Imitation of Life, 1934

Director: John M Stahl
Awards: nominated for Academy Awards but didn't win any
Stars: Claudette Colbert; Louise Beavers, Warren Williams, Ned Sparks
IMDB Link:  Imitation of Life, 1934

mjc says:  I must say, I had no idea that Hollywood had come even this close (and this is still far from seeing Black Americans as equal in humanity with white)  to considering the question of race in the 1930s. 

sez says--here is proof that at least some white folk knew in the 1930s that there was something not right with race relations in the United States. Bless them for trying to do something about it. To make it a central topic in a movie must have been considered a pretty radical act when the majority of movie theaters in this country were still segregated.  Just because they knew something was wrong doesn't mean they understood the problem, indeed it doesn't mean they were not part of the problem,  This is, after all, a terribly condescending and at times just downright embarrassing depiction of Black Americans. All the 'I don't want any money, I just want to be your servant forever' talk is pathetic.  That Delilah lives downstairs and still serves the white woman after they are both filthy rich is pathetic. That Delilah is seen as nothing but an overgrown child is pathetic. But it is a breath of fresh air to see a black woman and a white woman as best friends, who live together and raise their children together.  This is pretty much a must see for anyone interested in the history of race in American movies.  It is far from a perfect movie--but it is at least a real, if flawed effort to make race a topic.