The Devil and Daniel Webster: The Masters of Cinema Series

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The Devil and Daniel Webster
Review added by
David Beckett

Certificate: U
Running Time: 106
Retail Price: £19.99
Release Date: 23/02/2009
Content Type: Movie

Synopsis:
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.

Special Features:
• 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
• Here Is A Man comparison
• 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