The Green Pastures: A strange slice of history

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, unless you are a die-hard fan of 1930s stage-to-screen adaptations, probably not. It’s a movie that feels like a museum exhibit—important to know it exists, but not exactly something you’d pop on for a fun Friday night.

If you have an interest in how Hollywood used to frame Black history through a very narrow, filtered lens, you might find it fascinating. Everyone else? You’ll likely just find it slow and incredibly uncomfortable.

The whole thing is basically a series of Sunday school lessons brought to life with a cast that is trying so hard to make it work. It’s based on a play, and you can really tell. The sets feel like painted cardboard, and the acting is very… loud. Everything is projected toward the back row of a theater that isn't there.

The "Heaven" stuff

The depiction of heaven as a fish-fry party is honestly the most memorable part. It’s bizarre. You’ve got angels walking around with these stiff, uncomfortable-looking wings that look like they might fall off if they sneeze too hard. It’s so weird.

Rex Ingram as "De Lawd" is doing a lot of heavy lifting. He’s got this booming voice that fills up the room, but the dialogue he’s stuck with? It’s patronizing at best. You can feel the movie trying to be profound, but it just lands on "quaint" in the worst way possible.

• The fish fry scene lasts about three minutes too long.
• The cardboard clouds look like they were cut out by a distracted intern.
• I spent most of the runtime wondering how they kept those costumes clean.
• There’s a moment with Noah and his ark that feels like a high school play gone rogue.

Comparing this to something like Dream House is tough because they exist in different universes, but both struggle with finding a tone that doesn't feel like it's trying to manipulate you. At least here, the ambition is visible, even if the execution is shaky.

The pacing is all over the place. One minute you’re in a serious discussion about the end of the world, and the next you’re watching a musical number that feels ripped from a completely different film. It’s jarring. I checked my watch three times during the middle act. That’s never a good sign.

Is it a disaster? No. It’s just very much a product of its time—and a time that didn't know how to handle its own contradictions. It’s a relic. If you’re looking for a smooth experience, keep looking. If you want to see how movies used to be made when they didn't care about being subtle, well, here you go. 🍿