Dan and Brian continue Musical Decades Month and also honor Black History Month by looking at two films depicting the Black experience with Black casts: the groundbreaking Faustian musical Cabin in the Sky from 1943 and the bold musical take on The Color Purple from 2023. Join as Dan and Brian discuss the ways they consider representation when watching movies, the charming casts and productions of each film, Louis Armstrong, hair horns, the complicated history of The Color Purple, what kind of stories should be made into musicals, and the self-cannibalizing IP-to-musical pipleine.
Episode Number
243
Films Reviewed
- Cabin in the Sky (1943)
- The Color Purple (2023)
Is It Good?
- Cabin in the Sky (1943) – Very Good (6/8)
- The Color Purple (2023) – Good-ish (4/8)
- Cabin in the Sky (1943) – Exceptionally Good (7/8)
- The Color Purple (2023) – Good-ish (4/8)
Supplemental Media
The African American History & Culture Museum in DC
Brian Terrill is a filmmaker and horror host.
Dan Stalcup writes reviews for The Goods and is a member of OFCS. Follow Dan on Letterboxd.