The Cinema Museum, London

Kennington Talkies presents Imitation of Life (1934)

Sun 3 Feb 2019 @ 14:30 · Events

Imitation of Life (1934) posterFollowing our screening of the 1959 Douglas Sirk remake of Imitation of Life as part of the Ross Hunter season, your chance to see the 1934 version of Fannie Hurst’s bestseller, directed by John M. Stahl.

Claudette Colbert plays a young widow and single mother, who employs a black cook (Louise Beavers) to help look after her daughter. The two women start a successful business, but racial issues are never far away, especially as the black woman’s daughter is light-skinned enough to pass as white, and is ashamed of her ancestry. As critic Jonathan Rosenbaum remarks, “thanks partly to the skill of Claudette Colbert, the humour of Stahl’s version is much warmer and less cynical, expressing the more inclusive humanism of the 30s”.

Full supporting programme.

Doors open at 13.30, for a 14.30 start.

Refreshments will be available in our licensed cafe/bar.

TICKETS & PRICING

Tickets £6.

Advance tickets may be purchased from Billetto, or direct from the Museum by calling 020 7840 2200 in office hours.
Imitation of Life (1934)