Imitation of Life (1934 film)

• Claudette Colbert: Beatrice Pullman
• Louise Beavers: Delilah Johnson
• Warren William: Stephen Archer
• Rochelle Hudson: Jessie
• Fredi Washington: Peola
• Ned Sparks: Elmer Smith
• Alan Hale Sr.: . Martin

Imitation of Life is an American feature film with Claudette Colbert from the year 1934. Directed by John M. Stahl. The screenplay is based on the novel by Fannie Hurst. Douglas Sirk in 1959 turned a homonymous remake with Lana Turner and Juanita Moore. Time chose the film to one of the 25 most important films on the coexistence of people of different skin color.

Action

When her husband dies, Beatrice Pullman leads her husband's business, the sale of maple syrup on. It provides Delilah Johnson, an African-American woman, one who is to look after her daughter Jessie. Delilah moved with her daughter Peola in the House of Pullman. While her mother is black, Peola has a lighter skin color. After Beatrice cost of Delilah's pancake that is made according to an old family recipe, she founded a pancake house. The company is proving to be a success.

Peola feels left out because of their skin color by the Company. Beatrice sets Elmer Smith, who is to look after the management of the pancakes. Beatrice published the recipe, the company becomes a bonanza brings the millions. Delilah gets 20 % of the profit, but it remains as a housemaid at Beatrice. At a party for the tenth anniversary of the founding learns Beatrice know the zoologist Stephen Archer, who is friends with Elmer. Beatrice and Stephen fall in love, but they want to wait for a wedding to Jessie Stephen has learned. Jessie is on a college trip and returns home. At the same time Peola ran away. Delilah wants to search in Virginia, Jessie wants to help her. Beatrice commissioned Stephen to look after her daughter. In Virginia finds Peola Delilah, who works as a waitress in a restaurant that is prohibited for blacks. Peola denies to know Delilah and runs out of the restaurant. She returns, but still denies her mother to run their own lives.

At the same time, Jessie has fallen in love with Stephen, but she looks as a child. Peolas return and their behavior is too much for Delilah, the seriously ill. On her deathbed she asks Beatrice, to take care of Peola, this should ever return. Peola visited Delilah's funeral and has to fight for their selfishness and the death of her mother by. Beatrice takes to live with him. Soon after, agrees Peola to go back to college. Beatrice recognizes the state of mind of her daughter, who is still in love with Stephen. Stephen agrees to postpone the wedding with Beatrice until this feeling has passed at Jessie. He promises to wait. Beatrice and Jessie remember the time came for the first time as Delilah into the house.

Based Upon

The story of Fannie Hurst over the two widows Bea Pullman and Delilah Johnson is a socio-critical analysis of racial prejudice and the problem of women, work and family unite to. During a trip with her friend, the Afro- American writer Zora Neale Hurston, Hurst experienced first-hand how deeply rooted prejudices of the people at the time still had. Your resulting therefrom book Imitation of Life was published in the spring of 1933 and made it to the end of the year at No. 9, the list of best selling books in the New York Times.

The fabric provides two basic ways of female self-realization: on the one hand, Delilah, a woman who deliberately opts for the family and to career success. Delilah has discovered a recipe for waffles, but with its marketing she entrusted her white girlfriend Bea. She wants to devote all their dear daughter Peola and young Jessie, Beas daughter. On the other hand, there is Bea, a young woman who is obsessed with the one desire to be successful. She is a young widow from the Midwest, which brings every sacrifice for her dream, only to be found emotional void and a domestic dilemma at the end. Primed is the story of the issue of personal identity. Peola wants to be something she is indeed outwardly, which they, however, because of existing racial prejudice can not be due to their origin: a white woman. Thus the book shows the still everyday racism, the White met her African-American citizens.

Background

The relationship between the different races represented in the film with some hope for the future and to changes. After Georg Seeßlen is the film

" A reflection of the liberal public atmosphere of the New Deal. The history [ ... ] is heading towards the idealization of a harmony between the races, which is based on human insight and understanding. [ ... ] The voluntary Standing Together the two mothers refers to the typical New Deal ideology as propagated in many films of the time (eg, in the comedies of Frank Capra ) between rich and poor and between men and women. "

At the same time, the film also show the

"Transition to another stereotypical figure, the black mammy from a rather comic characterization to a human dimension. The black Mammy is here a kind of mother figure whose understanding of the white woman could never be applied. "

Criticism

Andre Mountain Forest of the New York Times described the film as a dignified and sober chronicle that by holding her serious way over two hours. However, despite the honesty of the director, can not hide John M. Stahl, the shallowness, the Gefühlsplattitüden and the quality of a rubber stamp of the script.

Variety described the film as strict with unusual history. The directing was good, and bring the story well under control. He also hold the interest high, even if the movie sometimes slipping into the ridiculous.

Awards

The film went with three nominations in the Academy Awards ceremony in 1935, but did not win any of the prices:

• Best Picture
• Best Assistant Director - Scott R. Beal