The Devil And Daniel Webster

Disappointingly light on special features in comparison with the high standards we've come to expect of Masters of Cinema releases, this DVD includes only one genuine extra - a 5 minute comparison of the differences between the preview version of the film, entitled Here Is A Man, and the cinematic release, originally known as All That Money Can Buy.

While this would be a neat addition to any collectors’ edition of the film, it hardly adds much weight to the package on its own. Offering just three short scenes for comparison, the only real differences between the preview version and the cinematic release are the brief flashes of an inverted (ie a white and black inversion) image of Walter Huston’s devil in Here Is A Man, which appears immediately prior to three instances of bad luck which befall Jabez Stone in the early part of the film. Presumably the director, William Dieterle, originally intended to make the devil’s influence in Jabez’s bad luck more explicit before deciding he wanted an element of ambiguity in Stone’s downfall to contrast with his self-pity. SDH English subtitles for the hearing impaired are also included/.

It’s certainly a shame that such an excellent film doesn’t offer a more feature-rich DVD package but I will award 3 stars on the strength of the excellent 60-page companion booklet. This booklet features an essay on the film by distinguished American film scholar Tony Williams, Is The Devil American? William Dieterle’s The Devil And Daniel Webster; a diatribe on Hollywood by the director: Hollywood And The Masses; an initial reaction to the film by the author of the short story upon which it is based: The Author Is Pleased; and the booklet culminates with the original short story itself.