Title:
The Devil and Daniel Webster / an RKO Radio picture ; a William Dieterle production ; produced and directed by William Dieterle ; screen play by Dan Totheroh and Stephen Vincent Benét.
ISBN:
9780780027008
Uniform Title:
Devil and Daniel Webster (Motion picture : 1941)
Publication Information:
[New York] : Criterion Collection, [2003]
Physical Description:
1 videodisc (106 min.) : sound, black and white ; 4 3/4 in.
General Note:
Based on the short story by Stephen Vincent Benét.
Originally released as a motion picture in 1941 under title All that money can buy; re-released later that year as The Devil and Daniel Webster; re-issued in 1952 in a shortened version as Daniel and the Devil.
Special features: audio commentary by film historian Bruce Eder and Bernard Herrmann biographer Stephen C. Smith; a reading of Benét's original short story by actor/director Alec Baldwin; comparison with an earlier preview version titled "Here is a man"; the Columbia Workshop's radio dramatization of the "Devil and Daniel Webster" and "The sea serpent"; the music of the film in an interactive essay by Christopher Husted; behind-the-scenes photos; essays by Tom Piazza and Benét.
DVD; NTSC, Dolby digital mono.; RSDL dual-layer.
Awards Note:
Academy Award for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic Picture (Bernard Herrmann)
Contents:
"It could even happen to you" -- For better or for worse -- Wonderful language -- Seven years -- Mashed potatoes & milk -- Paid in full -- Ten throws -- "Just the beginning" -- Hail & harvest -- Keeping him warm -- Higher stakes -- No respect -- A changed man -- Constitution & Bill of Rights -- "Quite a success" -- The contract -- "To save a New Hampshire man" -- American judge, American jury -- "Here is this man" -- And he hasn't been seen.
Summary:
"Jabez Stone is a hard-working farmer trying to make an honest living, but a streak of bad luck tempts him to do the unthinkable: bargain with the devil himself. In exchange for seven years of good fortune, Stone promises "Mr. Scratch" his soul. But when the troubled farmer begins to realize the error of his choice, he enlists the aid of the one man who might save him: the legendary orator and politician Daniel Webster. Directed with stylish flair by William Dieterle, The Devil and Daniel Webster brings the classic short story by Stephen Vincent Benet to life with inspired visuals, an unforgettable Oscar-winning score by Bernard Herrmann, and a truly diabolical performance from Walter Huston as the devil"--Container.
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Language Note:
Includes English captions for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Series Title:
Series Sequence:
Performer:
Walter Huston, Edward Arnold, Jane Darwell, Simone Simon, James Craig, Anne Shirley, John Qualen, Jeff Corey, Gene Lockhart, Lindy Wade.
Production Credits:
Music, Bernard Herrmann ; director of photography, Joseph August ; editor, Robert Wise.
OCLC Number:
ocm53120479
Availability:
Eagan - Wescott~1
