All That Money Can Buy (a.k.a. The Devil and Daniel Webster) (BLU-RAY)
Jabez Stone is a hardworking farmer trying to make an honest living, but a streak of bad luck tempts him to do the unthinkable: bargain with the devil himself. In exchange for seven years of good fortune, Stone promises “Mr. Scratch” his soul. But when the troubled farmer begins to realize the error of his choice, he enlists the aid of the one man who might save him: the legendary orator and politician Daniel Webster. Directed with stylish flair by William Dieterle, All That Money Can Buy brings the classic short story by Stephen Vincent Benét to life with inspired visuals, an unforgettable, Oscar-winning score by Bernard Herrmann, and a truly diabolical performance from Walter Huston as the devil.
BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
- New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
- Audio commentary by film historian Bruce Eder and Steven C. Smith, biographer of composer Bernard Herrmann
- New restoration demonstration
- Reading by actor Alec Baldwin of the short story by Stephen Vincent Benét on which the film is based
- Episode of the Criterion Channel series Observations on Film Art about the film’s editing
- Comparison of the differences between the July 1941 preview version of the film, Here Is a Man, and the film’s 1943 rerelease as The Devil and Daniel Webster
- The Columbia Workshop’s radio adaptations of Benét’s short stories “The Devil and Daniel Webster” and “Daniel Webster and the Sea Serpent,” both featuring music by Herrmann
- Trailer
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: An essay by author Tom Piazza and a 1941 article by Benét
Illustration by Thomas Ott