The funeral from imitation of life 1934 complete blu ray. The sirk film has more blatantly violent racism the 1934 film has. The first of two film version of fannie hursts novel, 1934s imitation of life chronicles the friendship between two womenone white claudette colbert, one black louise beavers. Imitation of life 1934 approved 1h 51min drama, romance 26 november 1934 usa a struggling widow and her daughter take in a black housekeeper and her fairskinned daughter. Stahls 1934 imitation of life with douglas sirks betterknown version from 1959, an examination of savage inequities. Based on a bestselling novel by fannie hurst, sirks film was the second adaptation of the book, and it strays much farther from the source material than the more straightforward 1934 screen version. The first of two film version of fannie hursts novel, 1934 s imitation of life chronicles the friendship between two womenone white claudette colbert, one black louise beavers. It wasnt a small feat to get this film into theaters either.
Imitation of life by douglas sirk douglas sirk, lana. Stahl, adapted by william hurlbut from fannie hursts novel, imitation of life. Aug 21, 2019 these videos show my appreciation and to help introduce in order to watch the fullhd and complete. In the original story, the lora character, bea pullman, became famous with the help of her maid delilahs family waffle recipe the 1934 film version features a family pancake recipe instead of a waffle recipe. From the turn of the 20th century until the supreme court ruled in loving v. Imitation of life is a 1959 film directed by douglas sirk, starring lana turner, juanita moore, john gavin, susan kohner, and sandra dee the story opens in new york in the late 1940s.
Imitation of life 1934 in this academy awardnominated best picture, claudette colbert and louise beavers are superb as two women with young daughters who build a. Imitation of life is a popular 1933 novel by fannie hurst that was adapted into two successful films for universal pictures. Imitation of life is a 1934 film directed by john m. Imitation of life this film is an adaptation from a novel by fanny hurst highly controversial, and it is also the remake of a film of the same title released in 1934. Imitation of life two movie collection imitation of life 1934imitation of life 1959 dvd 02519242332 moviesincludes the 1934 and 1959 versions of imitation of life. Watch imitation of life movie trailers, exclusive videos, interviews from the cast, movie clips and more at.
Its not, of course its about motherhood and love, but the fact that were watching parallel stories between a white woman and a. I have not read the book or seen the movie, so my impressions are based only on production of 1959. Both of the adaptations of the films deal with similar issues, alls of which are depicted differently on screen because of the vast time difference between the two periods. Imitation of life 1934 new sealed dvd claudette colbert for. May 07, 2014 film class wednesdays winds down with the last three movies of the semester.
A scene from the 1934 film imitation of life, featuring louise beavers and fredi washington. Director jm stahl first made it into a film in 1934 and by the time sirk brought it to the screen for the second time, the story had been. Colbert is a widow with a baby daughter who hires beavers, who also has a daughter, as a housekeeper. Imitation of life 1934 a very good film nominated for best picture of the year by the academy with one of my favorite actresses the beautiful claudette colbert as a struggling woman who teams with her friend played by louise beavers to succeed with a pancake recipe and using her aunt jemimalike likeness. This movie shows how hollywood dealt with the racial issues back in those years. Feb 14, 2020 a scene from the 1934 film imitation of life, featuring louise beavers and fredi washington. Stahl, with claudette colbert, warren william, rochelle hudson, at turner classic movies. Imitation of life was made in 1934, which means that the hays code, a set of moral policy and guidelines filmmakers were obligated to follow before releasing their work to the public, was still in effect. Style and the domestic melodrama, an article originally published in jump cut, no.
It examines racism in a way that was very daring for a film made in the 30s bea pullman colbert is a recent widow who is struggling to raise her toddler daughter jessie and keep up her late husbands business selling maple syrup. R6, why dont you stream the film, and answer your own questions. Oct 12, 2008 but what makes imitation of life so interesting is the subversive and ironic touches that sirk includes. Imitation of life was in production from june 27 to september 11, 1934, and was released on november 26 of that year. Imitation of life two movie collection imitation of life 1934 imitation of life 1959 dvd 02519242332 moviesincludes the 1934 and 1959 versions of imitation of life. Predstavlja adaptaciju istoimenog romana fannie hurst. Imitation of life movie trailer and videos tv guide.
Butler presumes otherwise, proposing that the film ridicules delilahs inability to grasp. Adapted from activist and protofeminist fannie hursts 1933 novel, the remake is generally regarded as superior despite veering sharply in many respects from the novel and first film, but it was the bigger boxoffice success and today. Imitation of life by douglas sirk douglas sirk, lana turner. Reflecting on the film imitation of life during womens.
But what makes imitation of life so interesting is the subversive and ironic touches that sirk includes. It was sirks final hollywood film and dealt with issues of race, class and gender. In a funeral sequence, mahalia jackson, vocal, with a group which includes ed montudi garland, andrew blakeney, teddy buckner, george. These videos show my appreciation and to help introduce in order to watch the fullhd and complete. It features claudette colbert, louise beavers, and freddie washington and examines the role of race in. Like most of hursts novels, imitation of life became a popular screen success as well in both of its versions. Imitation of life 1934 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Imitation of life the 1934 movie, trailers, videos and more at yidio. Imitation of life is the second film adaptation of fannie hursts novel of the same name. The plot of the 1959 version of imitation of life was significantly altered from the original book and the 1934 film version. Lora meredith turner is a widow struggling to make it as an actress as well as take care of her little daughter susie. Bea pullman colbert is a recent widow who is struggling to raise her toddler daughter jessie and keep up her late husbands business selling maple syrup. Imitation of life was originally a popular but unremarkable romantic potboiler novel by fannie hurst.
The screenplay by william hurlbut, based on fannie hursts 1933 novel of the same name, was augmented by eight additional uncredited writers, including preston sturges and finley peter dunne. However conflicts arise as the women age and their children played by. However, for every leap forward in asserting a positive relationship between a white woman and a black woman, there are two massive steps backward. Virginia 1967, numerous southern states passed laws enforcing a onedrop rule, requiring that persons of any. The 1934 version won academy award nominations for best picture and best sound while the 1959 version garnered best supporting actress oscar nominations for juanita moore and susan kohner. The lives of a widow and her housekeeper are united first in mutual need, then success and ultimately, in heartache in this academy awardnominated best picture. Imitation of life is a 1934 american drama film directed by john m.
It tells the story of two widowed mothers, one white and one black, raising their daughters amidst a climate of capitalism and racism. The funeral from imitation of life 1934 complete blu ray cut. Read the full synopsis of imitation of life, 1934, directed by john m. Imitation of life 2movie collection comes to bluray. One of their rules included preventing any form of miscegenation being depicted. From the time of the creation of the first films, films have reflected the values society holds at the time of the films creation. This video shows clips from the original 1934 film imitation of life directed by john stall.
This movie wouldnt have had a chance of being made in the present climate of political correctness. Douglas sirks imitation of life senses of cinema film journal. Imitation of life novel project gutenberg selfpublishing. Complete national film registry listing sort films by title, year of release, and year inducted into the registry by using the up and down arrows at the top of each column. This glamorized remake of the 1934 film imitation of life bears only a passing resemblance to its source, the bestselling novel by fannie hurst.
The film stars claudette colbert, warren william and rochelle hudson. Wikipedia on imitation of life the novel imitation of life is a popular 1933 novel by fannie hurst that was adapted into two successful films for universal pictures. This movie wouldnt have had a chance of being made in the present. It examines racism in a way that was very daring for a film made in the 30s. Complete national film registry listing film registry. Empty arms by frederick herbert, arnold hughes, sung by susan kohner. But, on the whole, a good film, and a thoughtprovoking one. The first of two film version of fannie hursts novel, 1934s imitation of life chronicles the friendship between two womenone white claudette colbert, one black louise.
Imitation of life by paul francis webster, sammy fain, sung by earl grant. Oscars best picture winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comiccon sundance film festival toronto intl film festival awards central festival central all events. Imitacija zivota je americki crnobijeli igrani film snimljen u reziji johna m. The imitation of life 2movie collection includes both versions of the film, the original 1934 best picture nominee starring claudette colbert and the 1959 masterpiece starring lana turner. With storylines tackling racism, romance, family, success and tragedy, imitation of life is a powerful story that still resonates with audiences today. The men in the film do not stand out in the way that the women do, but this is very much a womans picture, emphasising female bonds over trying to please men. Protagonistica, koju tumaci claudette colbert je bea pullman, udovica koja od svog muza preuzima prodaju slastica, te koja kao uzima afroamericku kucnu pomocnicu delilah johnson ciji lik tumaci louise beavers koja ce. Imitation of life two movie collection dvd, 2004 for. Imitation of life stands as sirks masterpiece and perhaps the greatest hollywood melodrama ever made.
Imitation of life 1934 new sealed dvd claudette colbert. Its a valiant, heartbreaking moment, but if you dig beneath the scenes giddy surface sheen, you may see that sirk is asking for an instant moratorium on films that further subjugate the role of. The fairskinned black actress who refused to pass in. The only other douglas sirk film ive seen is part of all that heaven allows but imitation of life is one of those films that epitomises a directors style. Claudette colbert and louise beavers are superb as bea and delilah, two women with young daughters who build a life and a fortune together selling delilahs pancake recipe. This weeks film is 1934s imitation of life, a landmark picture for its friendlyish view of africanamericans. Download pdf copies of the entire list of registry titles sorted alphabetically or by year of release. Stahl, is actually more faithful to the fannie hurst novel and in many ways presents a much more socially progressive viewpoint than the sirk version. Apr 19, 2016 the funeral from imitation of life 1934 complete blu ray cut. Film class wednesdays winds down with the last three movies of the semester. The film imitation of life is no different, in two films adaptations it is easy to see the society and ideals reflected in both movies. Less well known than the 1959 douglas sirk remake starring lana turner and juanita moore, the first film version of imitation of life 1934, directed by john m.
Apr 20, 2005 written during the dismal conditions of the great depression, fannie hursts novel, imitation of life, was adapted to film in 1934 and 1959. Jul 03, 2003 imitation of life ends with moores annie johnson being dramatically hoisted into a hearse as an entire black community mourns her passing. Imitation of life two movie collection dvd, 2004 for sale. Imitation of life is a 1959 american drama film directed by douglas sirk, produced by ross hunter and released by universal international. Imitation of life, the 1934 version, reflected the attitude in the country toward blacks. The fairskinned black actress who refused to pass in 1930s. Imitation of life ends with moores annie johnson being dramatically hoisted into a hearse as an entire black community mourns her passing.