Vincente Minnelli’s astonishingly confident debut pic not only brings off a seemingly nontransferable stage-to-screen adaptation of an invented "po’ black folk" musical fable, but also manages to raise the racial stereotypes of its time into human archetypes we never feel superior to. The legendary all-star/all-black cast (Ethel Waters, Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Butterfly McQueen, Rex Ingram) fight to control the soul of backsliding Joe (Eddie "Rochester" Anderson). And what a kick it is to see these performers preserved as the stars of a first-class, glossy big studio production. The only blemishes on this slickly mounted film come from its rushed ending (with lifts from THE WIZARD OF OZ in special effects, story & even in the background score) & from some censored musical items that fortunately appear as 'Extras' on the current DVD release. And near the end, you'll want to hit the repeat button when the great John Bubbles, Gershwin’s original Sportin’ Life from PORGY AND BESS, lets loose with a showstopper.
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