The Omaha guide., 1935-02-09
IMITATION OF LIFE


columns comes as an anti-climax. It is doubt
full if so many Negroes have attended any
other, All screen presentation wi h a mixed
cast. The mueh-discussed motion picture has
Iured thousands to see it because to Of the
three mos important roles are played by Ne
gnoes, the central plot deals with the race
problem and the acting Of Louise Beavers as
Aunt Dellah' dominates the superb perfor-
nance.
1t is said hat the cinema version is differ
ent from Fannie Hurst's story in book form.
The producers, tenaciously adhering to Holly
woods unforgivable policy DC eschewing real
ism in depicting Negro characters for fear Of
giving ~offenses to an element Of thin-skinned
whi,e people, fail in many instances to carry
conviction to those familiar with interracial
and interracial relationships. Two grieved wo-
men friends and partners in business. one
white the other colored, leave on a motor
trip to find the daughter Of the latter, who
has run away from college in a Southern city.
They depart from their Northern home seated
together in a limousine. Upon their return
after finding the object Of their search, the
colored woman is photographed riding with
the chauffeur and the white woman is en-
sconced in the back seat.
In another scene the daughter Of the white
woman who is home from college, learns of
the suffering of Aunt Delilah" on account
Of "Peola's" Fredi Washington truancy
from home. The white child is seen just as
she is about to put her arms aruond "Aunt
Delilah" to comfort her. Then there is a
blaekout, for the director evidently felt that a
continuation of the scene would have been
bad taste. 3"
AS for the character, "Aunt Delilah, Y she
is one Of the biggest "Uncle Toms" on record.
She started her rubbing the feet of miss
Bea," (the charming Claudette Colbert) and
was content to rub feet the rest Of her days.
When offered a share in the pancake business
for which she was partly responsible, she re
fused to sign incorporation papers, consent
ing to accept whatever money put in the bank
for her. After accommodating a comfortable
fortune, she voiced stubborn opposition to the
suggestion that she buy a beautiful home for
herself and daughter, preferring to keep
"Peola" in an environment which only bred
discomfort, Encouragement and an inferiority
complex.
"Aunt Delilah" is not typical Of the Negro
mother, who since emancipation has appeared
in the most heroic role. To bring up and edu-
cate her children so they might live like "high
.olo-c rrl,+o ELL. - II z--L
literally worn off her finger-nails. Her alb
sorbing ambition has been to better the con-
dition Of her offspring. But "Aun Delilah"
who loved "Peola" dearly, made no effort to
improve materially the lot of her daughter al
though the posseSsOr of a fat bank account.
The character SO admirably acted by Louise
Beavers often failed to ring true. Nor does
the heated declaration of "Peola" to 'sMiss
Bea" that: "You don't know what it is to
look white and be black" Negroes Of light
complexion usually 'pass for white" to
hurdle economic capabilities. Nothing prevent
ed "Peola" from going wherever she pleased.
Why her mother failed to send her to a white
college in the North instead Of a colored col
lege IN the South, knowing her temperament
and psychology is a bit pulling.
The producers Of Imitation Of Life'' are
to be congratulated for giving Miss Beavers
and Miss Washington featured roles, even if
they were not featured in the billing. 1t is a
big step forward from the narrow, restricted
confines to which Negro actors have been kept
IN movieland. White Americans and foreign
ers who know little or nothing Of Negro life,
and mbOca oopoo1+;oo of - hoe. hoan forooJ
very largely in watching the Negro in ster-
eotyped parts in the movies, are apt to con-
clude after seeing Imitation Of Life" that the
Negro laughs, cries, loves and hates the same
as other human beings.