![]() William Dieterle was obviously open to experimentation when it comes to the use of cinematography and sound, and the movie has a striking visual look. What seemed startling in 1941 feels mostly creaky by today's standards, but there are still some fresh moments of film making in this one. "The Devil and Daniel Webster" is a creepy, effective little morality tale about a farmer who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for prosperity and the politician who ends up defending him and winning it back. Now the politician would be in the Devil's hip pocket. This film could never work now, because Americans are far too cynical to accept a politician beating the Devil in a battle of morals. 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! ![]()
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