All That Money Can Buy

"A GREAT MOTION PICTURE DARES TO BE DIFFERENT!"

1941 1h 47m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 101

DramaFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Farmer Jabez Stone, about to lose his land, agrees to sell his soul to the devil, known as Mr. Scratch, who gives Jabez seven years to enjoy the fruits of his sale before he collects. Over that time, Jabez pays off his debts and helps many neighboring farmers, then becomes an advocate for the upstanding Sen. Daniel Webster. When Jabez's contract with Mr. Scratch concludes, he desperately turns to Webster to represent him in a trial for his soul.

“A GREAT MOTION PICTURE DARES TO BE DIFFERENT!”

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Where to watch · US

Cast

Edward Arnold
Daniel Webster
Walter Huston
Mr. Scratch
Jane Darwell
Ma Stone
Simone Simon
Belle
Gene Lockhart
Squire Slossum
John Qualen
Miser Stevens
H.B. Warner
Justice Hawthorne
Frank Conlan
Sheriff

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: William Dieterle
Writers: Stephen Vincent Benet, Dan Totheroh
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

85 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by William Dieterle, shot by Joseph H. August. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Bernard Herrmann. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Robert Wise shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Edward Arnold and Walter Huston and Jane Darwell carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A GREAT MOTION PICTURE DARES TO BE DIFFERENT!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0033532 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

William Dieterle directs. Joseph H. August behind the camera. Bernard Herrmann scores. Robert Wise cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by William Dieterle, shot by Joseph H. August. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Bernard Herrmann. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Robert Wise shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Edward Arnold and Walter Huston and Jane Darwell carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "A GREAT MOTION PICTURE DARES TO BE DIFFERENT!".
7IMDB entry: tt0033532 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Joseph H. August
Original score: Bernard Herrmann
Editing: Robert Wise
Costume design: Edward Stevenson
Runtime: 107 min · 1h 47m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: All That Money Can Buy (1941)

Awards

Academy Award for Best Original Dramatic Score

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

William Dieterle

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Selected frames

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2013-12-24
★ 7.5/10
Beware of Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing. The Devil and Daniel Webster is directed by William Dieterle and written by Dan Totheroh and Stephen Vincent Benet. It stars Edward Arnold, Walter Huston, James Craig, Anne Shirley, Jane Darwell, Simone Simon and Gene Lockhart. Music is by Bernard Herrmann and cinematography by Joseph H. August. Poor farmer Jabez Stone (Craig) utters in frustration that he would sell his soul to the devil for two cents such is the destitution he and his family find themselves in. So when the mysterious Mr. Scratch (Huston) turns up with the offer of seven years prosperity, Jabez is only to happy too sign away his soul to Scratch’s contract. Prosperity does indeed come, but also a change in Craig alienates his loved ones, and just what will happen when the seven years are up? Dieterle’s Faustian movie was met with decent critical notices upon release but failed to make a hit at the box offices. It was subsequently snipped by the studio and reduced from a 107 minute movie to one that was shown in a sub-standard 85 minute cut. Suffice to say that the original cut is really the only version to see, it’s a no brainer. I’d fight 10,000 devils to save a New Hampshire man. The Devil and Daniel Webster is a film of surreal and ethereal qualities, qualities that sit snugly alongside the moral core of the tale. The story follows the familiar Faust route, man sells his soul but comes to regret it as his character changes for the worse and promptly wants out of the deal before he has to go live with Old Nick and all his hellish instruments. Here there’s the heavy vibe of America’s soul being fought for, so enter famed lawyer Daniel Webster (Arnold) who rocks up to try to save the now frantic Jabez Stone. Not easy since the jury is a roll call of badness and Mr. Scratch himself is of course a wily old fox. The closing court sequences are just one of many great moments in the piece. Others include a ball at the Stone residence that is tinged with supernatural edginess, a barn dance that is borderline demonic, and Belle’s (a stunningly sensual Simon) disarming dance of death. Herrmann crafts an aural sculpture of a musical score that blends ghostly tensions with tongue in cheek slyness, while Huston, Arnold and Simon give terrific performances. On the negative side Craig is way too animated throughout, irritatingly so, while the set design for 1840s New Hampshire barely passes muster for period oomph. Other than those itches this rounds out as thoroughly enjoyable entertainment. 7.5/10
CinemaSerf2025-07-12
★ 7/10
“Jabez” (James Craig) is at his wits end as he is faced with losing the farm he shares with his mother (Jane Darrell) and wife “Mary” (Anne Shirley). In a fit of pique, he declares that he would even sell his soul to the devil if he could keep their home. Miraculously, a dapper gent appears called “Scratch” (Walter Huston). He’s a jovial and engaging chap who suggests that there might be a way out of his predicament. He can have pretty much unlimited funds provided he signs a contract that will transfer ownership of his soul in seven years. Desperate, he agrees and for the ensuing period of feast he pays off all of his debts, manages to share some of his largesse far and wide and his wife bears a son - so all looks perfect. Then “Belle” (Simone Simon) comes onto the scene and the domestic turbulence that now occurs starts to auger badly for a farmer who now has all the trappings of wealth but who is soon going to have to deal with his fast-approaching day of reckoning. All the while, the acclaimed jurist Daniel Webster (Edward Arnold) is doing the rounds and so when “Scratch” shows up for his dues, “Jabez” pleads for him to intercede and save his bacon? Thing is, with such a properly constituted and legally binding contract in his hand, can the devilish “Scratch” be thwarted? Arnold delivers adequately enough, especially towards the end when he goes into a verbally rousing overdrive that is aimed at the USA but that could equally apply to any nation whose heroes might be a little more fallible than they’d care to admit! The others in the cast work well enough too but for me it’s the sparingly used Huston who steals the show with his almost leprechaun-like character who shows us, clearly, the pitfalls of our own venality, mortality and gullibility as this well-meaning family man forgets that old adage about things being too good to be true. It’s quickly paced mixing a little bit of the hoe-down with a strong but entertainingly presented moral and the last scene is positively menacing - in a sort of Santa’s grotto sort of fashion, Faust style!