Directed by:
John M. StahlScreenplay:
William HurlbutCinematography:
Merritt B. GerstadComposer:
Heinz RoemheldCast:
Claudette Colbert, Warren William, Rochelle Hudson, Ned Sparks, Louise Beavers, Alan Hale, Juanita Quigley, Henry Armetta, Wyndham Standing, Hattie McDaniel (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
Melodrama master John M. Stahl brings his exquisite restraint and almost spiritually pure visual style to this devastating, enduringly relevant story of mothers and daughters. Imitation of Life explores the friendship between two struggling single mothers: one (Claudette Colbert) a workingclass white woman who ascends to the top of the business world, the other (Louise Beavers) her Black housekeeper, whose life is shattered by the rejection of her rebellious, white-passing daughter (Fredi Washington). It is this latter relationship - attuned to America’s bitter racial realities and heartbreakingly enacted by trailblazing Black performers Beavers and Washington - that lends the film its transcendent emotional power. This first adaptation of Fannie Hurst’s best-selling novel boldly confronts the complexities and contradictions of racial identity, economic exploitation, and the limits of the American dream. (Criterion)
(more)Cast
![Claudette Colbert](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/164/339/164339131_abedb0.png)
Claudette Colbert
France
Best movies:
It Happened One Night (1934)
Midnight (1939)
Royal Affairs in Versailles (1954)
![Warren William](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/000/499/499986_da0518.jpg)
Warren William
USA
Best movies:
The Man in the Iron Mask (1939)
Day-Time Wife (1939)
Lady for a Day (1933)
![Rochelle Hudson](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/161/532/161532052_9d67c2.jpg)
Rochelle Hudson
USA
Best movies:
Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
Les Misérables (1935)
Imitation of Life (1934)
![Ned Sparks](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/157/812/157812455_d5e336.jpg)
Ned Sparks
Canada
Best movies:
The Canary Murder Case (1929)
Lady for a Day (1933)
Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)
![Louise Beavers](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/000/499/499994_ae1499.jpg)
Louise Beavers
USA
Best movies:
Freaks (1932)
Reap the Wild Wind (1942)
Shadow of the Thin Man (1941)
![Alan Hale](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/161/605/161605931_4e826c.jpg)
Alan Hale
USA
Best movies:
It Happened One Night (1934)
Robin Hood (1922)
Gentleman Jim (1942)
Juanita Quigley
USA
Best movies:
National Velvet (1944)
Mystery Street (1950)
The Devil Doll (1936)
![Henry Armetta](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/159/000/159000015_aa35a9.jpg)
Henry Armetta
Italy
Best movies:
Scarface (1932)
Anchors Aweigh (1945)
Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943)
![Wyndham Standing](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/160/741/160741853_40efdb.jpg)
Wyndham Standing
UK
Best movies:
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
Waterloo Bridge (1940)
Madame Curie (1943)
![Hattie McDaniel](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/164/337/164337539_a0cb36.jpg)
Hattie McDaniel
USA
Best movies:
Gone with the Wind (1939)
Carefree (1938)
Vivacious Lady (1938)
![Dennis O'Keefe](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/000/496/496917_2dd93f.jpg)
Dennis O'Keefe
USA
Best movies:
Producers' Showcase (1954) (series)
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)
Fury (1936)
![Barry Norton](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/000/274/274826_3820b1.jpg)
Barry Norton
Argentina
Best movies:
Sunrise (1927)
Casablanca (1942)
Monsieur Verdoux (1947)
![Noel Francis](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/000/496/496904_47bc3f.jpg)
Noel Francis
USA
Best movies:
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)
Up the River (1930)
Smart Money (1931)
![Jane Withers](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/000/281/281096_c41daf.jpg)
Jane Withers
USA
Best movies:
Giant (1956)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
Captain Newman, M.D. (1963)
![Paul Porcasi](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/160/579/160579948_5479eb.jpg)
Paul Porcasi
Italy
Best movies:
Casablanca (1942)
It Started with Eve (1941)
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
![Teru Shimada](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/158/126/158126128_95b2b1.jpg)
Teru Shimada
Japan
Best movies:
King Rat (1965)
You Only Live Twice (1967)
Run Silent Run Deep (1958)
![Joyce Compton](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/158/477/158477133_758ea5.jpg)
Joyce Compton
USA
Best movies:
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
Mildred Pierce (1945)
Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)
![Marcia Mae Jones](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/158/559/158559749_ceb894.jpg)
Marcia Mae Jones
USA
Best movies:
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938)
These Three (1936)
The Way We Were (1973)
![Henry Kolker](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/158/279/158279910_6b3d4f.jpg)
Henry Kolker
USA
Best movies:
The Power and the Glory (1933)
Holiday (1938)
Mad Love (1935)
![Claire McDowell](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/159/762/159762265_a9a416.jpg)
Claire McDowell
USA
Best movies:
The Viking (1928)
It Happened One Night (1934)
Reap the Wild Wind (1942)