Imitation of Life (1934)

My Review

“Imitation of Life” is one of the earliest films to deal with the issue of race in America. It is the story of a young light-complected woman who has trouble dealing with her mixed-race background, especially her black mother. Director John M. Stahl and screenwriter William J. Hurlbut sensitively depicted this real-life drama on the big screen, adapted from Fannie Hurst’s 1934 novel of the same name.

The cast includes Louise Beavers and Fredi Washington as the aforementioned mother-daughter, Claudette Colbert as Beavers’ sympathetic friend, Warren William, Ned Sparks, Rochelle Hudson, Alan Hale, and Jane Withers. The watchable “Imitation of Life” was a production of Universal Pictures. It received three Oscar nods – Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Sound Recording, and was filmed on the backlot and soundstages of Universal Studios.