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It's easy for the Devil to sell his wares to struggling farmers, so he's confident and playful in his duties.

Rain falling on a happy farmer dust bowl photo movie#

His appeal is understandable because he can offer what everyone in the movie wants - wealth and power. His devil is a gentleman-like puppet master, a smooth talker, and very persuasive. Houston, an Oscar-winner for his role in Treasure of the Sierra Madre, exudes unbridled glee with every devilish grin.

The most remarkable performance in the film is Walter Houston's Mr. Every shot in the film, even in the mundane world, seems painstakingly planned and executed, with decisive lighting and many intricate camera movements, rare for this era of film-making. Belle's dance of death and Scratch's fiddle playing at Jabez's party are accompanied by severe under lighting, insinuating the hellish forces at work in both scenes. Dieterle succeeds in creating a visual distinction between the real world and the netherworld by frequently bathing Scratch and Belle in soft light or diffusion and removing all natural sounds from the soundtrack when they appear. Influenced as Citizen Kane was by German expressionist films, The Devil and Daniel Webster features bold, suggestive lighting where shadows alone often represent a character. These visual effects and others, such as items bursting into flame, were ahead of their time - as were the lighting schemes. To portray the film's more ghostly effects, including Belle's dance to the death with Miser Stevens and the barn room trial, Dieterle relies on multiple exposure and diffused lighting. His accomplice, the creepy Belle, is similarly introduced beside a fireplace. Scratch appears in Jabez's barn, he is heavily backlit and accompanied by ethereal sounds. Dieterle infuses the film with stark contrast lighting and masterful compositions rich in detail and multiple layers of action. The execution of this story is remarkable, from the elegant direction and incredible performances to the innovative camera work and stylish mise-en-scene.

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To escape his contract with the devil, Jabez puts his fate in the hands of the almost mythic Daniel Webster, who represents him in a climactic barn room trial against Mr. When his seven years are up, Jabez learns the error of his ways and wants to make amends. Much to the dismay of his wife (Ann Shirley), mother (Jane Darwell), and beloved politician Daniel Webster (Edward Arnold), Jabez slips into a downward spiral as a result of his newfound wealth and power. Scratch (Walter Houston) appears during a moment of weakness, Jabez agrees to sell his soul in exchange for seven years of good luck. A cautionary tale of greed and power, the narrative centers around the character of Jabez Stone (played by James Craig), a down-on-his-luck farmer who is barely able to support his family in 1840s New Hampshire.

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Now restored to its full length, and painstakingly restored, The Devil and Daniel Webster has never looked and sounded better. For their 2003 DVD release of the title, The Criterion Collection finally discovered a complete print that had been in the director's possession. The film is late to join the aforementioned classics because a definitive version of it has been elusive for nearly sixty years. Released within a three-year period that yielded such classics as The Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind, Gunga Din, The Maltese Falcon, and Citizen Kane (just to name a few), The Devil and Daniel Webster is only now earning the accolades it deserves. William Dieterle's adaptation of Stephen Vincent Benet's The Devil and Daniel Webster is the product of a great, albeit brief, era of quality Hollywood film-making that has never been repeated. Webster - 'the quick or the dead.'ĭaniel Webster: This is outrageous, I asked for a fair trial. Scratch: Dastards, liars, traitors, knaves.

Big and Little Harp, robbers and murderers.

Floyd Ireson and Stede Bonnet, the fiendish butchers. Asa, the Black Monk - he choked them to death.

Governor Dale - he broke men on the wheel. Simon Girty, the renegade - he burned men for gold. Scratch: Captain Kidd - he killed men for gold. Scratch: You must pardon the leathery toughness of one or two. Scratch: 'The quick or the dead!' You have said it. But I'm sure you'll agree, this is hardly the case for an ordinary jury.ĭaniel Webster: Let it be the quick or the dead, so long as it is an American judge and an American jury!