Production Company(ies)
Shinchosha Company, Studio Ghibli,
 
Distributor
Universal Pictures
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)

 
MPAA / Certificate
Approved
 
Year of Release
1934
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring Claudette Colbert, Warren William, Louise Beavers, Rochelle Hudson, Ned Sparks, Alan Hale, directed by John M Stahl, written by Fannie Hurst, Finley Peter Dunne, Victor Heerman, William Hurlbut, drama, Jim Crow-era, racial taboos, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Wanda Hale, Edgar Hay, Times (UK) Staff, Edwin Schallert, Len G Shaw, OC Register Staff, Charlotta Bass, Bernice Patton, Vere E Johns, Donald Kirkley, Gazette Staff, MPAA rating, Universal Pictures, Carl Laemmle Jr., John M Stahl, pancake recipe, Atlantic City boardwalk, family hardships, racial problems, social conflict drama, mother-daughter conflict, Lana Turner version, social conscious melodrama, African-American, light-skinned, passing, Hays Code, racial mixing, conservative America, lynching, racial problem, taboo, racial subject matter, racial struggle, sensitive, thoughtful, exploitative, Caucasian, subservient, superstition, mixed-race, lynch, shameful truth, emotional impact, heart-touching, outstanding characterization, grand, masterpiece, enthralling, captivating, unexpected, angst, beautiful clothes, champagne, dancing, snapshot, pushing the boundaries, maturing, tolerance, Academy Award, self-made woman, pluck, ambition, secret pancake recipe, maid, brutal, heart-wrenching, child, upset, insult, school, all-white classroom, stares, whispers, adult, pretending, disown, suffering, deathbed, snapshot, balancing family and work, control, skyrockets, light-skinned African-American actress, thoughtful, not exploitative, simple-minded, perpetuates a myth, convenient, minor character, subplots, well rounded, realistic, emotionally involving
 

Cast & Crew

Claudette Colbert

Warren William

Louise Beavers

Rochelle Hudson

Ned Sparks

Beatrice “Bea” Pullman

Stephen “Steve” Archer

Delilah Johnson

Jessie Pullman

Elmer Smith

Claudette Colbert – Beatrice “Bea” Pullman
Warren William – Stephen “Steve” Archer
Louise Beavers – Delilah Johnson
Rochelle Hudson – Jessie Pullman
Ned Sparks – Elmer Smith
Alan Hale – Martin

 

John M. Stahl

Fannie Hurst

Carl Laemmle Jr.

John M. Stahl

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
John M. Stahl
 
Writer(s)
Fannie Hurst, Finley Peter Dunne, Victor Heerman, William Hurlbut
 
Producer(s)
Carl Laemmle Jr., John M. Stahl

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 3 Oscars
1 win & 3 nominations total
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Wanda Hale

Edgar Hay

Times (UK) Staff

Edwin Schallert

Len G. Shaw

New York Daily News

Miami Herald

Times (UK)

Los Angeles Times

Detroit Free Press

IMITATION OF LIFE
 All Critics (52) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (45) | Rotten (7)
 The race angle is treated with so obvious an attempt at tear-jerking that a good part of the Hurst appeal for increased colored tolerance is lost in a welter of sentimentality.
 
 January 30, 2021 | Rating: 2.5/4
 
 Wanda Hale
 New York Daily News
 TOP CRITIC
 We should hand It to Universal for making even a timid attempt to get away from the cut and dried formulae of cinema drama. It evidences a belief that the American movie public is maturing in its tastes and tolerance.
 
 January 30, 2021
 
 Edgar Hay
 Miami Herald
 TOP CRITIC
 Not so much an imitation as a fake, for life has a way of forcing conclusions and decisions, and this film, which never seems quite sure which way it is going, studiously avoids both.
 
 January 30, 2021
 
 Times (UK) Staff
 Times (UK)
 TOP CRITIC
 Miss Colbert has never done anything finer or more heart-touching.
 
 January 30, 2021
 
 Edwin Schallert
 Los Angeles Times
 TOP CRITIC
 It is the work of Miss Beavers [and] Fredi Washington that gives the picture its greatest grip on the emotions.
 
 January 30, 2021
 
 Len G. Shaw
 Detroit Free Press
 TOP CRITIC
 Claudette Colbert steps into her emotional role and makes it an outstanding characterization.
 
 January 30, 2021
 
 OC Register Staff
 Orange County Register
 TOP CRITIC
 Miss Beavers, who has been in pictures for about ten years found her masterpiece in Imitation of Life.
 
 January 30, 2021
 
 Charlotta Bass
 California Eagle
 To say that the opus is grand, is putting it mildly. Probably, only the great Stahl could have brought to life such a masterpiece. The star setup was marvelous, and the acting of the adorable Claudette Colbert as well a Louis Beavers was superb.
 
 January 30, 2021
 
 Bernice Patton
 Pittsburgh Courier
 A racial problem is handled in a very frank and convincing manner.
 
 January 30, 2021
 
 Vere E. Johns
 New York Age
 When a studio, no matter how, or why, finds the courage to break a taboo, as in Imitation of Life, it is big news, and an occasion for rejoicing.
 
 January 30, 2021
 
 Donald Kirkley
 Baltimore Sun
 [Louise Beavers’s] remarkable performance of Aunt Delilah lifts this film out of the ordinary routine of the cinema.
 
 January 30, 2021
 
 Gazette Staff
 Montreal Gazette
 At times [Imitation of Life] moves with rapidity from merriment to pathos, but it is enthralling throughout.
 
 January 30, 2021
 
 Citizen Staff
 Ottawa Citizen…

 

Plot
Bea Pullman and her daughter Jessie have had a hard time making ends meet since Bea’s husband died. Help comes in the form of Delilah Johnson, who agrees to work as Bea’s housekeeper in exchange for a room for herself and her daughter Peola. Bea comes up with a plan to market Delilah’s pancake recipe. The two soon become wealthy and as the years go on, their friendship deepens. Their relationships with their daughters, however, become strained. Ashamed of her mother, Peola seeks a new life by passing for white. Bea’s love for her daughter is tested when she and Jessie fall for the same man.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
The film stars Claudette Colbert, Warren William, and Louise Beavers.
 

 
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