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MovieMail's Review
James Oliver discovers this lost classic and instantly elevates it to his 'Favourite Films' list - what greater recommendation do you need?
Times are tough for Jabez Stone; he’s fed up with poverty and privation. So when an affable gent named Mr. Scratch offers him a deal – if Jabez signs away one, small, insignificant item he will be rewarded with all that money can buy – the impoverished New Hampshire farmer leaps at the offer. After all, who needs a soul anyway?
There are many praiseworthy things about The Devil and Daniel Webster. There’s the script which has the simplicity and clarity of a parable; the cast are uniformly excellent – although special mention should go to Walter Huston as Scratch, perhaps the finest Mephistopheles in movies – and it was crafted by Hollywood technicians at the top of their game.
What’s most remarkable about the film, though – what elevates it from being merely very good into the realms of authentic greatness – is its atmosphere. The film is imbued with the evocative power of the very best folk stories: it successfully sells us a world where the devil is real and walks at men’s shoulders. It’s a tale told with absolute conviction, with none of the irony a less confident director might have been tempted to employ to curry favour with potentially sceptical audiences.
Its director was William Dieterle and it’s tempting to ascribe the film’s singular texture entirely to his European sensibilities: there’s certainly more than a whiff of the old world in its demonology and unsettling shadows. But this is also a very American film, rooted in American culture and embodying values of self-reliance and vigorous optimism. While the European Faust is a victim, Americans are made of sterner stuff. Jabez Stone is lucky enough to know Daniel Webster, the finest orator in New England and a man of sufficient character to take on Scratch: “I’d fight ten thousand devils to save a New Hampshire man!”
Astonishingly, this is the first time that this outstanding film has been available to buy in the UK. While it’s not worth the cost of your immortal soul, the current asking price is something of a bargain.
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.
Film Description
Inarguably a classic, both as a piece of Americana, and as an exercise in magical film making, this 1941 US morality tale reworks the legend of Faust, setting it in the farmlands of New Hampshire, where struggling farmer Jabez Stone (James Craig) cries out in exasperation that he would sell his soul for some money and a decent crop. To his amazement, Mr Scratch (Walter Huston) appears and offers to trade seven years of prosperity in exchange for that very item. Jabez thinks the whole thing is a joke and accepts willingly. Riches soon come his way but, when Mr Scratch returns to collect his debt, Jabez has to call on famous orator Daniel Webster to fight to save his soul.
The devil was never so amiable, and his snares and traps never so bewitching as here. Using every trick in Citizen Kane, and a few of its own, this film looks fabulous, and has as much going on of note behind the cameras as in front of it. Robert Wise was the editor, and the eerie score was by Bernard Herrmann. This is one of those films that gets relegated to afternoon television slots (if shown at all) and deserves so much more.
