DVD Collectors Online

The Devil & Daniel Webster, a review by Hal

 

Title: The Devil & Daniel Webster: The Criterion Collection
Year: 1941
Director: William Dieterle
Rating: NR
Length: 106 Min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: Mono, Commentary: Dolby Digital: Mono
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Edward Arnold
Walter Huston
Jane Darwell
Simone Simon
Gene Lockhart

Plot:Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Featurettes
Gallery
Production Notes
Radio Dramatizations, Essays, Original Short Story Reading

This Faustian story was thoroughly enjoyable, from beginning to end even if there was little suspense in what would happen.  The acting of Walter Huston as the Devil, Anne Shirley as Mary, Simone Simon as Belle and of course Edward Arnold as Daniel Webster was wonderful.  It was fun to revisit life in 1840 New Hampshire (where I grew up, not when, but where!) and enjoy some of the great oratory of a great American speaking about the founding of our great country.

Just an all-round fun film that can be enjoyed with the whole family.  A good one for the 4th of July weekend, too.

Rating:


(From The Devil & Daniel Webster on July 6th, 2010)

Cuando me toque a mi, a review by Danae Cassandra

Where We Are:  Ecuador
wikipedia

What We Watched:


Cuando me toque a mi (My Time Will Come)Overview
A predawn murder sets in motion a series of interlocking tragedies that eventually find their way to the city morgue's brooding Dr. Arturo Fernandez.  Physically and emotionally isloated from the world around him, Arturo develops an oddly intimate relationship with the personal lives of his cases, gradually forcing him to confront his connection to the living, and the dead.  Adapted from the novel De Que Nada Se Sabe, director Victor Arregui's serpentine tale is a dark but sympathetic portrait of one man's solitude set against a richly textured rendering of Quito, Ecuador's capital city.

My Thoughts:
My first thought was that the overview made Arturo sound like much more of a prominant character than he was, for the first part of the film is very much an ensemble piece.  Gradually, however, Arturo takes a greater role in the film, until he does become the protagonist, such as the film has.  This is a low-budget film not overly concerned with the technical (the camera work, for instance, is a bit shoddy).  Instead, this is a slice-of-life kind of picture, a look at the lives of these characters, where and how they intersect, and the dark, gritty Quito they inhabit.  It is also a character study of Arturo, a man with an inability to form connections with other people.  One wonderful scene, perhaps the best scene in the film, is very short and completely wordless, but tells the viewer everything they need to know about Arturo's family.  I couldn't help but think after that scene that a US film would have felt the need to have a lot of dialogue there, but that instead Arregui had the actors convey everything with body language.  It was a wonderful moment and really showcased that Arregui has quite a bit of talent as a director.  If you like quirky, character-driven films that aren't transparent as to where they're headed, give this one a try.  Much like others I've watched, if you need a lot of action or a tidy, wrapped-up ending, skip it.

Bechtel Test:  Fail

Overall: 3.25/5

(From Around the World in 86 Movies on September 2nd, 2012)

The One Where It All Began: The Pilot Marathon, a review by Peter von Frosta

Crusade



What's the show about?
The crew of the Excalibur searches in the galaxy for a cure that the plague the Drakh left on Earth.

What happened before?
2267, 5 years after the 5th season of "Babylon 5" the Drakh a former ally of the Shadows attacks Earth. They leave a plague on Earth which threatens to kill all life within 5 years. One of two prototype starships is ordered to find a cure to this plague. This was seen in the TV movie "A Call to Arms".

"War Zone"
What's the pilot to this show? That's a really difficult question. The storyline started with the TV movie "A Call to Arms", but none of the characters of the series was present in that movie (except Galen and Lochley). But JMS (the producer of Babylon 5) considers "War Zone" in the logical order on place 13. I still take it because it introduces the crew.

Captain Gideon takes over the command of the newly-built starship "Excalibur", one of two prototypes equipped with Human, Minbari and Vorlon technology. Gideon's mission is to find a cure for the plague that is going to wipe out all life on Earth. But first he has to take a little detour to hunt down one of the Drakh ships...

My Opinion
I haven't come around to watch this show yet. In fact this was the first time I ever watched an episode of it. Mainly because the show was canceled before it was even shown to an audience. If I like it, I'll know it will only last 14 episodes and I am somewhat confused that the order of the episodes is not the chronological order and if you watch it in the latter order uniforms change and some dialogs don't match. I've got no idea what JMS was thinking. Originally Crusade should have a 5-year-storyarc just like B5.

Which Episode did you start with? The episodes are not in chronological order (similar to TOS), therefor please remember to watch the show in the following order:
   1. War Zone (108)
   2. The Long Road (107)
   3. Appearances and Other Deceits (113)
   4. The Memory of War (102)
   5. The Needs of Earth (101)
   6. Racing the Night (103)
   7. Visitors From Down the Street (104)
   8. Each Night I Dream of Home (105)
   9. The Path of Sorrows (109)
  10. Patterns of the Soul (110)
  11. Ruling From the Tomb (111)
  12. The Well of Forever (106)
  13. The Rules of the Game (112)

(From The One Where It All Began: The Pilot Marathon on January 4th, 2008)