Cabin in the Sky
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Movie Reviews of Cabin in the Sky
Movie Review: DVD Cabin in the sky
Summary: 5 Stars
"Cabin in the sky" is a classic movie that is beautifully acted, sung and performed. It is an all black cast of very talented actors and singers. The story is a classic about "Little Joe Jackson" who wants to be good but doesn't always succeed. Good versus evil. I have added it to my personal DVD Collection. I like to view it now and then and it remains a powerful story.
Eugene N. Limon
Movie Review: Incredible musical talent
Summary: 4 Stars
Minions of God and the Devil (Kenneth Spencer and Rex Ingram) compete for the soul of an inveterate gambler (Eddie "Rochester" Anderson) whose long-suffering wife (Ethel Waters) struggles to maintain her faith in the basic goodness of her husband. Fantastic musical talent is on display in this all-black production, but so are the unfortunate black stereotypes of the day, which caused me to shave one star from an otherwise completely entertaining film. The production values and Vincente Minelli's direction are top notch.Movie Review: Great movie
Summary: 5 Stars
I looked for this movie for a long time and once I got it have watched it several times since.Movie Review: fine Ethel Waters vehicle with more stars than there were in the heavens to support her...
Summary: 5 Stars
Cabin In The Sky was only the third or fourth film to be made with an all African American cast after "talkies" were introduced. MGM bought the film rights to the stage play of the same name and gave the project to first time director Vincente Minnelli. Wow, how wonderfully it all worked out!
The action begins with Little Joe Jackson (Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson) and his wife Petunia (Ethel Waters) going to church on a Sunday morning. Trouble is, the very religious Petunia worries that Little Joe won't make it to heaven because of his gambling problems. Although Joe goes into the church with Petunia, he soon sneaks out to meet up with his old gambling buddies. They remind Joe of his gambling debts to them; and they convince Joe to come with them and gamble just one more time at Club Paradise.
Well, at The Paradise Club Joe is mortally wounded in a shooting; and then the action REALLY begins. Back at home, Joe fights for his life; but there's also another struggle beginning. Lucifer, Jr. (Rex Ingram), the son of the Devil who wants Joe to go to hell for gambling, becomes entangled with The General (Kenneth Spencer), an agent of the Lord, who wants Joe to get into heaven. It is decided that Joe can live another six months so that they can determine where Joe will go--heaven or hell.
The Devil's agents throw the "temptation" of money and the remarkably attractive Georgia Brown (Lena Horne, seen here in her screen debut) at Joe to make him gamble and womanize as he cheats on Petunia. Meanwhile the agents of God stay equally close to Joe, coaching him all the way to help him stay the course and be a good man.
Will Joe manage to prove himself to the Lord that he is worthy of heaven--or will he be sent to hell for his sins? What happens between Petunia and Joe when Petunia sees Joe with Georgia Brown? How will the agents of both God and the Devil fight amongst themselves over which side gets Joe? No spoilers here, folks; you'll just have to watch the movie to find out.
The choreography couldn't be better; the dancing and the crowd scenes are extremely well done. The cinematography is equally good. The plot moves along at a good pace; and the musical performances by Ethel Waters stun me with her sensitive delivery of each ballad. Look for Ethel to sing "Taking A Chance On Love" and "Happiness Is Just A Thing Called Joe." Duke Ellington also happens to perform at The Paradise Club; they make awesome music! Louis Armstrong makes a brief cameo appearance as one of the devil's agents; his talent was completely wasted in this movie. Butterfly McQueen, who plays Lily, a friend of Petunia's, also gets a role much too small for her. Sigh.
The film has many talented actors and performers in it; but truthfully it belongs to Ethel Waters who gives a riveting performance as Petunia Jackson.
The DVD extras include commentary and audio outtakes with still photos while you listen to what was left out of the movie. You also get outtake footage of Lena Horne performing "Ain't It The Truth."
Cabin In The Sky remains a fantastic motion picture jammed full of remarkable talent from an all African American cast. The morality concept of the struggle between heaven and hell is somewhat dated; and the racial stereotypes that were considered "OK" when this movie was made are practically embarrasing.
Despite the flaw regarding racial stereotypes, I still highly recommend this film for fans of African American cinema because it is one of the first movies to have an all black cast. In addition, people who enjoy classic MGM musicals will love the numerous musical numbers in this film as well.
Enjoy!
Movie Review: Cabin In The Sky
Summary: 4 Stars
So, what do you do when the cable goes out on a stormy night? Pop in the DVD of one of those old movies that has been sitting on your shelf for months, collecting dust and just waiting to be watched. A wonderfully done tale of a man's struggle to get on and stay on the straight and narrow while being tempted into the ways of the wicked and evil. Ethel Waters and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson are perfectly suited as Petunia and Little Joe, Rex Ingram is great (as always) in the role of Lucifer, Jr. Lena Horne is stunningly beautiful but underused in her role as the temptress Georgia Brown.
An all Black cast, interesting dialogue, great performances - a really good film for its time.