Imitation of Life (Blu-ray)

Melodrama master John M. Stahl brings his exquisite restraint and almost spiritually pure visual style to this devastating, enduringly relevant story of mothers and daughters. Imitation of Life explores the friendship between two struggling single mothers: one (Claudette Colbert) a working-class white woman who ascends to the top of the business world, the other (Louise Beavers) her Black housekeeper, whose life is shattered by the rejection of her rebellious, white-passing daughter (Fredi Washington). It is this latter relationshipattuned to Americas bitter racial realities and heartbreakingly enacted by trailblazing Black performers Beavers and Washingtonthat lends the film its transcendent emotional power. This first adaptation of Fannie Hursts best-selling novel boldly confronts the complexities and contradictions of racial identity, economic exploitation, and the limits of the American dream.BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundt