The Devil and Daniel Webster
The Devil and Daniel Webster
A down-on-his-luck farmer makes a deal with the devil for seven years of prosperity. When Mr. Scratch comes to collect, orator and hero of the common man Daniel Webster comes to the rescue.
eif999 reviewedJanuary 27, 2025
Watching this fable about uniquely American values (real and imagined) in 2025 is a bit of a cold slap considering how most of the values treasured - being a good neighbor, supporting unions, valuing faith over greed, family values are things frowned upon by the highest levels of government. Of course this and most films in the early 40s were propaganda machines with war around the corner. So this one features a double dip of old American values that were never as rosy as imagined and new jingoistic ones before time runs out.
But the film does offer hope and in a package that is stunningly beautiful. And that soundtrack from Bernard Herrmann.
My favorite bits are the darker stuff. Walter Huston with his shit-eating grin and Simone Simon as the sexy home wrecker. Seeing those two bounce around the amazing sets is breathtaking. Huston and Simone unfortunately totally eclipse the white-bread leads. This would be a classic if they got a bigger name like I don’t know Henry Fonda.
RKO took some big swings with this and Citizen Kane in 41, didn’t they?