Frequently Bought Together
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product details
|
Reviews
Product Description
A morality tale for the ages, émigré Hollywood director William Dieterle's The Devil and Daniel Webster (aka All That Money Can Buy) combines European expressionism with quintessential Americana. Based on a short story by celebrated author Stephen Vincent Benét, it offers a study in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, in which patriotism is cast in dramatic conflict with servitude to greed and materialism. Echoing the German legend of Faust, down-on-his-luck farmer Jabez Stone (James Craig) makes an existential pact with the devil seven years of prosperity in return for his soul. When the devil incarnate Mr. Scratch (Walter Huston) comes a-calling, Stone begins to have second thoughts, enlisting famed orator and folk hero Daniel Webster (Edward Arnold) to fight what becomes, for each of them, a case of life and death. The Devil and Daniel Webster was widely lauded on its release Bernard Hermann's score won an Oscar for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic Picture, while Huston was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role and is still regarded as an American classic. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Dieterle's film for the very first time on home video in the UK. The DVD is released on 23 February 2009. -----SPECIAL EDITION including----- ---The director's cut (the film was severely shorn after its original release) ---Optimal digital transfer with restored image and sound ---Subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing ---A lavish 60-page booklet with archival publicity stills; an essay by professor Tony Williams; an article by director William Dieterle; and a celebration of the film by author Stephen Vincent Benét, whose "The Devil and Daniel Webster" short story is reprinted in its entirety
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
1840's New Hampshire.Dirt poor farmer Jabez Stone(James Craig)needing to pay off a debt to the local loan shark falls victim to temptation when the devil comes visiting in the guise of Mr Scratch(Walter Huston)he sells his soul for 7 yrs of good fortune and prosperity.However the high life changes Stone much to the sadness of his alienated but loving wife Mary (Anne Shirley) and his god fearing Ma(Jane Darwell).Mr Scratch throws temptation in Stone's face to keep him where he wants him until it's time to collect but does not reckon with celebrated politican/lawyer Daniel Webster(Edward Arnold)a family friend of Stone's wife who is determined to help Stone escape Scratch's grasp.
Combining expressionism,supernatural elements and a genuine love of the american virtues of family and patriotism,director Dieterle, adapting Stephen Vincent Benet's short story, has fashioned an hypnotic study/fable of the power of love and belief and how temptation can befall even the most rightous of men.Craig is a little out of his depth but Shirley,Darwell and Arnold are fine as always and Walter Huston that most naturalistic of actors in a time of more mannered acting styles is sensational as the impish but callous tempter of men.
Bernard Hermann's rich score won him amazingly his only oscar,the lighting is eerie but beautifully rendered - the scene when Mr Scratch first appears looks like a cross between the Excorcist and a angel descending from heaven and Dieterle that most accomplished and sophisticated of craftsmen layers and paces the whole thing superbly.
MoC include an excellent 60 page booklet and although the film premiered at 85 minutes and other running times over the years ,this is the full 106 min version.
Combining expressionism,supernatural elements and a genuine love of the american virtues of family and patriotism,director Dieterle, adapting Stephen Vincent Benet's short story, has fashioned an hypnotic study/fable of the power of love and belief and how temptation can befall even the most rightous of men.Craig is a little out of his depth but Shirley,Darwell and Arnold are fine as always and Walter Huston that most naturalistic of actors in a time of more mannered acting styles is sensational as the impish but callous tempter of men.
Bernard Hermann's rich score won him amazingly his only oscar,the lighting is eerie but beautifully rendered - the scene when Mr Scratch first appears looks like a cross between the Excorcist and a angel descending from heaven and Dieterle that most accomplished and sophisticated of craftsmen layers and paces the whole thing superbly.
MoC include an excellent 60 page booklet and although the film premiered at 85 minutes and other running times over the years ,this is the full 106 min version.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
There are not superlatives enough to do this film justice. Poetic, eerie, witty, with powerhouse performances and with stunning music and cinematography, this is proof that high cinematic art and sheer entertainment are not mutually exclusive.
Hopefully the availability of this long lost complete cut (also available on the Criterion edition) will showcase this little known classic to a wider audience and earn it the exalted place in cinema history it deserves.
Stunning.
Hopefully the availability of this long lost complete cut (also available on the Criterion edition) will showcase this little known classic to a wider audience and earn it the exalted place in cinema history it deserves.
Stunning.
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Me and my sister got all meloncholic while churning up our youthful tv favourites, when she suddenly regaled me of a moralistic tale, an old black and white classic featuring the Devil and some down and out farmer, bartering for the former's soul! For the life of both of us we both could'nt recall it's title, untill after some serious memory exertion, my sister had a "eureka" moment, "It's the Devil and Daniel Webster" she almost screamed! Well, you can guess what we both got from Santa!
Was it worth it you wander? Well on this viewing, very much so, a masterpiece, both thought provoking, highly moralistic, humerous and most decisively, very well acted. It combines effortlessly the production values of American cinema, and the more "romantisized" outlook of European movie producers at that time during the 1940's. The actor's effort's produce realism allied with a large dose of wit and charm. I dare you to reach into your own "pot of gold" to buy this film, but make sure it's not the Devil's own!!!!
Was it worth it you wander? Well on this viewing, very much so, a masterpiece, both thought provoking, highly moralistic, humerous and most decisively, very well acted. It combines effortlessly the production values of American cinema, and the more "romantisized" outlook of European movie producers at that time during the 1940's. The actor's effort's produce realism allied with a large dose of wit and charm. I dare you to reach into your own "pot of gold" to buy this film, but make sure it's not the Devil's own!!!!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
A cinematic gem
If you like Wizard of Oz, It's a Wonderful Life or just a plain good old fashion black and white film that's a ripping yarn to watch with the family on a wet Sunday afternoon or as... Read more
Published 7 months ago by shoayb adamm
If at Faust, you don't succeed
I learned of this film after reading about Daniel Webster. I like a lot of films from the same era - the Universal Horror films, the Sherlock Holmes etc, so I was already a fan of... Read more
Published 10 months ago by S. Carey
The devil and danial
They really knew how to make them in the days of yore . . .
Nice story but not unexpected outcomes it's much more about how you get there than the arrival . Read more
Nice story but not unexpected outcomes it's much more about how you get there than the arrival . Read more
Published 17 months ago by Christopher M. Rowberry
Great FIlm, Same Old Transfer
Once again we are given the Criterion transfer.
The image quality is good, but the severe use of
a limiter on the soundtrack makes only the loudest
portions of... Read more
The image quality is good, but the severe use of
a limiter on the soundtrack makes only the loudest
portions of... Read more
Published on 28 Feb 2009 by Anthony Baglivi
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
