The Devil and Daniel Webster is a 1941 fantasy film, adapted by Stephen Vincent Benét and Dan Totheroh from Benét's short story, "The Devil and Daniel Webster". The film's title was changed to All That Money Can Buy to avoid confusion with another film released by RKO that year, The Devil and Miss Jones, and later had the title restored on some prints. It has also been released under the titles Mr. Scratch, Daniel and the Devil and Here Is a Man. The film stars Edward Arnold, Walter Huston, and James Craig. It was directed by William Dieterle.
Plot
In 1840 New Hampshire, poor, downtrodden farmer Jabez Stone (James Craig) sells his soul to "Mr. Scratch" (Walter Huston) in return for seven years of luck and prosperity. He begins to change. When only his crops are spared from a hailstorm, he ensnares his desperate neighbors with onerous financial contracts and alienates his loving wife Mary (Anne Shirley) and his mother (Jane Darwell). The beautiful Belle (Simone Simon) is sent by Mr. Scratch to replace a household servant. She soon entrances Jabez. Jabez's young son Daniel falls under her influence as well, turning into a spoiled, disobedient boy.
With his time almost up, Stone begs famed orator and fellow New Hampshirite Daniel Webster (Edward Arnold) to find some way out of his bargain with the Devil. Webster agrees to take his case. Mr. Scratch offers an extension in exchange for Jabez's son, but Jabez turns him down. He then begs Webster to leave before it is too late, but Webster refuses to go, boasting that he has never left a jug or a case half finished.
When Mr. Scratch shows up to claim his due, Webster has to risk his own soul before his fiendish opponent will agree to a trial by jury. Mr. Scratch chooses the jury members from among the most notoriously evil men of American history, with John Hathorne (one of the magistrates of the Salem witch trials) as the judge. When Webster protests, Mr. Scratch points out that they were "Americans all". However, Webster is able to talk the jury into releasing Stone from his deal. Webster then kicks Mr. Scratch out, but the fiend promises that Webster will never fulfill his ambition to become President of the United States.
Adaptation
The jury of the damned in the film is slightly altered from the original, as revealed in the following dialogue:
- 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, the 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.
- Webster: A jury of the damned.
- Scratch: Dastards, liars, traitors, knaves.
- Webster: This is monstrous.
- Scratch: You asked for a jury trial, Mr Webster. Your suggestion - the quick or the dead.
- Webster: I asked for a fair trial.
- Scratch: Americans all.
In the original story, Webster regrets Benedict Arnold's absence, but in the film, he is present and Webster objects, citing him as a traitor and therefore not a true American. His objection is dismissed by the judge.
Cast
Poster for the re-release
Alternate versions
The original release was 107 minutes long. It was a critical, but not a box-office success, and was subsequently re-released under the title The Devil and Daniel Webster with nearly half an hour cut, reducing the film to 85 minutes. The cuts were crudely done. The film was restored to its full length in the 1990s and has been issued in that form on home video. However, the title has remained The Devil and Daniel Webster. The restored portions on the video had been taken from inferior prints of the movie, but the quality has been notably improved on the DVD release. A preview print titled Here Is a Man was found in the estate of the director and served as the basis for the film's restoration and DVD release.
Awards
Bernard Herrmann won the Academy Award for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic Picture and Walter Huston was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
References
External links
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The films of William Dieterle |
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| 1920 |
Man by the Roadside • Behind the Altar (with Julius Brandt) • The Saint and Her Fool • Sex in Chains • The Brandenburg Arch (with Max Knaake) • Triumph of Love • Frühlingsrauschen • Das Schweigen im Walde
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| 1930 |
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| 1940 |
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| 1950 |
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| 1960 |
Mistress of the World • Die Herrin der Welt - Teil II • Die Fastnachtsbeichte • The Confession
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