The compulsive gambler was caught cheating and took a bullet. Because of his wife's strong faith, big heart, and sincere prayer, he was given a chance to return to the living and redeem his soul within six months, so that he would not go to Hell. Of course, when he returns to life, he does not remember death and encounters with angels and devils, who now follow him and fight for his soul with various tricks.
From today's perspective, the story is quite unoriginal, but as "Cabin in the Sky" is from 1943, this cannot be taken into account. It is simple and a bit naive, but captivates with its fairytale atmosphere and a good balance of drama and comedy.
It is based on a theatrical musical, so the film, although not a musical in the strict sense, is full of song and dance. I was, honestly, a bit bored by the amount of singing in "Cabin in the Sky", but his musical quality cannot be disputed. Ethel Waters, as the leading actress, sang most of the songs, of which "Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe" was nominated for an Oscar. There are also Lena Horne, Duke Ellington, and in a smaller role, Louis Armstrong, whose music was unfortunately dropped from the film.
Out of the context of the time in which it was created, "Cabin in the Sky" is a mediocre romantic humorous musical with a shabby moral-religious message that money leads to vices, and vices to Hell, while fidelity to women, devotion to family and God, hard work and sacrifice provide a ticket to Heaven. Only Ethel Waters' warmth and emotion and good music would stand out.
But in the context of 1943, it is important to note that this is one of the first films with an all-black cast. You won't even see a white man accidentally walking down the street. At the time, it was a very bold and controversial move by the MGM studio.
But as positive as the popularization of black culture is, so much the complete absence of white people in the film is, in my opinion, counterproductive, because it supports segregation as much as strictly white movies. I have the impression that it is sending a message like: "Okay, we can no longer pretend that black people don't exist, and as a sign of good will we will give you media space, but we will still not mix with you." Confirmation of that is the fact that blacks and whites had separate restaurants on the set.
Also, this is a film about black people, but it is also a film about black people and with an all-black cast, written and shot by white people. Much of the humor is based on racial stereotypes and prejudices, which also diminishes the value of initial good intentions.
Of course, I do not believe that all this was done with bad intent. Perhaps it was spontaneous racism of well-meaning filmmakers who were not even aware of all the implications of the film they are making. Simply, those were other times, segregation was in full swing, so it is unrealistic to expect MGM to prevent the above-mentioned objections. It is fairer to give them credit for the step they have taken in the right direction.
7/10.
From today's perspective, the story is quite unoriginal, but as "Cabin in the Sky" is from 1943, this cannot be taken into account. It is simple and a bit naive, but captivates with its fairytale atmosphere and a good balance of drama and comedy.
It is based on a theatrical musical, so the film, although not a musical in the strict sense, is full of song and dance. I was, honestly, a bit bored by the amount of singing in "Cabin in the Sky", but his musical quality cannot be disputed. Ethel Waters, as the leading actress, sang most of the songs, of which "Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe" was nominated for an Oscar. There are also Lena Horne, Duke Ellington, and in a smaller role, Louis Armstrong, whose music was unfortunately dropped from the film.
Out of the context of the time in which it was created, "Cabin in the Sky" is a mediocre romantic humorous musical with a shabby moral-religious message that money leads to vices, and vices to Hell, while fidelity to women, devotion to family and God, hard work and sacrifice provide a ticket to Heaven. Only Ethel Waters' warmth and emotion and good music would stand out.
But in the context of 1943, it is important to note that this is one of the first films with an all-black cast. You won't even see a white man accidentally walking down the street. At the time, it was a very bold and controversial move by the MGM studio.
But as positive as the popularization of black culture is, so much the complete absence of white people in the film is, in my opinion, counterproductive, because it supports segregation as much as strictly white movies. I have the impression that it is sending a message like: "Okay, we can no longer pretend that black people don't exist, and as a sign of good will we will give you media space, but we will still not mix with you." Confirmation of that is the fact that blacks and whites had separate restaurants on the set.
Also, this is a film about black people, but it is also a film about black people and with an all-black cast, written and shot by white people. Much of the humor is based on racial stereotypes and prejudices, which also diminishes the value of initial good intentions.
Of course, I do not believe that all this was done with bad intent. Perhaps it was spontaneous racism of well-meaning filmmakers who were not even aware of all the implications of the film they are making. Simply, those were other times, segregation was in full swing, so it is unrealistic to expect MGM to prevent the above-mentioned objections. It is fairer to give them credit for the step they have taken in the right direction.
7/10.