn. It's masterful direction and style, fluid editing, and charming performances make it an accessible and entertaining film for any audience. Now restored and widely available, it is sure to join the ranks of those other great classics from the late '30s and early '40s - a scintillating example of good storytelling and fine craftsmanship.

    • Scott Schirmer
    helpful•88
    3
    • swayland7
    • Oct 8, 2004

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 17, 1941 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Devil and Daniel Webster
    • Filming locations
      • RKO Studios - 780 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • William Dieterle Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 47 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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