Imitation of Life (1934) – 111 minutes

September 30 – Imitation of Life, 1934, 111 minutes, directed by John M. Stahl, starring Claudette Colbert, Louise Beavers, and Warren William

Widow Bea's black maid Delilah makes delicious flapjacks. The two enterprising women go into business to great success. But life at home is troubled – Delilah's daughter is so light skinned she passes for white. Eventually she runs away. To further complicate, Bea and her daughter are in love with the same man. This popular tearjerker based on the 1933 Fannie Hurst novel was a Best Picture Academy Award nominee, and spawned a 1959 Lana Turner remake. Its place in the National Film Registry and on Time's 2007 list of "The 25 Most Important Films on Race" speaks to its continued high value as an American period piece.

CinemaLit / September 2022 – The 1930s Get Real

What are your impressions of American films in the 1930s? Gossamer musicals and Marx Brothers' slapstick? Stodgy romances burdened with wooden acting? Nonsense escapism from the Great Depression? That's all to be found. But dig deeper for a wealth of films of exceptional depth and complexity. September at CinemaLit is devoted to four films from four genres that are terrific entertainments AND fascinating historical and sociological relics. We've got a musical (Gold Diggers of 1933), screwball comedy (My Man Godfrey), comedy-drama (Politics), and social drama (Imitation of Life). And even as you're laughing or toe tapping, we've also got homelessness, political corruption, racism, bread lines, war, M**der, unemployment, sexism, and the generation gap. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Mechanics' Institute, Mechanics' Institute, San Francisco, United States