dragokin Watching some black-and-white movies might be demanding, but The Devil and Daniel Webster is not one of them. Of course, you should adjust to the pace of movie making of the middle twentieth century, but the story told is actually interesting.It all kicks off harmlessly, with a struggling farmer finding his shortcut to happiness. During the movie he'll find out that simple choices don't always deliver simple solutions. Newly found success and fortune would take their toll on the main character.The Devil, going by the name of Mr. Scratch in this movie, is wonderfully portrayed by Walter Huston. At the same time he is childish and menacing and would use any occasion to fulfill his desires. When there is no soul to steal he'll steal a cake and eat it although he probably hasn't been hungry in the first place.The only thing that turned me off was the inevitable propaganda about virtue of being an American.

kirbyskay2012 WARNING: SOME SPOILERS POSSIBLE!!!I saw this movie the first time at about age 11 when it was shown on TV in the mid-1950s one night and I have never forgotten it! This is a first-rate movie based on an age-old premise, but handled extremely well in all respects.The black and white cinematography was common for movies of that era, but was a perfect vehicle for this story. Color would have taken away the focus and starkness of this age-old tale. The story is played out simply but in a manner in that the events do not drag its pace and the viewer can only feel the trap closing slowly on rusty hinges. The casting is spot-on perfect, especially the two antagonists, which recalls the verbal battle between Spencer Tracy and Frederick March in "Inherit the Wind", made two decades later. Veteran actor Walter Huston is quintessentially cast as the wandering hobo with the ancient coin purse. As the father of great director John Huston, and grandfather of actress Angelica Huston, he acquits himself quite well indeed. His handling of the pivotal character is neither sensational nor campy, and one tends to forget that this is an actor playing a part as one is drawn into the danger and low-grade suspense that never quite lets go.The sets, props, costumes, and background music all contribute to an overall eerie and atmospheric rendering of post-revolutionary New England rural life. It may have been filmed on a Hollywood sound stage (location filming was rarely done in the 1940s), but all of this is forgotten as the story envelopes the air space around the viewer.What impressed me most of all was the handling of the dead souls in the story. They were portrayed as a completely powerless mass of former humanity, who had become puppets by their own folly during their lives. They had all committed the same capital error as young Jabez Stone and were forever stuck in an eternity of paying for that single mistake, but were totally unable to warn the desperate but naive farmer of his own impending folly. The filmmakers did a perfect job of grouping most of the masses into a filmy gray and almost blurry moving image, without any individuality, only just able to "whisper" with their voices. I can remember it giving me goose flesh while I was watching it, driving home to me the message of impending doom awaiting one after a life time of trying to find the "easy way" to riches or out of trouble.I highly recommend this movie. It accomplishes its story telling without profanity or abject violence. It only very vaguely implies the off screen temptation of adultery that will float over the heads of most children and be lost in the plot line. This is a true family film that delivers a few strong moral lessons in greed, incivility, and the virtue of hard work,all accomplished without being preachy. Watch it as a family group with some hot apple cider, popcorn, candy, and fresh apples and nuts for snacks. Very highly recommended, as a perfect example of the kind of movies made in Hollywood in its "Golden Era".

MartinHafer I know that this film has a wonderful reputation and the other reviews are all very favorable, but somehow I couldn't get very excited about this film. Perhaps I felt the material was just too familiar, perhaps the movie just opened up the trauma I experienced when I was forced to read "Faust" while in college (this was 25 years ago and I STILL cringe at the thought of reading all 25,000 lines of Goethe's rambling tale). All I know is that I wasn't caught up in the story and to me, with a few exceptions, seemed rather unremarkable. Here are the exceptions. First, there were some very nice performances--Walter Huston was very good as was Edward Arnold. Second, the film had very nice cinematography and just looked lovely--with a nice mythical quality about it. On the down side, the main character seemed like an idiot and I didn't care that the Devil was going to get his soul. The film did nothing to create sympathy for the jerk. In addition, the film really went on too long and the wonderful courtroom scene was way, way too short. Overall, an interesting time-passer but it hardly seemed like a classic to me.

moonspinner55 New Hampshire husband and farmer in 1840, deeply in debt and stressed to the breaking point, absentmindedly calls out to the Devil in his humble frustration; he's quickly visited by elfin-like codger Mr. Scratch, to whom he sells his soul in exchange for seven years of good luck. Walter Huston's Oscar-nominated performance as the exaggeratedly good-natured Beelzebub is the centerpiece of this wry fantasy-drama (one with spry moments and tongue occasionally in cheek). Adapted from Stephen Vincent Benet's story "The Devil and Daniel Webster" (the film's reissue title), our hero naturally becomes selfish and greedy with his money, spoiling his young son instead of teaching him, and consorting with a devilish mistress in front of his wife. These latter scenes can practically be checked off a list, what with the farmer building an ostentatious mansion on the hill, alienating his friends and neighbors and mocking the church bells! Luckily, things pick up with a final supernatural trial in with Mr. Scratch plays prosecutor and battles hard-drinking, but lovingly honest, salt-of-the-earth defense lawyer Daniel Webster (Edward Arnold, in a sensational turn). Supporting cast including Jane Darwell, Simone Simon, George Cleveland, and H.B. Warner is first-rate as well...the only character who doesn't come off is the farmer, played by James Craig. Craig, handsome and fitfully animated, is well-enough an actor to handle this role, but all the best lines have been given to the other performers, leaving Craig's Jabez Stone a sketch, a writer's afterthought, without any dimensions or pathos. Bernard Herrmann won the Oscar for his superlative music score, which is matched by sumptuous cinematography and art direction. **1/2 from ****