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 African American characters, as well as actor Claudette Colbert's contribution to the film and its effect on her career.