{"id":44032,"date":"2019-07-30T12:23:22","date_gmt":"2019-07-30T19:23:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=44032"},"modified":"2021-01-19T10:11:03","modified_gmt":"2021-01-19T17:11:03","slug":"devil-and-daniel-webster-the-1941","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=44032","title":{"rendered":"Devil and Daniel Webster, The (1941)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;I&#8217;ve had more than my share! Nothing ever goes right for me!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Poster-222x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"222\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-44033\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Poster-222x300.jpg 222w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Poster-95x128.jpg 95w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Poster.jpg 580w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 222px) 100vw, 222px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA poverty-stricken New England farmer named Jabez Stone (James Craig) sells his soul to the devil (Walter Huston) in exchange for seven years of prosperity, and soon finds his luck changing entirely &#8212; but his loyal wife (Anne Shirley) and no-nonsense mother (Jane Darwell) notice profound changes in his personality, and are especially distressed when he appears to be having an affair with a seductive nanny (Simone Simon) sent by Mr. Scratch (Huston) to keep an eye on him.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Anne Shirley Films<\/li>\n<li>Edward Arnold Films<\/li>\n<li>Fantasy<\/li>\n<li>Farming<\/li>\n<li>Get Rich Quick<\/li>\n<li>Historical Drama<\/li>\n<li>John Qualen Films<\/li>\n<li>Pact With the Devil<\/li>\n<li>Simone Simon Films<\/li>\n<li>Walter Huston Films<\/li>\n<li>William Dieterle Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nWilliam Dieterle directed this highly cinematic adaptation of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Devil_and_Daniel_Webster\">Stephen Vincent Benet&#8217;s short story<\/a> &#8212; originally titled <em>All That Money Can Buy<\/em> to avoid confusion with <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=41426\"><em>The Devil and Miss Jones<\/em> (1941)<\/a>. Huston plays &#8220;Mr. Scratch&#8221; with gleeful abandon, never not enjoying his earthly travails with humans who are so eager to trade their souls; and the rest of the cast is superb as well (as a side note, Shirley looks particularly like Olivia de Havilland). Bernard Herrmann&#8217;s film score &#8212; made the same year he scored <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=42173\"><em>Citizen Kane<\/em> (1941)<\/a> &#8212; creatively uses period folk tunes to set the mood and the era, and justifiably won an Oscar. While the entire storyline is well-handled (the DVD commentary track is worth a listen), perhaps the most famous sequence is the final barnhouse trial with infamous criminals coming in ghostly form to listen to Stone&#8217;s case. Film fanatics won&#8217;t be disappointed by a revisit of this enduring and enjoyable classic.  <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>William Dieterle&#8217;s direction<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Direction3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Direction3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-44038\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Direction3.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Direction3-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Direction3-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Walter Huston as Mr. Scratch<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Huston.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Huston.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-44039\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Huston.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Huston-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Huston-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Fine supporting performances across the board<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Shirley.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Shirley.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-44040\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Shirley.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Shirley-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Shirley-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Simon.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Simon.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-44041\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Simon.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Simon-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Simon-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Craig.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Craig.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-44046\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Craig.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Craig-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Craig-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Arnold.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Arnold.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-44042\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Arnold.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Arnold-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Arnold-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>John August&#8217;s cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Cinematography.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-44044\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Cinematography.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Cinematography-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Cinematography-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Direction2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Direction2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-44037\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Direction2.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Direction2-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Direction2-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Many memorable scenes<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Dance.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Dance.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-44045\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Dance.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Dance-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Dance-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Trial.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Trial.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-44047\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Trial.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Trial-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Devil-Daniel-Webster-Trial-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Bernard Herrmann&#8217;s Oscar-winning score<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as an impressive and still powerful classic. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0033532\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/464200\/the-devil-and-daniel-webster#articles-reviews\">TCM Articles<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1941\/10\/17\/archives\/all-that-money-can-buy-a-new-england-legend-at-the-music-hall-texas.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moriareviews.com\/fantasy\/all-that-money-can-buy-1941-devil-and-daniel-webster.htm\">Moria Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve had more than my share! Nothing ever goes right for me!&#8221; Synopsis: A poverty-stricken New England farmer named Jabez Stone (James Craig) sells his soul to the devil (Walter Huston) in exchange for seven years of prosperity, and soon finds his luck changing entirely &#8212; but his loyal wife (Anne Shirley) and no-nonsense mother (Jane Darwell) notice profound changes in his personality, and are especially distressed when he appears to be having an affair with a seductive nanny (Simone&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=44032\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44032","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44032"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44032\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64449,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44032\/revisions\/64449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44032"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}