Imitation of Life
Directed by John M. Stahl • 1934 • United States
Starring Claudette Colbert, Warren William, Rochelle Hudson
Adapted from the novel by Fannie Hurst, this groundbreaking look at American racial attitudes traces the complex relationship that develops between Bea Pullman (Claudette Colbert), a widowed white mother, and Delilah Johnson (Louise Beavers), her Black housekeeper. The profitable pancake business that the two women start lifts them out of poverty—but with success comes a host of personal problems involving questions of race and romance. Director John M. Stahl explores issues of colorism, passing, and interracial friendship with a sensitivity decades ahead of its time.
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Imitation of Life
Directed by John M. Stahl • 1934 • United States
Starring Claudette Colbert, Warren William, Rochelle HudsonAdapted from the novel by Fannie Hurst, this groundbreaking look at American racial attitudes traces the complex relationship that develops between Bea Pullman (Claudette Colbert), a wido...
Extras
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IMITATION OF LIFE Introduction
In this program, created by the Criterion Collection in 2022, film critic Imogen Sara Smith, a contributor to the book The Call of the Heart: John M. Stahl and Hollywood Melodrama, discusses IMITATION OF LIFE in the context of director John M. Stahl's other work, especially his silent films with ...
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On Passing and Blackness
In this interview, recorded by the Criterion Collection in 2022, film scholar Miriam J. Petty, author of Stealing the Show: African American Performers and Audiences in 1930s Hollywood, discusses the complicated relationships actor Louise Beavers and Fredi Washington had with their characters in ...
