The Devil and Daniel Webster The Devil and Daniel Webster

A GREAT MOTION PICTURE DARES TO BE DIFFERENT!

A 19th Century New Hampshire farmer who makes a compact with the Devil for economic success enlists Daniel Webster to extract him from his contract.

Edward Arnold Walter Huston Jane Darwell Simone Simon Gene Lockhart John Qualen H.B. Warner Frank Conlan Lindy Wade George Cleveland James Craig Anne Shirley

William Dieterle Productions

fantasy drama comedy science fiction

107 mins   More details at IMDb / TMDb

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  • directorscut

    Review by directorscut ★★★★★

    A magnificent modern folk-tale and a irresistible slice of Americana, this is the film you'd expect if John Ford ever engaged in the supernatural. The cast is perfect; Walter Huston creates such an indelible impression as The Devil he was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar despite clearly beginning a supporting role. Edward Arnold is a pillar of dignity and human value as Webster, the man willing to go up against he devil to save a man's soul. Anne Shirley is lovely as Craig's Janey Gaynor inspired house wife while Simone Simon is her complete opposite portraying a foreign seductress working for The Devil. Jane Darwell adds to the Ford connection as the mother of our fallen hero. Lead actor…

  • Bobby Analog

    Review by Bobby Analog ★★½

    A few expertly lit, atmospheric scenes aside, this is hokey, moral pap with a lot of barnyard sound effects.

  • Brent Paton

    Review by Brent Paton ★★★½

    Highly entertaining and great filmmaking.

    However, some things did not make sense to me. I found it difficult to believe that a god-fearing man who goes to church with his family and was obviously raised by a bible reading mother, would so instantly decide sell his soul to the devil. Joining a grange would take a couple nights to mull over though.
    Belle was not explained. She just suddenly appears. Is she the devil's helper? Is she the devil in disguise? She is definitely supernatural as she dances the loan shark to his death. She seems to hypnotize Jabez instantly.

    Daniel Webster's plea to the jury at the end seemed rather short and not really amazing enough to persuade them to release Jabez from his contract.

  • russman

    Review by russman ★★★½

    When will people learn that selling your soul is never a good idea?

  • Hollie Horror

    Review by Hollie Horror ★★★½ 29

    I should really start out with informing everyone that Hulu.com is celebrating President's Day Weekend with free streaming of hundreds of Criterion Films, you can see for yourself here. Now, if you're saying to yourself "I do not live in the U.S. and I can't afford a VPN so I can't enjoy all of these movies for free," and I am telling you, if I can, you can :) If you have Firefox there is this add-on which allows you to "view fun stuff" from any country, no matter where you are! There are commercials during the film but it is a small price to pay for free movie streaming!

    Now, to The Devil and Daniel Webster, I took a…

  • TheMovieVampire

    Review by TheMovieVampire ★★★

    One of the things I love about the Criterion Collection is the way they’re able to find old Hollywood studio films that have been overlooked for whatever reason and put them in the spotlight. This is a perfect example of this. The film is a fairly interesting adaptation of Stephen Vincent Benét’s story, which is like a cross between vintage satire and a New England folk tale. The highlight here is easily Walter Houston’s brilliant performance as the devil, one of the best takes on that character I’ve seen. He plays Satan with a lot of menace, but doesn’t go over the top or chew scenery like many would. It’s a great example of restraint. The rest of the movie is… interesting. I wish it had done more with the titular politician than they did, you’d almost forget what he’s most famous for (compromising on slavery), he’s pretty much just depicted as a famous orator. Good movie.

  • Travis McClain

    Review by Travis McClain ★★½

    This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.

  • Owozifa

    Review by Owozifa ★★★★

    The major reasons to watch this film are the cinematography, the early Bernard Hermann score, and Walter Huston's performance as Mr. Scratch.

    Based on the classic American short story, The Devil and Daniel Webster is basically a story of the struggle between good and evil framed in the very American folkloric tradition. Besides just the setting, the method for saving Jebez Stone's soul - trial by jury - has very deliberate undertones highlighting the very nature of the country. I did find this aspect to border on grating a couple times. One gets the strong impression of this film being a political child of the Great Depression at many points, but the fantastical nature cushions a lot of the blow.…

  • Rian

    Review by Rian ★★★½

    Welcome to New England, Dr. Faustus. A put-upon, New Hampshire farmer trades his soul to the devil (what is a soul, anyway?) for some magicked Hessian gold and seven years of “good luck”; consequently, it isn’t long before all hell breaks loose.

    It’s difficult for me to discern exactly why I like this film as much as I do. I’m not convinced that it’s that good, but there’s something about it that transcends its shortcomings and it entertains in spite of itself. The bulk of its success can probably be attributed to Walter Huston whose slick performance is insidiously entertaining. The rest of the characters can play a little flat or two dimensional, with trite dialogue and predictable behavior, but…