The Devil and Daniel Webster (Criterion #214). 1941 RKO Radio Pictures (now distributed by Janus Films).
Starring: Edward Arnold, Walter Huston, James Craig, Anne Shirley, Jane Darwell, Simone Simon, Gene Lockhart
Director: William Dieterle
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Jabez Stone (Craig) is a poor New Hampshire farmer. In 1840, he sells his soul to "Mr. Scratch" (Huston) in return for seven years of prosperity. When the deal is almost up, Stone asks the famed orator and politician Daniel Webster (Arnold) to help him find a way out of his deal with the devil, which Webster agrees to.
Mr. Scratch shows up to claim his due, and Webster has to risk his own soul before his opponent will agree to a trial by jury. To make things even more hopeless, Mr. Scratch chooses his own jury members; twelve of the most evil men in history up until that time, with the judge of the Salem witch trials presiding over the case.
Will Daniel Webster save his client?
This is an interesting film. Recommended.
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