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DVD The Devil & Daniel Webster - Criterion Collection
Stephen Vincent Benet's timeless 1937 short story gets the red-carpet treatment on Criterion's feature-packed DVD of The Devil & Daniel Webster. William Dieterle's inspired film remains the classic it always was, proving that Citizen Kane wasn't the only cinematic marvel to appear in 1941. It's a sturdy, stylish rendition of Benet's original narrative, beginning when a luckless farmer (James Craig) strikes a Faustian bargain with the devil incarnate Mr. Scratch (Walter Huston at his devious best), trading his soul for seven years of prosperity, during which he grows corrupted, despised, and regretful of his mistake. To Scratch's chagrin, legendary orator Daniel Webster (Edward Arnold) intervenes with a triumphant defense, and Dieterle's brilliant direction gives the proceedings a light, economical touch of supernatural mischief.
To complement the cleverness of the film adaptation, this delightful DVD also includes a playfully expressive reading of Benet's original story by Alec Baldwin, and vintage radio performances of two of Benet's three "Daniel Webster" stories. The film and radio plays were scored by legendary composer Bernard Herrmann, whose Oscar®-winning film score is examined in an interactive essay by Herrmann expert Christopher Husted. Excerpts from an earlier preview version of the film (then titled Here Is a Man) reveal creepy, negative-image shock-shots of Mr. Scratch that were later removed, but they further demonstrate Dieterle's willingness to experiment. With additional essays and archival materials, Criterion's superb DVD shows how a great story can lend itself, with consistent success, to a variety of mediums. --Jeff Shannon
Review(s): DVD The Devil & Daniel Webster - Criterion Collection
An Overlooked American Classic!
This 1941 movie is based on Stephen Vincent Benet's short story. The premise is this: a 1840's New Hampshire farmer on hard times sells his soul to the Devil, and Daniel Webster, the greatest orator in the world, takes his case when the Devil comes to collect his due. Daniel Webster is such a great speaker that he wins the case in a literally diabolical courtroom with a jury of the damned, whose members include Benedict Arnold and Blackbeard the Pirate. That's the story, simple enough. But it's the atmospheric directing and the marvelous acting that makes one of the best films you'll ever see. Walter Huston plays Mr. Scratch, the Devil, in the guise of a New England journeyman. Edward Arnold plays the great orator, and James Craig the farmer, Jabez Stone. The great Jane Darwell, a member of the John Ford Stock Company, has a fine role as Stone's mother. Arnold's closing speech alone is worth the price of the movie. Don't miss the end, when Huston pulls out his little black book. A timeless classic!
A battle for a man's soul
The incomparable Walter Huston and the oratorical Edward Arnold are both superb in Williams Dieterle's memorable 1941 supernatural fantasy "The Devil and Daniel Webster". Based on Stephen Vincent Benet's classic short story the movie tells the story of dirt poor New Hampshire farmer Jabez Stone, trying to eke out an existence in 1840.
Stone played nicely by James Craig is down on his luck, unable to pay the mortgage on his farm. He wishes that he could sell his soul to the devil. No sooner than the words are spoken, then poof, the impish and devious Mr. Scratch played expertly by Huston appears. He offers Stone 7 years of prosperity and all that money can buy for his soul. Stone accepts and becomes the wealthiest man around unfortunately at the expense of his friendships and the love of his wife Anne Shirley and mother played by the staid and righteous Jane Darwell.
Daniel Webster, played by the pompous Edward Arnold meanwhile is the celebrated governor of Massachusetts, lawyer and presidential aspirant. He is the favored son of Stone's home town and godfather to Stone's young son Daniel.
When Mr. Scratch comes to collect his debt 7 years hence, Stone has already realized his folly and implores Webster for help. A trial is set up with a jury of doomed souls, who have all made similar deals with Huston. Webster must convince them to free Stone from Scratch's debt or both he and Stone will be doomed.
Dieterle directs an impressive cast in some terrific acting performances that highlights Benet's moralistic passion play between good and evil.
A marvelous DVD of the American version of the Faust legend
William Dieterle was Hollywood's greatest fantasist in the thirties and forties. Whether making marvelous neo-Gothic/Romantic versions of classics such as THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME or one of the greatest ghost stories ever made in America in A PORTRAIT OF JEANNIE, Dieterle, who was famed for his ability at handling crowd scenes, similarly excelled in slightly surreal subjects. One of many highly success German expatriates working in Hollywood, he incorporated into many of his films many techniques found in some of the classics of German Expressionism, none more than in THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER (originally released by the studio as ALL THAT MONEY CAN BUY, based on the Stephen Vincent Benet short story "The Devil and Daniel Webster"). Not surprisingly, this film is most successful on a purely visual level, with one fascinating, almost gothic image after another. "Gothic" is an apt adjective, since Benet's original story was, of course, yet another of an endless succession of Faust tales, a story that stems itself from the late medieval period. The Faust tale has been cast and recast by a host of writers and artists from Marlowe to Goethe to Kierkegaard to Gounod, and this film rightfully takes its place among the more significant versions of the tale.
THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER is not a perfect film, but it is a fascinating one. I think the virtues win out over the vices, but the vices are apparent. First, it is an oddly paced film. Usually editors have to take much of the blame for the rhythm and pace of a film, and what is unusual in this film is that the editor was one of the most celebrated in film history, Robert Wise, later a prominent director and previously the editor of CITIZEN KANE. But whatever magic he wrought elsewhere, in this film scenes tend to linger too long, transitions are slow, and the film often feels sluggish. The other great vice is the casting. Although several cast members are outstanding, James Craig in the Faust character, Jabez Stone, is far too wooden, displaying as the old wag pointed out the full gamut of emotions from A to B. Craig displays little or no subtlety in his performance, and one can only imagine how good the film would have been with a Henry Fonda or Jimmy Stewart in the role. As a thought experiment I encourage any viewer to watch any scene with Craig, and imagine Henry Fonda instead. The results will be obvious.
Luckily, the virtues outstrip the vices. Dieterle and his cinematographer Joseph August create an unforgettable look for the film, bathing many scenes in blacks, grays, and garish whites, giving the film an almost noirish quality. The score is among the finest of the era in film, composed by the man many regard as the greatest composer ever for film, Bernard Hermann. For this film Hermann concocts a marvelous blend of themes based on traditional folk tales and original compositions to produce yet another of his many film masterpieces. And, of course, the cast is marvelous, despite Craig's shortcomings in one of the lead roles. The person who steals the movie is the unforgettable Walter Huston as the Devil himself, Mr. Scratch. Over the decades the Devil has had numerous incarnations in film, but this is by far the finest. Huston is able to imbue his Satan with equal amounts of charm, likeability, and repulsiveness. With his chin whiskers, his Robin Hood cap, and devilish grin, Huston manages to make one believe that someone might indeed sell their soul to him. Perhaps another actor could have done as well in this role, but I can't think of who. He pulls off scenes that should be impossible, including the final shot, where Scratch, having been thwarted by Daniel Webster, starts slowly to look for his next victim, initially scanning the distance, until finally seeing his prey, and grinningly points and gazes at the viewer. Huston is one of the great actors cinema has seen, but tragically most of his films are not common fare. Many will know him from his Oscar winning performance from the film his son John Huston directed him in with Humphrey Bogart, THE TREASURE OF SIERRA MADRE. More serious film buffs will know him perhaps from RAIN or AND THEN THERE WERE NONE or DODSWORTH, a group of films that demonstrate his astonishing range as an actor (indeed, it is hard to imagine two characters as unalike as the sanctimonious missionary in RAIN and Scratch in this film). The DVD release of this film gives his potential fans another opportunity to appreciate his particular genius.
Edward Arnold makes a marvelous Daniel Webster, though incredibly he was not the original choice for the role. Filming actually commenced with Thomas Mitchell in the role, and actually still appears in a couple of shots. When Mitchell had to pull out of the film due to being physically incapacitated, Arnold stepped into a role that he would have seemed to be the perfect choice for from the beginning. Arnold doesn't get much of a chance to shine until the end, when he addresses a jury of cutthroats. He becomes as glowing an orator as Webster was reputed to be in his day. Much of the rest of the cast if filled out by staple character actors from the early forties, such as Gene Lockhart, John Qualen (who for once does not speak with a Scandinavian accent), and Jane Darwell. Special note should be made of Simone Simon as Farmer Stone's temptress. Simon arrived in Hollywood in the 1930s with much fanfare, and was instantly hailed on one of the beauties of the century as well a can't-miss star of the screen. Somehow neither in France nor in Hollywood did her career fulfill the promise foreseen for her. She did manage a couple of good roles in France and one low budget masterpiece in the United States in the unforgettable Val Lewton masterpiece CAT PEOPLE. This is one of her better American roles.
This appears in the Criterion collection, which means that it comes loaded with marvelous extras. One can only hope that at some point the kind of care and professionalism that Criterion lavishes on its discs will be matched by the majority of DVD producers.
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