BroadcastChic Excellent, a Must See

Stellead Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Janis One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

utgard14 Classic fantasy adapted from Stephen Vincent Benet's Faustian short story about a struggling farmer in 1840 New Hampshire who sells his soul to the Devil in exchange for wealth and prosperity. Years go by and the farmer grows richer and greedier, profiting off the misfortune of his neighbors and mistreating his loving wife. Eventually the Devil comes to collect and the farmer, in desperate need of help, turns to famed orator and "champion of the people" Daniel Webster to save his soul.A wonderful film, directed with style by William Dieterle and beautifully photographed by Joseph August. Bernard Herrmann's score deservedly won an Oscar. The script is terrific, with some great dialogue for Walter Huston and Edward Arnold. Both men shine in their respective roles. Huston is clearly having a fun time playing the ultimate villain, Mr. Scratch (aka Satan), and Arnold is dynamite as Daniel Webster. His trial monologue is one of the great film speeches of all time. For his part, James Craig does well but obviously he's outshined by his veteran co-stars. Jane Darwell is good as the saintly mother, a part she played better than just about anybody. Two of my Silver Screen crushes from Old Hollywood also appear in this, Anne Shirley and Simone Simon. Both are lovely and turn in solid performances of their own.It's a great movie that mixes light and dark very well. It all flows together nicely without jarring you by going from a funny scene to a serious one. It's a light Gothic fantasy with an almost film noir look about it that makes it stand out. The visual beauty of it is a major plus but the story is also well told, rising above a simple morality tale thanks to some characters with dimensions and exceptional performances from the leads. If you're a fan of classic Hollywood, you have to see it at least once.

bugsmoran29 Daniel Webster, played by Edward Arnold, is the real hero of this film. The historical Webster was a good politician and an even greater orator. He was famous throughout the USA for his powerful speeches delivered in a booming voice. Edward Arnold's Daniel Webster was a perfect foil for the devil in a court of law. The evil one is played by a grinning and cigar smoking Walter Huston. The action takes place in New Hampshire during the 1840's and revolves around a Yankee farmer who sells his soul for worldly possessions. This movie has a lush look to it, and its' entire cast is outstanding, including James Craig as the Yankee farmer Jabez Stone. This movie is a delicious slice of peach pie and Americana.

Leofwine_draca THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER is a fun, light-hearted slice of comic fantasy that must have helped to assuage some inherent anxieties about the state of the world when it was released in 1941. It's an adaptation of the famous storyline about a poor farmer who sells his soul to the devil in return for seven years of prosperity. However, when the devil comes calling, the farmer enlists the help of a lawyer to help him break the deal.In the case of a film like this, everything is so professionally achieved that it becomes difficult not to just sit back and be swept along by the story. Walter Huston is a delight as the sinister antagonist, "Mr. Scratch", and Edward Arnold more than proves his worth as his adversary. Simone Simon is lovelier than she was in CAT PEOPLE. The cinematography is efficient, there are a few amusing effects scenes which still work today, and finally Bernard Herrmann provides a perfectly ominous, mystical, and dramatic soundtrack. What's not to like?

Spikeopath The Devil and Daniel Webster is directed by William Dieterle and written by Dan Totheroh and Stephen Vincent Benet. It stars Edward Arnold, Walter Huston, James Craig, Anne Shirley, Jane Darwell, Simone Simon and Gene Lockhart. Music is by Bernard Herrmann and cinematography by Joseph H. August.Poor farmer Jabez Stone (Craig) utters in frustration that he would sell his soul to the devil for two cents such is the destitution he and his family find themselves in. So when the mysterious Mr. Scratch (Huston) turns up with the offer of seven years prosperity, Jabez is only too happy to sign away his soul to Scratch's contract. Prosperity does indeed come, but also a change in Stone alienates his loved ones, and just what will happen when the seven years are up?Dieterle's Faustian movie was met with decent critical notices upon release but failed to make a hit at the box offices. It was subsequently snipped by the studio and reduced from a 107 minute movie to one that was shown in a sub-standard 85 minute cut. Suffice to say that the original cut is really the only version to see, it's a no brainer.I'd fight 10,000 devils to save a New Hampshire man.The Devil and Daniel Webster is a film of surreal and ethereal qualities, qualities that sit snugly alongside the moral core of the tale. The story follows the familiar Faust route, man sells his soul but comes to regret it as his character changes for the worse and promptly wants out of the deal before he has to go live with Old Nick and all his hellish instruments. Here there's the heavy vibe of America's soul being fought for, so enter famed lawyer Daniel Webster (Arnold) who rocks up to try to save the now frantic Jabez Stone. Not easy since the jury is a roll call of badness and Mr. Scratch himself is of course a wily old fox.The closing court sequences are just one of many great moments in the piece. Others include a ball at the Stone residence that is tinged with supernatural edginess, a barn dance that is borderline demonic, and Belle's (a stunningly sensual Simon) disarming dance of death. Herrmann crafts an aural sculpture of a musical score that blends ghostly tensions with tongue in cheek slyness, while Huston, Arnold and Simon give terrific performances. On the negative side Craig is way too animated throughout, irritatingly so, while the set design for 1840s New Hampshire barely passes muster for period oomph. Other than those itches this rounds out as thoroughly enjoyable entertainment, a film thriving on character disintegration and greed in some fantastical noirish realm. 7.5/10