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The Devil & Daniel Webster - Criterion Collection |
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The Devil & Daniel Webster - Criterion Collection
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by Criterion
Sales Rank: 13580
Price: $23.49
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Stephen Vincent Benet's timeless 1937 short story gets the red-carpet treatment on Criterion's feature-packed DVD of <I>The Devil & Daniel Webster</I>. William Dieterle's inspired film remains the classic it always was, proving that <I>Citizen Kane</I> 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. <p> 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 <I>Here Is a Man</I>) 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. <I>--Jeff Shannon</I>
Viewer Reviews
This movie is two parts good ol' slice of Americana and one part gripping ghost story, as a man named Jabez (his name is but one of the many comparisons this movie will make to Job) Stone, in a fit of rage, attracts the devil with the curse "I'd sell my soul to the devil for two pennies!" He's lucky enough that the conversation goes further than that and he gets to trade his soul ("merely a small thing") for seven years good luck and a pile of gold up front. Of course these narratives are always very bizarre to me: doesn't the devil appearing in anthropomorphic form basically immediately alert the character, who exists obviously in a Christian world with access to the texts, that the devil's own very existence proves the existence of an anthropomorphic God who will hold true to the promises written in the Bible? But never mind all that. Quickly Mr. Stone meets Mr. Webster, burgeoning politician as he is in 1840, and the movie becomes about pride, greed, and the blindness to American values such as the beauty of the countryside, the kindness of neighbors, and all sorts of speeches about freedom--speeches so powerful, they may just save Jabez from hell.
Now the performances here are great. Walter Huston is more than just a great presence, he burns away the film like the parlor trick when he's introduced. Whether sneaking ideas into the ears of simple-minded men or commanding ghosts to rise from the door, his physical presence and grinning flamboyance makes the whole movie a delight to watch. He doesn't necessarily shadow Edward Arnold as Daniel Webster, however, as Arnold stands sturdy as a good American politician (the inside joke of the film and viewers being that he'll never gain that Presidency if he won't side with Mr. Scratch) who, despite some quirks like the taste for rum, is willing to give everyone their fair share of justice.
Now, of course, the movie itself is a true example of 50s American nationalism. Some of the roles and dialog can be taken as pure bigotry by today's standards, and of course you have the usual in separate beds and almost immaculate conception. But that kind of stuff is more than overshadowed by some real expressionistic handiwork. Demons, hellbound souls, gilded rich people, poor farmers mix together in settings that somehow fit all of them. A spider-woman appears in the form of "Belle", a demonic foil to Jabez's wife Mary, a triangle reminiscent of the beginning of Murnau's "Sunrise". A creepy ball is held, followed by an equally phantasmagoric trail which predates the surreality of "Carnival of Souls". And the movie isn't above including the audience with such considerations of "This could happen to anyone, anywhere" in the opening credits and a wonderful closing shot of Huston pointing at the camera, giving a memorable evil laugh as enticing as any of the better Jokers.
Still, a lot of the patriotic overtones of the movie have definitely not aged well with contemporary values. This movie has every mark and feel of a pre-60s, pre-Watergate, pre-9/11, post-WWII blind optimism which at heart is made of faith and true values but which modern people can't help but ignore such phrases as, "Oh Daniel, that'd be so white of you" and the now rather ridiculous naivety to which the character of Mary is prone. In fact, at the time of the movie's production, pre-bedeviled Jabez is supposed to be a great ol' guy, the kind of character anyone could appreciate and depend on, but now he's something of a jerk that goes even further with his greed and callousness. Can't blame the movie, itself, though. If anything, this movie can also stand as yet another example of the type of faith America has been desperately trying to regain after the past half-century, the type that is aware of the flaws of the 50s but eager to regain that sense of hope. That's what the character of Daniel Webster in this movie stands for, and that hasn't aged at all.
--PolarisDiB
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