Shortcut to Happiness - The devil is in the details
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Shortcut to Happiness - The devil is in the details / Sexy Devil |
| Original title | The Devil and Daniel Webster / Shortcut to Happiness |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 2003 |
| length | 106 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director |
Alec Baldwin (as Harry Kirkpatrick) |
| script |
Pete Dexter Bill Condon Nancy Cassaro |
| production | Alec Baldwin Jonathan Cornick |
| music | Christopher Young |
| camera | Adam Holender |
| cut |
John Carter Mark Winitsky Jeff Wood |
| occupation | |
| |
The Devil and Daniel Webster (German DVD title: Shortcut to Happiness - The Devil is in the Detail and Sexy Devil ) is a film drama made at the beginning of 2001 based on the short story of the same name (1936) by Stephen Vincent Benét . Jennifer Love Hewitt (as the "beguiling devil") and Anthony Hopkins (as Daniel Webster) play the title roles. Directed by Alec Baldwin , who also took on another leading role, that of the notoriously unsuccessful writer Jabez Stone.
action
Jabez Stone is an unsuccessful writer. Whatever he touches, whatever he writes - everything proves to be top-notch slow-moving. Soon he doesn't even have the money to buy dog food for his beloved four-legged friend. The situation becomes all the more depressing for him when his best friend Julius Jensen, who fared not dissimilar as an author so far, finally has success with a publication.
One day Jabez meets a bewitching, red-haired woman who takes his breath away. She knocks on the door of his poor house and he asks “Can I help you?” To which the young lady in the wine-red dress replies smugly “The question is whether I can help you”. She steps in and asks Jabez the crucial question: "More everything in the world ... what is it that you want most?" "Success !!" shouts the desperate Stone. The lady is the Princess of Hell personally and offers Jabez a Faustian pact: she will ensure that he is successful for the next ten years, but after that his soul will be hers.
Jabez strikes without knowing what he is getting into. His next publication was a huge success, with his publisher Constance Hurry having a print run of 100,000 copies! After all, the first successful person even receives an important literary prize and is celebrated everywhere! But it turns out that Jabez is a plagiarist, and that his “own” work was stolen by the devil herself. At least that is what friend Julius claims, who in his great anger knocks down Jabez Stone in front of a mass audience with a punch. It soon dawns on Jabez who he's gotten involved with. The seductive, feminine devil explains her principle to him: If one succeeds through her doing, another must be unsuccessful. And that other one is Julius. Jabez begs her to release him from the pact, but only gets ridiculous laughter from the devil.
In desperation, Jabez Stone turns to Daniel Webster, whom he has asked for help before. He realizes that the young successful author has sold himself skin and hair to the devil, but also gives him a way out of the dilemma he created himself. The brilliant speaker now challenges the devil personally. Before a court in an in-between world presided over by the duped ex-boyfriend Julius of all people, there is a witty argument and speech battle between the devil and Daniel Webster, who both deliver a brilliant speech duel at the highest level, in which nothing less than Jabez Stone's salvation comes up is at stake.
Production notes
The Devil and Daniel Webster was created in January 2001 in New York City under the direction of actor Alec Baldwin, who made his directorial debut here under the pseudonym "Harry Kirkpatrick". So far it should be his only production.
The premiere of the film was significantly delayed due to financial difficulties, and so the film was first shown in front of a small audience during a film festival in 2003. The US mass start was only on July 13, 2007, when The Devil and Daniel Webster , now under the new title Shortcut to Happiness , was shown in selected cinemas in the United States.
In Germany, the strip was released on DVD in 2009 under the title Sexy Devil and Shortcut to Happiness - Der Teufel ist im Detail .
reception
The film was rarely discussed and received some devastating reviews, mainly aimed at the lack of directing skills of the actor Baldwin.
"Remake of the Hollywood classic 'Der Teufel und Daniel Webster' ('The Devil and Daniel Webster', 1941) by William Dieterle, the production of which was accompanied by considerable quarrels."
Variety pointed out in an article at the beginning of 2007, above all, on the big problems with the completion and release of this film.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Kay Less : The large personal dictionary of the film . The actors, directors, cameramen, producers, composers, screenwriters, film architects, outfitters, costume designers, editors, sound engineers, make-up artists and special effects designers of the 20th century. Volume 3: F - H. Barry Fitzgerald - Ernst Hofbauer. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-89602-340-3 , p. 665.
- ↑ Shortcut to Happiness - The devil is in the details. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed May 28, 2017 .
- ^ The Devil and Daniel Webster in Variety, Jan. 9, 2007