Cabin in the Sky
Actor(s):
Ethel Waters, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong, Rex Ingram
Director(s):
Busby Berkeley, Vincente Minnelli
Label: Warner Home Video
Publisher(s):
Warner Home Video
Studio: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
Binding: DVD
Brand: Warner Brothers
MPN: WARD67678D
Format(s): Closed-captioned, Black & White, DVD-Video, Subtitled, NTSC
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
List Price: $19.98
Our Price: $14.99
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Editorial Reviews
Description
Hollywood's first all-black film since The Green Pastures tells the vibrant fable of rascally Little Joe, torn between the love of his good wife Petunia and the wiles of good-time bad girl Georgia Brown...and caught in a tug-of-war between emissaries from the Lord and Satan. How can virtue triumph over evil? Well, as Petunia says, "Sometimes when you fight the devil, you gotta jab him with his own pitchfork." Debuting movie director Vincente Minnelli (An American in Paris, Gigi) and stars Ethel Waters, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington are more than a match for the devil in this musical treasure. With a soundtrack of dazzling standards including Taking a Chance on Love and Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe, Cabin in the Sky is a joyous classic.
Amazon.com
The first film directed by Vincente Minnelli (who directed the original Broadway version), this musical offers its pleasures, but also may make you squirm at the racial stereotypes that were considered both acceptable and entertaining in 1943. A story of the struggle between good and evil for the soul of a man named Little Joe (Eddie "Rochester" Anderson), the film plays with the same kind of racial notions that made Stepin Fetchit a star. Still, there's much to recommend it, particularly performances by some of the greatest musical stars of the day: Lena Horne, Ethel Waters, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington, among others. The film also includes a terrific score, a combination effort by Ellington, Harold Arlen, Vernon Duke, and E.Y. Harburg that includes the song "Taking a Chance on Love." --Marshall Fine
Customer Reviews
A "Torch Singer" Revisited
Readers of this space know that I consider Billie Holiday above all, doped up or straight, the undisputed "Queen" of female jazz singers. From a Cole Porter tune like "Let's Do It" to a soulful "Strange Fruit" her timing and sense of the song was uncanny. However, even a great singer like Billie had earlier singers that influenced her and that is where we pick up the career of the jazz singer under review here, Ethel Waters. Her name may not be known today, except to early jazz aficionados or those who recall her award-winning role as a force of Mother Nature housekeeper in "Member Of The Wedding" who had her hands full supervising characters played by the very young Julie Harris and Brandon DeWilde. Well, if that is your only recollection then do you remember the song that she sings there "Lonesome Swallow"? Okay, that Ethel Waters.
Ms. Waters performed many early jazz classics here and in the more racially and culturally friendly Paris of the 1930's, a place of exile for more than one creative black talent, and had a fair career as a movie actress and theatrical performer (given the extremely limited role selection, mainly housekeeper or servant roles, and the extremely stereotyped characteristics expected of black actors and actresses during her prime). This CD gives a good cross section of her musical work over three decades (about 1925 to 1955). More importantly, it also displays the talented musicians whom she worked with and who wanted to work with here. A review of the liner notes lists Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, the fabled Fletcher Henderson (of early Bessie Smith fame) and James Johnson. Not bad company, right?
Ms. Waters is another one of those performers, like the early Bessie Smith, who you don't necessarily get a feel for right away. However, about half way through this CD you start to wonder whether you will have time to play the damn thing again. Here's why. Put " Brother You've Got Me Wrong" together with the above-mentioned "Lonesome Swallow" mix in "My Handy Man" and a beautiful rendition of "West End Blues" stir and pick up the pace with "Dinah" and top off with a bouncy version of "Am I Blue" (although Billie's version is the cat's meow for me). That's the ticket. Enjoy.
Great Early Jazz!
I recently caught the end of this on TCM and wanted to see the complete movie. I love Louis Armstrong, Lena Horn and any of the great early jazz artists. Lots of these "race" movies have not been shown because of the fear of offending someone. We lose many great performances because of this.
This is a tribute to all the actors in it and I wish there were more.
Cabin In The Sky
This is a great classic. I remember watching this movie with my mother and father when I was a child. Ethel Waters - singing "Little Joe", Rochester dancing - my father use to dance the same way - it really brings back memories. Every black family should have this in their collection. Thank you Amazon for stocking this and other great classics!
Cabin in the Sky
Although racial sterotypes are apparent, the pure entertainment vqlue and talent overcomes this negative aspect. Good music and the look into the preconceived concepts of Negro life is an eye awakening that has important social value and education
look closer.
Why does Petunia talk in AAVE but sing like Judy Garland in perfectly articulated SAE? Why is Petunia scolded when she temporarily breaks from this ridiculous singing to let her voice go into a yell? What does that say about the raw passion of the African American woman's voice? Why does Little Joe have to "whitewash" his soul? What's with the caricature-like ridiculous smile during the tap-dancing scene? I was too stunned by the blatantly racist and stereotypical script of this film to enjoy it. This is not entertainment--this is a sorry piece of American history.
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