All That Money Can Buy aka The Devil And Daniel Webster (1941) Criterion Blu-ray Review

[@DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader]

www.criterion.com/films/622-all-that-money-can-buy-a-k-a-the-devil-and-daniel-webster Panel discussion on the restoration: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o5nVd6h5q89gitksi=lS3rSHybVgrjGlDS Other radio adaptations: www.otrr.org/OTRRLibrary/otrrlibrary.html?s=Daniel Webster

[@user-ChicagoJoe19]

I know this is off subject, but I look forward to your future reviews of the LLL expanded releases of Man With The Golden Gun & Moonraker. I've thoroughly been enjoying them over the holidays having received them shortly before Xmas. Happy 2025 Crusader!

[@DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader]

@ I’m devouring them at present and they’re as mindblowing as I anticipated!

[@user-ChicagoJoe19]

​@@DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader Good to hear. I was especially pleased with the improved audio quality of MR; a major improvement, I think, over the original LP and even the 2003 re-issue. I'm so thrilled LLL were able to locate the "lost/misplaced" MR cues. It gives hope for future Bond remastered/expanded releases.

[@richardweddle3408]

Terrific review. I share you enthusiasm for the film and Criterion's restoration. Is Herrman's score available on CD?

[@user-ChicagoJoe19]

​@@richardweddle3408 There is a Bernard Herrmann compilation cd on the Milan label from 2004; recordings conducted by Elmer Bernstein. It has a 1:52 track of The Devil and Daniel Webster.

[@matheus5230]

There's a very interesting restoration article posted by Disney in December 23, called "Preserving a Legacy: Inside the Walt Disney Studios Film Archive". They show some "before and after" screenshots of the restorations of "Cinderella", "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and the original "Planet of the Apes", which was restored in 4K HDR last year and is available to stream. One of the "before" screenshots of "Planet of the Apes" is truly horrific! One of the film reels had been torn and then glued together in the most crude way possible! They essentially had to repaint the destroyed information! You really need to see it. I don't think we give enough credit to how miraculous restorations really are, even the ones that fall short (I'm not saying the "Planet of the Apes" restoration falls short).

[@Gothic55]

A wonderful film that finally gets the release it deserves and has never had. Thank you.

[@BadGuyRants]

Edward Arnold is such an underrated actor. Basically forgotten because while cast as villains in 3 Capra films, he wasn’t Mr. Potter. This is his best work.

[@DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader]

@@BadGuyRants He’s sensational onscreen in every film and can play the good or bad character with ease. And the moments he has in You Can’t Take It With You add up to the pivotal moment for his character where not a single word of dialogue is needed.

[@matheus5230]

​@@DamnFoolIdealisticCrusaderHave you watched the UHD of You Can't Take It With You from the Capra 4K collection? I'm interested in how it looks. When they released the 4K master first in blu-ray, the restoration notes were essentially apologizing about how it looked. It make one think that the film was not fit for an UHD release at all.

[@MACPhilms]

Thank you for calling attention to this great film, one of my favorites. You mention it as good holiday fare -- we watch it on Halloween! The Criterion Blu-ray is a must.

[@1165mac]

I’ve heard the brilliant score on CD many times but have somehow never seen the movie. Just ordered it and looking forward to a nice movie experience.

[@slushyglue9167]

I literally JUST added this to my watch list as a part of a "Criterion Challenge" for 2025 on letterboxd. Super happy to see there's a great new release to look forward to now. Happy New Year to you!

[@DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader]

@@slushyglue9167 Happy New Year to you as well! I hope you enjoy the film!

[@Stonecutter334]

Always been a favorite of mine since i saw the severely edited version on late night tv back in the 80’s. I’ve had the dvd version for quite a while but I’m super excited to learn about this blu ray upgrade. Just ordered my copy. Thanks for the post.

[@OuterGalaxyLounge]

Thank you for pronouncing Dieterle's name correctly. It's amazing how many so-called cinephiles' videos on KZbin are cringefests when it comes to pronunciation when a bare minimum of effort at research would fix it

[@DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader]

@@OuterGalaxyLounge I always worry about getting pronunciations right if I can. It kills me when I goof one up and then it’s stuck in video form.

[@BennyBrilleman]

Didn't know about this Criterion release, but I'm sold!

[@MosesWine]

If The Simpsons reference it, its a must see. Currently available on Criterion Channel with some extras, including the commentary.

[@kend1964]

Thank you for the very thorough review.

[@matheus5230]

When you review the UHD of The Searchers, I hope that you also bring up the article in the site in70mm where they interview colorist Jan Yarbrough about the restoration. The interview goes in-depth about the issues encountered to restore the film.

[@adamATOM3]

I have never seen this movie. I’ll check it out for sure.

[@DanKeatis]

These stills look gorgeous. I’m sold.

[@DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader]

@@DanKeatis I’m glad to hear it! I took extra time in making and placing screencaps as the restoration quality is such that it makes the gorgeous photography really shine.

[@DanKeatis]

@ Well, mission darned well accomplished!

[@slave_to_cinema]

Oh this always looked really intriguing but i didnt know anything about it! Super cool! Ive added it to the Criterion wishlist! Appreciate the in depth analysis Crusader.

[@DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader]

@@slave_to_cinema Thanks! That’s why I wanted to do a review so much as this title has been little discussed for so long. Its complicated release history and substandard versions made it even more obscure for decades.

[@KevinStriker]

Walter Huston is a Canadian national treasure. I don't know how many people know he came from humble roots in Ontario, but it's true, friends. Kevin Smith said God is Canadian, but so is the devil.

[@duncandonuts5268]

im not crazy about old films, but im always down to watch them if they look interesting enough. when you recommended this movie during the annual criterion sale this year, i made sure to grab it if i saw it and am so glad i did. it's easily one of my favorite films of the 40s now. it doesn't seem like the craziest or most unique story on the surface, but the acting is so great and the overall execution is just so well done. thank you sir!

[@matheus5230]

In every year in every decade, there are truly great films that always fly under the radar. They have a cult following, but they are not regularly being talked about as greatest films of all time. This doesn't make them any less worth seeing, and there are a lot of hidden gems. Sweet Smell Of Sucess and A Face In The Crowd are two amazing films that get buried in the ludicruous amount of big, iconic classics from the year they came out (1957).

[@DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader]

@@duncandonuts5268 Thanks!!! This is one of those classics that’s never gotten as much recognition due to the cuts and troubled release history it had.

[@deckofcards87]

I used to have that same attitude, I didn't think I was crazy about old films, until I actually started watching them. The good ones.

[@duncandonuts5268]

@@deckofcards87 It's not an attitude, it's just taste. The obnoxious music and abrupt endings aren't my favorite. There are tons of old movies I do like. Another one off the top of my head being The Lonely Place and The Roaring Twenties. But 80's sci-fi so far has always been my favorite.

[@matheus5230]

​@@duncandonuts5268Obnoxious music and abrupt endings aren't things exclusive to old movies, they often happen with new ones too. Any movie in any era can have these issues. Unless you are talking about the forced, abrupt happy endings that Hollywood's Hays Code imposed. This is infamous in films such as Suspicion, The Magnificent Ambersons. Not to mention how a film like Mildred Pierce, though still good, is hurt by the changes it had to make from the novel due to the censorship.

[@rfsanjurjo]

that artwork deserves to be on a laserdisc cover

[@HolographicSweater]

very knowledgeable and informative review

[@trevorbartram5473]

I second your praise for the UCLA/Criterion restoration. I rented the Criterion DVD from Netflix many years ago & thought the movie excellent. Last year, I streamed it from ATV+ (ATV+ shows the source as Criterion) & was pleasantly surprised by the improvement. Cheers!

[@SpacePig-u3m]

Thank you for the excellent review and recommendation. Anyone out there know if the bluray is region locked? I so need this for reg 2 uk.

[@DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader]

@SpacePig-u3m I believe it’s region a locked so you’d have to get a region free player or wait for criterion to bring out a region B release.

[@conservativecarnage3783]

Bro did you see John Wayne the searcher got a 4k release?

[@DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader]

@@conservativecarnage3783 I did and I’ve finally watched it so hopefully I can have a review done relatively soon.

[@conservativecarnage3783]

@DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader can ya kind summarize if you don't mind just a bit is it worth picking up?

[@conservativecarnage3783]

@DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader also sorry to bother you just really love your channel it's amazing.

[@DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader]

@ Yes. It’s definitely a giant leap ahead in terms of the new scan and master but has some unfortunate issues that keep it from being definitive. It does leave the Blu-ray in the dust visually as that very early Blu-ray disc was long outdated years ago. But I wish I could say the new UHD was a perfect release.

[@DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader]

@ Thank you! No problem at all!

[@matheus5230]

Did you get Sony's UHDs of The Talk Of The Town and The Lady From Shanghai?

[@DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader]

@@matheus5230 I’ve still got to pick those up. I hate how Sony priced them higher as UHDs.

[@matheus5230]

​@@DamnFoolIdealisticCrusaderI guess it's because they are MOD releases.