Even in 2019, Cabin In The Sky remains something of a rarity.. a film with an all black cast. It isn't unique, not at all, but it is still quite unusual. Maybe it is more surprising then that the film was made in the USA in 1943, based on the Broadway Musical of the same name, hitting the theatres in 1940.
As Musicals go it is unmemorable, but given director Vincente Minelli's darkly comedic humour and eye for detail, this allegory on the power of love, and the battle between good and evil, is a surprisingly entertaining watch. And if you ignore the obvious studio sets, and the stilted, almost stagey, entrances and exits in and out of shot from the cast and extras, it is a rather fun throwback to a lost era.
The story follows "Little" Joe, (Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson), a gambler, heavy in debt, but determined to reform for the sake of his highly religious wife, Petunia. (Ethel Waters). He sneaks out of a Sunday service to go to a game, only to find he gets embroiled in a fight and is shot by gangster Domino Johnson (Bubbles). Lying on his death bed, and despite Petunia praying so hard and strongly for him, he dies. In his delerious fever-induced state of limbo however he sees both Lucifer Jr (Rex Ingram) the son of The Devil himself, and God's messenger angel, The 'General' (Kenneth Spencer), who are battling for his soul. God grants Joe a 6 month reprieve, in which time he must repent all his sins and reform in order to win his place in heaven. During that time, The General becomes his spirit guide and he devotes time and energy on looking after Petunia, whom he had previously somewhat neglected. Things are looking up until Lucifer Jr starts poking his nose in, and arranges for Joe to win a huge amount of money on the sweepstakes and introduces him to the sweetest and most beautiful girl in town, Georgia Brown (Lena Horne). His wife, not waiting for an explanation, misinterpets all of this and sends him packing. He opts for a hedonistic lifestyle, lavishing his new found fortune on himself, his now "moll" Brown and the gambling club he now regularly frequents. Petunia, however wants her revenge and her share of the winnings once she finds out about all of this - and despite everything she still loves him dearly - and so goes to the club to confront him. She finds herself dancing with Joe's killer, Domino, and it seems, with just 5 minutes to go before the 6 months is up, that the devil is going to win. It's Petunia's power of prayer and love though that turn events around, and we are presented with the first of two false endings. Not to spoil it for those wishing to watch the film fresh, then that's as far as I will go.
Ethel Waters and Rex Ingram reprise their stage roles in this film, whilst the rest of the cast are new. But for me the two most enjoyable performances come from Spencer's General, a role he seemed very much at ease with and his calmness and stillness throughout was the perfect juxtaposition with the rest of the cast's high enery and stagey performances; and Lena Horne's dulcet tones when singing were by far the most tuneful and melodic. Although the full chorus songs with deep resonant harmonies, making sounds that only black people can, were beautifully mellow and pleasing. What is interesting about this film is that there are a few celebrity cameos. Louis Armstrong plays a trunpet-playing minion to Lucifer, whilst Duke Ellington and his orchestra have a featured spot in the gambling club, and the original Bill Bailey has a spot doing what he did best - dancing - in one of the numbers.
Despite the film being a Musical and based on the Broadway show, the songs are few and far between, and the only one which I recongnised was the song Waters sang to Bill Bailey's dancing "Takin' A Chance On Love". It seems that Vernon Duke and John La Touche's music has been consigned to the annals of Musical history.
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 21/12/19
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