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By
NICK ZEGARAC
Both John Stahl's 1934
version of "Imitation of Life" and Douglas Sirk's
1959 adaptation are tales of racism and the shame
that befalls a young mulatto girl who denies her
black heritage.
Based on the novel by Fannie Hurst, Stahl's quiet,
understated approach to the subject matter is less
heavy handed in its use of melodrama than Sirk's
(though Sirk is widely regarded as the master in
this medium). To be sure, Sirk amplifies the
melodrama to underscore racial prejudice and
materialism but, to the contemporary eye, his
exaggerations seem more garish than genius, more
indoctrinated than inspired. In the 1934 version
Claudette Colbert plays Beatrice Pullman, an
understanding housewife with a congenial
housekeeper, Delilah (Louise Beavers). Both Bea
and Dee have young daughters who ultimately become
best friends. However, when Dee's daughter decides
to pretend she is white she alienates both her
friendship and destroys her mother's trust. In the
1959 version, Lana Turner takes over the role of
Bea (now, inexplicably renamed Lora Meredith --
presumably because the name Bea just wasn't sexy
enough for the lovely Lana). Other than that, the
plot is generally the same. Juanita Moore is the
black housemaid this time around, also renamed
from Delilah to Annie Johnson.
Stahl's b&w photography on the 1934 version holds
up remarkably well. But Universal's transfer is
rather weak in spots, showing considerable signs
of age throughout. Contrast levels are unusually
low while black levels are weak. Fine detail is
lost in film grain. The film is presented full
frame -- as it should be.
Sirk's 1959 color version is a genuine visual
disappointment. Colors are faded, dated and muddy.
There is a haze across many of the scenes taking
place outside. Film grain is excessive. Many
scenes appear overly soft to down right blurry.
There's a bit of smearing and bleeding of colors
in several scenes. Contrast levels are weak. Fine
details disappear during the darkest scenes and
are never fully realized in brightly lit scenes
either. This version is anamorphic widescreen as
it should be. The audio for both films is big fat
mono. Not a very impressive effort from Universal
to say the least. There's little to recommend the
films as such. The transfers are entirely
forgettable. |
