I've got to say I thoroughly enjoyed the film this week. I enjoyed the story line, the special effects--I most enjoyed the musical numbers. But, of course, that's not enough for this blog, right? Right. So here goes...
Although I feel that both Naremore and Knee make interesting and valid points, I won't deny that, once again, in the tradition of good, left-wing academicians, they've gone just a bit too far for me. Let's talk costume-shop.
Okay, so Naremore says:
[Cabin in the Sky's] racist implications become especially apparent when we realize how often the two opposed realms are depicted respectively in shades of blackness and whiteness. The nightclub is situated in a noirish street, whereas the cabin is often flooded with light; Joe wears black tie and tails when he spends the Devil's money, and a white robe when he ascends a stairway to paradise; the Devil's henchmen (costumed as big-city elevator operators) are dressed completely in black, in contrast with the soldiers of the Lord, who wear uniforms of glowing white.
Nancy says:
GIVE ME A BREAK!
Look, I'm not saying there aren't "racist implications" in the film, what I am saying is that this is NOT one of them. It's sad, really, that a clearly intelligent individual can't see past his own agenda. Sorry, Naremore, but the good guys have been dressing in white since Bible times. Is it so fantastical, then, that as Petunia and Little Joe ascend the staircase to Heaven they would be dressed in white robes? That might as well be straight out of the book of Revelation. Okay, I don't want to get preachy. Moving on...
There is all this talk about jazz music not being "free" in the film. I don't know. I'm going to stick by what I've been saying for the entire semester. It's just not that simple. Jazz music, like every other form of music, is not a stable thing. It changed from Dixieland to Swing, and--Naremore beware--it hasn't even gotten to free jazz yet. So, are the performances choreographed? Sure, but that's performance for you. Nobody goes up for a performance without a plan--so this one's just a little more thought out. And, again, this isn't the venue for an all-out jam session--the only thing, I feel, would make Naremore and Knee truly satisfied.
Just a thought: Anybody else see a striking resemblance between Ethel Waters' night club dance moves and Charlotte Greenwood's "signature" dance moves? I know I saw similar moves in earlier films in the semester (can't remember which one) featuring an African American artist. Or was it just a popular move? Even if it was, I know Greenwood was famous for them.
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