59 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Review for 2-Movie Special Edition, February 16, 2008
Having studied the 1959 version of "Imitation of Life" in film class, it has become one of my favorite films, one that is rich with many subtexts that may not be visible upon first glance. This special 2-disc DVD set contains both the 1934 and 1959 versions based on a Fannie Hurst tear-jerker novel. Tackling a sensitive issue for the times (in both versions), these movies deal with an African-American girl who wants to pass for white to have more opportunities open up for her. The girl's mother develops a friendship and working/subserviant relationship with a white woman who has her own daughter of the same age. How the two women function in their environments and the conflicts that occur due to the daughter's "passing" constitute the basis of both stories.
The 1934 film stars Claudette Colbert and Louise Beavers as the mothers. The film seems very dated and old fashioned on the surface; watching it a 2nd time with the commentary track is very beneficial. Avery Clayton, an African-American Cultural Scholar, gives slight information on the making of the film, but gives the story plenty of explanation of the subtexts and is very helpful in putting some of the slightly offensive elements into the context of the times that the film was made. Beavers' character becomes the icon for Aunt Delilah's pancake mix, a thinly veiled version of Aunt Jemima. Colbert's character is given the idea to market Delilah's recipe and the two become rich; the fact that Beaver's character doesn't want any of the riches and is actually afraid NOT to be in a subserviant role to Colbert is somewhat uncomfortable. Colbert gives her typical warm performance and even today, she is a joy to watch. The rest of the film does seem very dated. Interestingly enough, Fredi Washington, an African-American actress, portrays Beaver's daughter; in the 1959 version, Susan Kohner, of Latino background, was the one who won that plum role.
The 1959 version still holds up well; granted, it is somewhat over the top with some of the plot & Lana Turner's performance. However, director Douglas Sirk was able to put in so many rich subtexts and subtle critiques that this film can be watched multiple times without catching all of them. There was a battle going on between Sirk wanting an honest crititque of the times, and producer Ross Hunter wanting a glossy soap opera. This film was dismissed as a tawdry melodrama and labeled a dud by critics initially, but has become a cinema classic in the years that followed. Juanita Moore's performance as the African-American maid is one of the keys to the success of the film, and the rest of the casting is brillant: Turner, Sandra Dee, Kohner, and John Gavin. You'll also see a cameo by Sandra Gould, who later achieved minor fame as the 2nd Gladys Kravitz in TV's "Bewitched." For the 1959 film, the story is that Lana Turner plays an actress seeking fame, and Moore's character plays her maid and companion. Thankfully, there is no Aunt Delilah business here. Many of the scenes are powerhouses of acting: the final scene between mother and daughter when Moore agrees to let her daughter live her life as a white woman is a guaranteed tear-jerker. Turner also gives one of her best (if not most hysterical) performances during Annie's death scene. The commentary for this version is by Foster Hirsch, a film historian. As with Clayton's, his commentary is mainly limited to examining the film itself, not so much the making of the film. There are a few facts that he shares from his friendships with Susan Kohner and Juanita Moore that are very interesting, but overall, his commentary helps to pick out the hidden meanings that Sirk placed throughout.
There is a short featurette calls "Lasting Legacy - An Imitation of Life" that talks about both films. Juanita Moore and respected film historians are on hand to talk about the movies. The featurette is very well done, but does leave one wishing there were more to it. It is approximately half an hour long.
The quality of both films is fairly good; neither one looks like it came from the original negative, but they are both relatively clean and appear to have had some minor restoration work.
This 2-Disc set is a real value, and highly recommended for those who love to study film.
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158 of 175 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The original is better then the remake, February 11, 2004
This review is from: Imitation of Life (1934/1959) (DVD)
Finally both of these movies are released together. Most people do not even know the 1934 version exists. In my opinion the 34 version is the better of the two. Even though both are really over the top, at least the first version portrays the black and the white woman more as equals. The remake actually is more racist and condesending. The black woman in the original whose name is Delilah is a business woman not a maid. She is treated like a real person. Claudette Colbert who portrays the the white woman treats Delilah as a partner, her friends treat her equally. They actually try to talk to Delilah about her daughter and try to help her as a friend would not as a person who is pitied as in the remake. "Poor Annie" as Sandra Dee's character mentions. PLUS I find it insulting that in 1959 Hollywood could not find one black actress to play the part of the daughter, but way back in 1934 they did. Ferdi Washington. Delilah's job was not to take care of the white woman and her daughter. But in the 1959 version that was Annie's job. Also I like the story of the independent woman that the first version told. It is very strange how Hollywood has regressed. Because most movies would never be about a black and white middle aged single working women with almost grown daughters. The movie today would be more about the daughters then the mothers. Don't get me wrong the remake I enjoyed but more as a camp over the top melodrama and I do like the actress's in the roles. But the 1934 version was a better movie. The fact the the daughter tried to pass as white back in the 30's is more understandable then someone who would try to pass in the later version. I feel that is more out of self hatred and some bad parenting. But in 1934 even though it was not a right thing to do it might have been understandable given the times. In any case in both versions the daughters confusion was never dealt with. In the original it was mentioned that the father was high toned..a light skinned black person. I think in the remake I had the impression the father was white or "almost white". Maybe I should read the book. I took one star from these 2 movies bcause of the 1959 version. One last thing I love the fact that in the original version at the funeral in Harlem the film makers had the insight to include Marcus Garvey followers in the scene. They were a very big group in Harlem during the 30's and 40's. Marcus Garvey for people who do not know was a Jamaican who believed in black people being self sufficient and he had a back to Africa movement. I think the film makers of the original should be commended for putting in that little slice of Harlem's history in the movie.
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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great Double Feature. Great Value. Disappointing Transfers, March 25, 2004
This review is from: Imitation of Life (1934/1959) (DVD)
I was very excited to hear about the release of the two versions of Imitation Of Life together on the same DVD. I had never seen the 1934 version and found it to be an equally enjoyable film as the 1959 one, although quite different (the main character is an entrepreneur versus an actress in the '59 version). The transfer for the 1934 version is decent considering it's age. I was more disappointed with the 1959 one. Granted, it was filmed in Eastman Color so one could not expect Technicolor brilliance, but the transfer is grainy and faded. To make matters worse, the layer change occurs at the worst possible place, as someone is running down the stairs (as with all DVD's, there is a slight pause at that time). This is very jarring; what was the engineer thinking? Layer changes ideally should be placed between a fade-out and a fade-in of scenes. Considering the price and the content, I would reccomend this DVD if you can ignore it's flaws.
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