DVD review: “Imitation of Life” special edition
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
“Imitation of Life Two-Movie Special Edition”
A great pick for Black History Month, this set includes the 1934 and 1959 versions.
The 1934 film is better and more progressive. White widow Bea Pullman (Claudette Colbert) is struggling to make ends meet for herself and her little girl. Black widow Delilah Johnson (Louise Beavers) finds people won’t hire her as a live-in domestic because she has a young daughter.
Bea and Delilah make an agreement: Bea will let Delilah and her child live with her and Delilah will cook, clean and care for Bea’s toddler. Their fortunes change when Bea opens a pancake restaurant using Delilah’s secret recipe.
The women become wealthy, and their friendship grows. But relationships with their daughters become strained. Delilah’s light-skinned daughter, Peola (Fredi Washington), forsakes her mother so she can pass as white. Bea’s daughter, Jessie (Rochelle Hudson), falls in love with her mother’s fiance.
With melodrama master Douglas Sirk at the helm, the 1959 version is more over-the-top, and the black widow’s role is reduced from domestic/business partner to just domestic. It stars Lana Turner as the poor white widow and Juanita Moore as the single black mother. The stories of the daughters remain similar.
Today, the films are sometimes uncomfortable to watch. But the story is a telling critique of race relations.
Extras: Featurette on the films’ legacy and commentaries.
-BAM
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