The 1941 New England folk fantasy THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER, also known (among other titles) as ALL THAT MONEY CAN BUY (106 mins.), has long held a special place in the Criterion Collection. Initially released at 106 minutes then shorn of over 20 minutes for subsequent re-issues, Criterion first restored director William Dieterle’s independent production for laserdisc in the 1990s from the best elements they could find at the time. A subsequent DVD edition improved upon that release, but neither can compare to the movie’s spectacular new 4K restoration, courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive’s Scott MacQueen, The Film Foundation and Criterion, which is now available for viewers on Blu-Ray.
Working from the 35mm nitrate original camera negative as well as a German 35mm nitrate duplicate, MacQueen has been able to restore problematic sections of this badly-treated picture back to nearly a pristine condition. Further restoration with modern digital tools has been employed as well, resulting in a crisp, high grain image with detail like you’ve never seen before, as well as a consistency between the disparate source elements that previous restorations lacked. In all, watching the film here – which Criterion has released under its first theatrical title, ALL THAT MONEY CAN BUY – is a true revelation.
The work better enables viewers to appreciate this unique Dieterle production, which adapts Stephen Vincent Benet’s story of Jabez Stone, a New Hampshire farmer (James Craig) who, upon feeling the weight of misfortune in 1840, makes a pact with devilish “Mr. Scratch” (Walter Huston). The result is financial success over a seven year span, albeit at the price of his wife (Anne Shirley) and family – Jabez having been further corrupted by a jezebel (“Cat People”’s Simone Simon). While Stone’s fate appears to be sealed, his wife ultimately enlists the help of Granite State politician Daniel Webster (Edward Arnold) to argue against that contract, setting in motion a one-of-a-kind otherworldly litigation for the farmer’s soul.
“The Devil and Daniel Webster” has a memorable look and sense of mood – no surprise with the film having been shot by Dieterle and cinematographer Joseph August at RKO in between Orson Welles’ storied “Citizen Kane” and its ill-fated follow-up “The Magnificent Ambersons.” As such, the picture boasts the same type of glorious black-and-white “feel”, with Robert Wise’s editing adding to the film’s rich and unusual mix of New England folklore, supernatural fantasy, and moral fable with just a dash of patriotic politics thrown in for good measure.
The performances are mostly superb with the exception of Craig, who’s never more than serviceable and feels a peg or two above William Sanderson’s Larry from the “Newhart” sitcom of the 1980s. It’s an overly broad performance from Craig that doesn’t generate much sympathy for Stone’s plight, but thankfully the rest of the cast compensates, most especially Huston. With his conniving grin and good humor, Huston’s “Mr. Scratch” is a classic performance that brightens the film every time he’s on-screen, and his enthusiasm is matched by Bernard Herrmann’s score. This is one of the maestro’s very best efforts, infusing traditional folk melodies into a broad symphonic milieu that further distinguishes the movie.
It’s an irresistible film given an enhanced presentation on Criterion’s Blu-Ray (1.37 B&W, PCM mono), which has also been augmented with its various extras from previous Criterion releases: these include the “revised” Bruce Eder/Steven C. Smith commentary track; Alec Baldwin’s reading of Benet’s story; a quick comparison of the movie’s different versions; two Columbia Workshop radio dramas; the trailer; and, new for the Blu-Ray, an episode from the Criterion Channel series “Observations on Film Art” about Wise’s editorial prowess. Bravo!