I recently purchased a "restored" version of ALL THAT MONEY CAN BUY,-an independent production that suffered multiple disfiguring cuts almost immediately upon release,-on Laserdisc with the previously excised material apparently from inferior sources: grainy, contrasty, degraded audio. However, it is a joy to see. This is quintessential Americana with near-perfect casting and production credits, wonderfully directed by Dieterle (whose career began in Europe: as an actor, Dieterle appeared in F. W. Murnau's silent, FAUST), and containing one great screen performance: Walter Huston as Mr. Scratch, his second best performance, in my opinion (His best work is in TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE, directed by his son John. And a close third is his performance in DODSWORTH.) Edward Arnold is also memorably intelligent, and the part of the presiding judge for the jury of the "damned" is played with harrowing pathos by the great H.B. Warner.
But it is the music that really makes the film; I cannot recall a single image without its attendant scoring. Possibly Bernard Herrmann's finest film score.
But it is the music that really makes the film; I cannot recall a single image without its attendant scoring. Possibly Bernard Herrmann's finest film score.