6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
During a bizarre dream in which God and Satan battle for his soul, a lazy gambling husband is guided towards redemption.
Starring: Ethel Waters, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong, Rex Ingram (I)Musical | 100% |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
With co-direction by Vincenti Minnelli -- his very first film -- and famed choreographer Busby Berkeley, is it surprising that Cabin in the Sky is such a thoroughly entertaining film? This comedic, character-driven musical was one of the first Golden Age Hollywood productions to feature an all-black cast and in respectable roles to boot (another being Stormy Weather, released two months later and also featuring Lena Horne). While its religious elements are more a distraction than life-affirming, this film adaptation adds a crucial coda that smooths over its questionable moral lessons.
During an initial watch, my main gripe with Cabin in the Sky was its fast and loose treatment of morality; specifically, the black-and-white judgment of certain characters in relation to the afterlife, not to mention the way "points" were often awarded based on technicalities; in other words, its rules didn't make sense. Luckily, the film's plot recycles two major elements from MGM's then-recent smash hit The Wizard of Oz; they'll both probably be unexpected for first-time viewers -- hence my lack of clarity -- and the latter, in particular, actually ends up working out very strongly in its favor. This bait-and-switch smoothed over said gripes about the film's literal portrayal of religious elements, including those questionable moral lessons, because they're immediately negated and (thankfully) not re-addressed in the film's final moments. This proved to be a very welcome left turn for yours truly, because only minutes earlier Cabin in the Sky would have closed with a cloying happy ending like 1938's otherwise great Angels with Dirty Faces.
The performances are uniformly excellent from top to bottom, the music is catchy, and everything goes down smooth after 98 breezy minutes.
That's not even factoring in its historical importance and progressive viewpoints that help it stand up tall more than 80 years later. Needless to say,
I enjoyed this musical immensely and it'll definitely earn some replay value in the very near future; it's easy to stick new discs on the shelf after
watching and revisit them one or two more times... or maybe never. Not so with Cabin in the Sky: this is an extremely likable film
and Warner Archive's new Blu-ray gives it the support it deserves with another top-tier A/V restoration and several good extras.
Warner Archive's new restoration of Cabin in the Sky is unsurprisingly another top-tier effort from the boutique label, who pride themselves on some of the best-looking Blu-rays in the business. It's sourced from a recent 4K scan of "preservation elements"... which typically indicates that two or more sources were used, including the original nitrate negative. From the looks of it, Cabin in the Sky makes great use of the latter as indicated by its pristine level of image detail, noticeable textures, excellent range of gradients, strong black levels, and a smooth and stable appearance ripe with natural film grain. Only a handful of softer shots, not to mention occasional hiccups like a bit of flickering on the details of Petunia's polka-dot dress, kept this from earning even higher marks. But this is such a robust and attractive transfer that it's basically definitive and die-hard fans will surely be pleased with the results.
The restored DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix is equally impressive, showcasing crisp dialogue and only extremely light levels of age-related wear-and-tear; what's more is that Cabin in the Sky's dynamic range hasn't been unnecessarily compromised, as it sounds reasonably full and rich even at higher volume levels. It strikes a great balance between monologues, group conversations, and of course the frequent musical numbers, all of which obviously stay within the boundaries of their original mono source on this split two-channel track but sound uniformly excellent. It's especially important in this particular genre, which features performances by multiple Broadway talents and other industry notables, including on-screen appearances by music legends Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington.
Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature only, not the extras listed below.
This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with vintage poster-themed cover artwork and no inserts. The supplements are well-rounded and built around an extremely inclusive audio commentary which, like the other extras included here, are all recycled from earlier DVDs including Warner Archive's own 2016 release. No cartoons, though? :(
Similar to Warner Archive's 2023 Blu-ray editions of Angel Face and Land of the Pharaohs, this audio commentary is only playable during a separately-included 480p version of the film; it was reportedly not originally stored as an isolated audio file and thus incompatible with the newly-restored visuals.
The core story of Cabin in the Sky (both this 1943 adaptation and the 1940 Broadway musical it was based on) may seem unintentionally ludicrous more than 80 years later, but the performances are so committed that it should still appeal to a very wide audience. Bolstered by phenomenal talents both in front of and behind the camera -- including director Vincente Minnelli, who makes his debut here -- as well as excellent songs and solid production design, it's a joyous and moving endeavor that's worth (re)discovering on Warner Archive's new Blu-ray, which features another great A/V restoration and several valuable extras. Highly Recommended to fans and first-timers alike.
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1943
1947
Warner Archive Collection
1951
Fox Studio Classics
1954
1936
Warner Archive Collection
1968
1936
Warner Archive Collection
1960
1954
1952
+ Director's Cut on Blu-ray
1977
1955
1953
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1964
Warner Archive Collection
1940
1980
1976
Warner Archive Collection
1929
1951