Underplayed Gems

Imitation of Life (1934)

Imitation of Life poster
Directed by
John M. Stahl
Genre
drama film, romance film
Country
United States
Runtime
1h 51m
Rated
PG
Rating
7.0 of 10 from 88 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

More films like thisWatch the trailer

or watch the trailer on YouTube

How it feels

A widowed mother and her daughter move to a new town and take in a housekeeper. The housekeeper's daughter tries to pass as white, leading to painful conflicts.

melodramaticemotionalheartfeltpoignantclassicsombersoap-operaticearnest

What happens

Imitation of Life is a 1934 American melodrama film directed by John M. Stahl. The screenplay by William Hurlbut, based on the 1933 novel by Fannie Hurst, was augmented by eight additional uncredited writers, including Preston Sturges and Finley Peter Dunne. The film stars Claudette Colbert, Warren William, Rochelle Hudson, Ned Sparks, Fredi Washington and Louise Beavers. The film was originally released by Universal Pictures on November 26, 1934, and re-released in 1936. A 1959 remake was directed by Douglas Sirk. In 2005, Imitation of Life was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". It was also named by Time in 2007 as one of "The 25 Most Important Films on Race". It was nominated for Best Picture, Best Assistant Director, and Best Sound Recording at the 7th Academy Awards. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems. Not quite it? You can browse by genre, country and year, or take this one into the 3D catalogue and ask the Catbot for something closer.