The first scene encapsulates the essence of the characters throughout the entire story. The film begins at the beach with a mother frantically searching for her daughter. A photographer (struck by her beauty) pulls her aside to settle her down and points her in the direction of the police to help her with her search. Little did she know, a matronly black woman had just reported the lost girl missing, as she has wandered over to play with her own young daughter. The frantic mother is reunited with her child and allows her to play with her new friend. She makes conversation with the black woman while the children play and asks how long she's been looking after the child shes with (as the young girl is fair-skinned, she assumed the older woman was a nanny) to which she replies that the child is her own, but her father was fair-skinned also. The women become attuned to their daughters, who are having some fun with a sleeping man and a pop can, which prompts the young photographer to snap a picture of the two. The first mother, Lora, scolds her daughter, Suzy, and says they're going home. The other mother, Annie, had previously offered her services to watch Suzy during the day, but Lora had declined saying that she couldn't afford to pay her. At thy point however, it becomes apparent that Annie and her daughter, Sarah Jane, have no place to stay and Lori takes the two of them home with her. The young photographer offers to bring the photo he had taken to their apartment later (maybe to get a second chance with Lora). This first scene introduces all of the main characters, and perfectly sets up and provides a brief caricature of each of these characters motivations and problems throughout the course of the film.
Lora is an aspiring actress who, after being widowed, moved with her young daughter to New York to make it in the industry. Throughout the majority of the film this passion will come between herself and her personal life. Her daughter Suzy is a sweet, good-hearted child and just wants her mother's love, which may be the motivation behind what develops into a crush for the young photographer, Steve, who has an undying flame for her mother.
Annie's goal in life seems to be to do whatever she can to secure a safe place for her daughter Sarah Jane to grow up in, including working for free for Lora as a live in maid and nanny. The problem is that Sarah Jane detests her negro heritage and everything that comes with it (in the 1950's). Because of her fair appearance, Sarah Jane is able to pass for a white girl and avoid racism and discrimination... That is until her well-meaning mother comes into the picture. Sarah Jane constantly renounces her black heritage and condemns her mother for existing, thereby informing the world that she is not white, but is black, and is entitled to the poor treatment of all of the other blacks. Her struggle is trying to escape a world of discrimination for a world of inherent privilege, where she doesn't have to live in back rooms and always come second to whites. This struggle is continuously thwarted by her very black mother however, unintentionally, as she tries to love and care for her daughter.
I really enjoyed this film, much more than I initially thought I would be. I was completely drawn in and emotionally attached myself to the characters and their struggles. Lora and Annie are both such strong women who do everything in their power to improve the lives of their daughters, but ironically it is those very efforts that drive their children away from them. There is a bit of a misogynistic message by the writers, implying that a woman cannot successfully care for their children by working or leaving the house, that they should be in the home while the man works or their children might be a bit messed up, but this is the 50's. The name of the film is beautifully appropriate also, imitation of life. Both of these pairs are striving for some sort of ideal existence, but both fall short of that mark. Lora strives to be a true artist and live off of her art too, but to make it big... or at least put some food on the table, she ends up compromising some of her morals at the direction of her agent (though things never get grimy, it remains a family film). She also achieves a life of glamour and prestige, but the victory is hollow as she must sacrifice family life and romance to pursue her ambition. Also, her life as an actress adds a level of falseness to her interactions that she struggles with as her success grows. Suzy just wants her mom to be home and spend time with her, but that dream is never realized and she is left living a life without that need filled. As for Annie and Sarah Jane, they both live a sort of imitation of 'life' as black women. They will never fit into their society the way Lora and Suzy do, but the way Sarah Jane tries so hard to fake it, to... imitate the race she sees as more privileged. And Annie would just like her daughter to live a good life and take pride in who she is, but she never lets her concern show externally, presenting a contented, pleasant facade.
This was a captivating film. It was an intense drama, but it never got grimy in the character's decent into their struggles. There wasn't that feeling of 'no hope', where a character had fallen too far from where they felt they should be, where there would be little chance for redemption. Circumstances always held an aura of hope, because each character was trying so hard only to better their situation in life. There was also the theme of family connection and communion, both between mother and daughter as well as between the four women collectively. They worked together and kept together (kind of) to build themselves up from their unpleasant situations. Even in the face of one person's disaster, there was always another one of the women around to help out the person suffering, or to offer a word of consolation or demonstrate affection. There was never the impression that these women were alone and had to deal with a big, scary world by themselves and with everything working against them. Even at their individual darkest moments, there was always a shoulder to lean on and a helping hand within reach. This fact is what I think didn't make this movie as depressing as it could have been. They were a family and stuck together, especially when times got tough. It's a bit of a deviation from the 1934 version, but I would say that this one would be the one out of the two to watch, if you only have time/ inclination for one. I definitely recommend this film.
[…] from the politics however, I found the film to be enjoyable. It falls flat when compared to the 1959 remake, but is still a worthwhile […]
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