Customer Reviews

Imitation of Life [VHS]

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Most viewers are far more familiar with the campy, 1959 version of this film, starring Lana Turner. But, this is the original version, and I find it far superior to the remake for so many reasons.

First of all, it takes place in the early 1930's, putting us smack dab in the Depression, and a time period which suits the subject matter. Claudette Colbert, a much better actress than Lana Turner, is one of the first reasons I prefer this version. But, mainly, the incredible Louise Beavers is absolutely unforgettable as the black maid, Delilah Johnson, whose light-skinned daughter, Peola, is raised alongside Colbert's daughter, Jessie.

When the girls grow up, Peola realizes that she can "pass" for white, and in the 1930's, with racism and joblessness rampant, her choice makes sense, for the times. When Peola, played by Fredi Washington, completely rejects her mother, it is heartbreaking. To see Louise Beavers sobbing onto the counter in the department store is truly painful.

Peola breaks her mother's heart in order to fit into a world that would not accept her otherwise. In the end, she regrets the pain she causes her mother. This is another time and place, and we don't hate Peola for hurting her mother. Still, our heart bleeds for Delilah.

The acting is top notch, and I will take this more entertaining and serious version of the film over the campy re-make any day.

Claudette Colbert and Louise Beavers star in this 1930's melodramatic tale of two mothers struggling for their children. Colbert plays Beatrice "Bea" Pullman, a widow with a young daughter. Life is hard for Bea until Delilah Johnson, Louise Beavers,arrives with her daughter and becomes Bea's maid. Delilah cajoles Bea to give her a job as her maid. Bea discovers that Delilah has a delicious pancake recipe. Bea acquires this recipe, and uses it to start her empire; with Delilah getting a not so equal cut. However, this empire has a price for both. For one, the price is happiness in a relationship. For the other, the price is dealing with racial confusion. Ironically, their daughters serve them the check. No movie of it's time dared to go into the deep waters of racism and self sacrifice! This movie is said to be a "imitation", but in fact some of it's scenes parrallel to the sad realities of life. When Bea and Delilah retire for the night, the scene emphasizes the seperation of races during this time. Claudette Colbert and Louise Beavers give powerful and underestimated performances in this movie. Colbert has a real and caring presence in the movie. Beavers shows suffering like never before, and she proves that servants have lives outside of serving. With wonderful performances by Warren William as understanding Stephen Archer, Fredi Washington as the misunderstood and confused Peola, Rochelle Hudson as the lovelorn Jessie, and Ned Sparks as the sarcastic Elmer. "Imitation of Life" blazed a trail for movies dealing with the triumph of the self and the power of family love.

Based upon the Fannie Hurst novel of the same name, this 1934 film starring Claudette Colbert and Louise Deavers is a terrific, well acted, sentimental melodrama that should be viewed with a caveat. It is so politically incorrect as to be nearly astounding. It reflects a paternalistic view of African-Americans that was reflective of the time in which this film was written. It is certainly is a view that is jarring in these more enlightened times, as it reflects the nature of the racism that was inherent in our society at that time. Notwithstanding this, it is still a terrific film that was deservedly nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture.

Claudette Colbert plays the role of Bea, a struggling widow with a young daughter. Louise Deavers plays the part of Delilah, Bea's African-American housekeeper. She, too, has a young daughter. Both women are struggling to survive. Delilah, however, has a pancake recipe that is out of this world. Bea, upon tasting it, decides to market it in hopes of making their fortune. Delilah agrees to this.

Before you know it, they are raking in a fortune with Delilah's pancake mix. Bea offers Delilah a cut of the business which offer Delilah declines, preferring to remain with Bea, living with her and waiting on her, always the perennial mammy.(See what I mean!) While Bea always treats Delilah with affection and care, there is not a level playing field between the two. Bea lives upstairs in their palatial mansion, while Delilah is relegated to her basement room, comforted by her stalwart belief in God.

Meanwhile, the years have passed and Delilah's light skinned daughter, Peola (Fredi Washington), clearly knows the score. She certainly has no intention of being anyone's mammy and wants to pass for white, as she does not wish to be relegated to second class citizenry. She does not try to do this because she wants to be white, but rather, she wants the advantages associated with being white in that time. Hers is not a decision based upon race self hate, but upon a realistic assessment of how she could be all she could be. Still, she breaks Delilah's heart by doing this and when Delilah dies, ostensibly of a broken heart, replete with Negro spirituals in the background, Peola repentently breaks down.

All in all, this is a mesmerizing film, both cinematically and historically, as it is a reflection of another time in which racial conflict was viewed in such a paternalistic way. Claudette Colbert, Louise Deavers, and Fredi Washington all give moving, compelling performances, nothwithstanding the political incorrectness of the script. This sentimental tearjerker is a definite must see by those who enjoy first rate melodramas and those who simply love vintage films.

I'd known for several years that there was an original version of the glossy, 1959 classic Imitation of Life. So, I was glad to get my hands on a copy so I could compare the two versions - the jury's still out on which one is better, though!

This original 1934 version tells the story of two widows and their daughters. Bea, played by Claudette Colbert, and Delilah, played by Louise Beavers. Delilah knocks on Bea's door, thinking that she's found the right house for an advertised maid's job. Delilah stresses how difficult it is finding an employer who'd accept her and her daughter as part of the deal. Bea offers Delilah a job on a trial basis, but her kind demeanour quickly grows on Bea, and Delilah ends up staying permanently.

Delilah shares her family's pancake recipe with Bea, and before long, a successful business is in operation. The two of them hit the big time, and soon have an affluent lifestyles (albeit unequal - Delilah still insists on sleeping in the basement). Heartache is just around the corner, though. Delilah's daughter, Peola (played by Fredi Washington) is so pale skinned that she passes for white and rejects her mother. Peola's melancholy persona and rejection breaks Delilah's heart. Peola feels that without her mother around, she could easily join the dominant culture.

At the same time, Bea's has problems of her own to contend with, but of a different kind. Bea and her daughter, Jesse, are in love with the same man, and this can only end in disaster.

Imitation of Life caused controversy when it was released in 1934. Even today, almost 70 years later, the movie sparks discussions and debates among social commentators. Some complained that the maid stereotype played by Louise Beavers was racist, and is so politically incorrect. Think of life in America in the 30s:

1 The country was in the middle of the Great Depression
2 Civil rights movements were 30 years away
3 Racial segregation was ingrained in society
4 Film roles for African Americans were extremely limited

When you consider these points, the plot of the film makes sense. The performances by the main characters are superb. Claudette looks particularly elegant and decadent, yet she remains humble and grounded, unlike the flighty 'diva' persona of Lana Turner's character. Louise Beavers may have been restricted to playing maids, but she made the most of her part. She was the best mother Peola could have wanted. Unfortunately, Peola felt that she was the wrong mother for her.

The most beguiling character is Peola. Fredi Washington's life was something of a paradox. She was beautiful, green-eyed, straight haired and intelligent. At one point, it seemed as if Peola and Fredi's lives would merge. Fredi was encouraged to pass for white early on in her career. She refused. As such, her film roles were limited. She was far too beautiful and elegant to play maid roles, yet, as an African American actress, Hollywood didn't dare offer her romantic roles with the leading white actors. She was an actress that 30s Hollywood didn't know how to handle.

Imitation of Life is a classic movie that's worth getting. A note to UK viewers - you'll need a VCR with NTSC playback to watch this movie.

Widowed Claudette Colbert has her hands full trying to earn enough money to care for her little daughter, when chance brings widowed Louise Beavers to her doorstep, also trying to provide for her little girl. Together the two women, one white and the other black, hit upon a way to market Beavers' pancake recipe and become rich. Should be a happy ending from there, you think? But that's where the two daughters come into play, as Colbert's daughter begins to envy her mom her new boyfriend, Warren William, and Beavers' light-skinned daughter tries to break away from her mom by passing as white. The Beavers story is the far more compelling drama with true tragedy written into it. However, like almost all pre Civil Rights movement Hollywood movies, the depiction of black characters leaves much to be desired, and detracts from what might have been an even more powerful statement. NB: I've noticed that many of the other reviewers confused this Colbert version with the Lana Turner remake--that's a lot more melodramatic than this one.

"Imitation of Life" is based on the durable Fannie Hurst novel and stars Claudette Colbert as a young widow with a baby girl who goes into the pancake business with her black maid, played by Louise Beavers, who also has a baby girl. Over time, the business make both women wealthy, but neither derives much joy from their venture - all because of their daughters. The picture is stolen by Louise Beavers, whose performance is masterly in that she never rings a false note in her playing:from joy to anguish. Fredi Washington as her light-skinned daughter is excellent in the funeral scene when overcome with remorse. Claudette Colbert and Ned Sparks also serve this film well.

This is a wonderful movie. My mother made me watch it with her over 20 years ago I think. I didn't want to watch it. After all, she had told me the whole story 20 times. It is rare that I ever cry because of a movie, but this story is very moving. Even as a child I was glued to it, and the story made me cry. I think it's good to show children old movies like this, so that they can imagine how different the world was back then. I think this movie teaches a lot about the dilemmas people can face in life, and how the decisions make effect the outcome. It especially shows how making the wrong decisions for the wrong reasons can make one have serious regrets. There are lessons to be learned here, all while enjoying a great story. I plan to watch this movie with my 11 year old son in the near future.

This movie is an excellent original version based on the novel by Fannie Hurst. I was finally able to see it by purchasing it from Amazon and I was genuinely pleased with it. Unlike the 1950s version, this movie touched me more because the part of the daughter (Peola)who passes as white was actually played by a wonderful light skinned negro actress by the name of Fredi Washington. In this version the mother and daughter seemed to have more of a n emotional tie than the in the 1950s version and passing for Peola was more about advantages to being white than actual skin color.

However, I was uncomfortable watching the way in which the African Americans are viewed in this version because they are seen simply as servants wanting to do nothing more than serve (notably characteer played by Louise Beavers). I could only recognize (and accept)that this was the way in which African Americans were seen during this time. This overlooked, the movie is definitely worth watching!

Based on the novel by Fanny Hurst, this classic 1934 film surprised me in many ways. Starring Claudette Colbert and Louise Beavers, it certainly tackles the issue of race in a unique way for its time. I expected it to be stereotyped in the depiction of the relations between the rags-to-riches single mom and her African American housekeeper, but that was not the case. Both women had rich and complex roles. And the color of the women's skin drove the drama in unexpected and meaningful ways.

When the story opens Claudette Colbert is a hard-working single mother. So is Louise Beavers who offers to work cheap for Colbert because she, too, has a young daughter and is looking for a live-in job that will accept the daughter. Colbert is delighted and, using Beaver's pancake recipe, make the two women rich in such an over-the-top way that 1934 depression era audiences must have been delighted. There are complications of course. As the daughter grow up, each causes her mother problems. Colbert's daughter falls in love with her mother's boyfriend. And Beavers daughter is light-skinned enough to pass for white and rejects her mother. How it all turns out is the stuff of pure melodrama. It was done so well, however, that I couldn't help but feel real emotion. Acting was superb and the direction was perfect. It was timed beautifully and ended with a satisfactory conclusion.

Don't miss this classic film if you can. It shows that a fine script and good drama will always endure. Today's special-effect films aren't even on the playing field when contrasted to a film such as this.

I have to say I'm only giving this version 2 stars when I would give the 1959 remake 5, because unfortunantely I had seen the 1959 remake hundreds of times (and still cry) before finally seeing the original. I was very disappointed. I found it to be old fashioned and outdated, not to mention so "politically incorrect" that it distracted from my enjoyment of the film. I'll admit it is a little unfair to compare it to the remake, but everytime I hear that little girl call Delilah "HORSIE", I wanna take a sledge hammer to the TV screen!!

My advice is if at all possible see this version before you see the better 1959 remake.