Mushy Monday presents: Imitation of Life
There are all kinds of love stories. One of the most poginant for me is the ups and downs of the love between mother and daughter. Again, this was a movie introduced to me by my mother. It was and probably still is one of her favorite movies of all time. Even my grandmother loved this story and she generally didn’t like movies. To watch the power struggle and emotional abuse Sarah Jane puts her mother through has to be one of the most heart breaking things I’d ever seen as a child. It’s interesting to know that there are two versions of this movie. One I’ve never seen 1934 version and the most well known 1959 version. If you’re not bawling like a baby when Mahalia Jackson is singing and Sarah Jane is throwing herself on her mother casket. There is something seriously wrong with you.
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I’ve never seen it but have heard a lot about this movie. It’ll be added to “the list”.
by Jen
on September 10th, 2007 at 8:29 am
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argggh I couldn’t see the trailer and I LOVE MAHALIA JACKSON singing at that funeral scene…this is one of my all-time favorite movies!
by Yasmin
on September 10th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
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I’ve seen both versions, and they’re both good. The 1934 version is shorter, truer to the book (pancake mix was what brought in the money, not acting), has less gloss and unfortunately, probably more cringe-worthy moments (the one that always made me wrinkle my nose in the 1959 version was when Juanita Moore said to Lana Turner, “Just let me do for you.”) The daughter in the original was played by a fair-skinned black actress, Fredi Washington, in a good performance, even though she was too old for the part, the same age as the actress who played her mother! The actress who played the daughter in the remake is actually half-Mexican (and so is the male lead, if anybody’s keeping score.)
Bettye, who loves old movies
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I seen it also, but Bettye U go girl u do know your old movies! 
by Jeria22
on September 11th, 2007 at 9:10 pm
