Recent DVD release claims "“The films you are about to see are a product of their time. They may reflect some of the prejudices that were commonplace in American society, especially when it came to the treatment of racial and ethnic minorities. These depictions were wrong then and are wrong today.” It makes you fasten your seat belts and prepare for something like "The Birth Of The Nation" but in fact movie is pure, old fashioned Heaven for movie fans, with Vincent Minelli directing and Busby Berkeley doing choreography, not to mention the huge all-star cast, so what is here not to like?
The answer lies in that oh-so-touchy territory of "political correctness" where people of present are ashamed of years long gone by. Particularly seems that Afro-Americans are sensitive towards anything that might even suggest that years before 1960s were not oppressive, dark ages and anything from rare filmed Bessie Smith appearance to "Porgy & Bess" was at least at some point criticized for being demeaning. "Cabin in the Sky", coming at is it, from a musical stage has roots in old fashioned vaudeville with lots of eyeballs rolling, jive talking and knee-slapping. On the other hand, it was a cultural sensation back in its time, the first ever big-budgeted Hollywood musical with all-black star cast (not a single white character in sight) so if the characters were portrayed as impoverished and dreaming about such a simple pleasures as purchase of electrical washing machine, personally I don't see anything offensive here - it does not make them any less dignified or less
likable because they happened to live in 1940s.
Back to the movie: it is a sweetest Faust-like allegory set in 1940s with a good-hearted bum (Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson) in centre of fight between devil and angels for his soul. Angels try everything to keep him on a good path but devils have some mighty cards on their disposal, including money, gambling, nightclubs and a sexy kitten. All I can say is that surely sinners have better music - as personification of good life, church is all fine (blink and you'll miss that squeaky voiced little servant from "Gone With The Wind") but sin has Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, John “Bubbles” Sublett and Lena Horne. You might start watching the movie because of incredibly sexy and foxy young Horne but you'll end up admiring stout, matronly Ethel Waters who plays main female role and is wonderful. The way she walks off with this movie is just victorious. It is a bit surprising in focusing on big-boned, earthy and middle-aged Waters instead of some young beauty (since movies always promoted female attractiveness from that corner) but my guess is that her character in original play was meant to be life-like and recognizable to female audiences.
Just a beautiful, beautiful magical old movie, I love it to bits.
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