This may have been Lana Turner's come-back movie (after a terrible scandal) but it's this story,the one w/Sarah-Jane & her mother Annie,that everyone remembers about this movie,and cares about too! Susan Khoner & Juanita Moore OWN it....
....... YES " AMERICA DID A JOB ON BLACK FOLKS " A HELL OF A JOB " THAT'S WHAT'S MIS OBAMA WAS TALKING ABOUT BACK IN THE DAY WHEN SHE SAID WHAT SHE SAID ABOUT AMERICA IT WAS JUST WRONG "
My grandmother show me this movie and loved it its like everyday life when a child feels like an outsider and different gay or black or mix but a child always love there mother.
@jncofl23 How can you EVER compare "gay" with being a certain race??? You don't choose to be white, black or any other race! We are bred the way we are born! Wanting the same sex is a choice, not a destination! If I have a penis, I can choose to stick it in a vagina, or have a penis stuck inside me! I can't choose to be a black person or white person, I am born into a race! Not chose into one!
@rootboysupreme1 Speak for yourself! As someone that is black and gay, I can honestly say that I didn't choose either. It's just who I am.
You can choose who you have sex with, but you can't choose who you're attracted to. Sexual orientation is about your ATTRACTION, not your ACTIONS.
I could choose to sleep with a million women, and I still wouldn't be straight. I'd just be a gay guy who sleeps with women(to fit in with the rest of society).
@CameronCourts Did you think about what you wrote??? "You can choose who you have sex with,..." Okay, maybe you didn't think about it; maybe you did..., but if you reread what I wrote then you'll see that my point was "choice" centered!Whether you like woman or not, you still have a choice! Whether I like ice-cream, vegetables, pizza or not I still have a choice to eat it! BEING BLACK IS NOT A CHOICE, So AGAIN, YOU CAN'T COMPARE THE 2! You have a choice whether you like it or not!
@CameronCourts It really bugs me when people "gay's" compare the history of blacks to homosexual lifestyle! Do you think our ancestors would have chose another race when they was getn slaughtered??? Obviously..., why do you think perms were invented? And so many other like things? If we could, we prolly would! But we(they) couldn't! It doesn't matter whether your attracted to the opposite sex or not! You have a choice! POINT BLANK...; or blank point!
@Kelsita0529ballerina white stars still do play the role of mixed or non white people in hollywood films. Angelina Jolie played a mixed race woman in the film a mighty heart and is now set to play cleopatra in the new remake of the film. Hollywood still whitewashes roles sad to say.
Omg as a mixed person, I cried so hard seeing this movie. My mom was like oh watch this. It was horrible! How she treated her mother was terrible. She looks way more white than me, but I would never deny my heritage. Her poor mother died of a broken heart!
It wasn't entirely her fault, think about the time she lived in and how blacks were treated in America at that time. It was horrible, she must have felt that being white was the only way to be happy and successful. Blame SOCIETY, not her.
If Alan Jackson was Michael Jackson, would he still be The King of Country? If Michael Jackson was Alan Jackson, would he still be The King of Pop-Tops, Off The Charts? What we look like doesn't count an ounce, sings Wilbur in Charlotte's Web. We've all got LOTS in common where it REALLY counts.
Maybe when white people do not reduce us to it. White people set people they deem as inferior up for failure, then blame the victims for the manifestations.
You do. You just don't want to acknowledge your responsibilities regarding that. It's easier on you and harder on those you directly and indirectly oppress on a daily basis.
What about her unnamed white/tan-colored father!!? What would he say if he knew that his only mixed-race daughter had broke his wife's heart!!? And how would Sara Jane react if she ever got to meet him?
There have been a lot of essays and articles about IOL, and they can be found on google. I have to agree with one of them that says that it's not really the mother SJ is rejecting, it is the mother's life, the mother's acceptance of the system. The most telling line of the film is (in another segment, not this one) when SJ tells Suzy, "Your mother doesn't own me." It does seem that Annie doesn't mind being "owned," so to speak, by Miss Laura, and it just drives SJ crazy throughout the film.
haha! WOW!! I haven't seen this movie in YEARS and I forgot what the title of the movie was but i remember bits and pieces of it. Thanks for posting. They showed this on my tv last night, but I only caught maybe the last half hour. I LOVED this movie.
@ nemesis7293 it might sound mean and uncaring but your right. There were people in my family who passed we never met them but we were told. It was like they died to us lol why do you think the word pass was used? Because the people who passed literally died and was reborn white!
today, it would probably be no big deal BUT ... she looks 100% white. She looks like a Natalie Wood type. Back in those days if she were to date a black man, they probably would have been killed by some white people or at least seriously hurt on more than one occasion. The way I see it, she had no choice but to be white. I felt sorry for her mom though. Tough situation all around.
@sookiestackhouse2u, that is right! She did look 100% white. I, too, thought of Natalie Wood. She did have to call herself white. What if Brad Pitt were half or a quarter black? I would say, "He still does not look black at all."
It's tough. Dad was white. Mom was black, but Sarah Jane looked white. Period. I saw no problem just being white. Of course, there would be someone saying that she had the genes to have a child who would look like someone with black ancestry, but, oh, well.
And when Annie hugged Sarah Jane all the anger and bitterness just vanished, and for that split second, she was a little girl again. The power of a mother's love.
@malt8291 This film was made in a time when having one drop of "black" blood in you made you black. Thus her mother wanted her to stop pretending that she was something that she wasn't. Trying to pass as white when you were black is a huge film topic throughout the 20th century. This is also an important clip because the actress playing the "light skinned" daughter is actually white, studios wouldn't cast black actors to play characters such as Sarah Jane. Do some research, then assume things.
@Kelsita0529ballerina The actress playing Sarah Jane, Susan Kohner is actually spanish. Susan's mother was the Mexican actress Lupita Tovar and father Czech producer/agent Paul Kohner. The 1934 version cast a black actress, Freddie Washington. More importantly, in the 1934 version, the two women were business partners and friends rather than employer and domestic helper.
Juanita Moore and Susan Kohner were both literally perfect in "Imitation Of Life". They were both nominated for the Academy Award For Best Supporting Actress. There have, so far as 2010, been only 2 ties in Academy history. There should have been another in 1959. They both deserved that award and should have won it. They both break my heart.
i really like this film. It is very moving and heart breaking. The actresses playing sarah jane and her mother were wonderful and should have won awards.
This is a beautiful movie. And actually made with class; not full of the degradation towards black people that so many movies around this time had. It's realistic and honest and heart-wrenching. The acting is also amazing. Don't let the fact that this movie was made 50 years ago turn you off from watching it. It's a must-see! A version with Claudette Colbert was actually made in 1939, but it's completely offensive and not very well made. Just make sure you pick up this version and not that one.
@scarybozo First off, the acting was terrible. And- idk- it was offensive towards black people. Not every black person- over even MOST black people- during the time talked and acted like some "mammy." The terrible attempts at humor were completely humorless, and as someone who has some african-american descent I was utterly offended to the point that I actually shut the movie off half way through. I watched the rest later, but God, I was pissed.
@Omritable exactly like you said, SOME black people at this time did talk and act like this. SOME,,, this movie shows the people that actually do. I am biracial and my mother and I find this beautiful (Although i am part black i am not as light as Sarah Jane) it is a truly sad film though. I really don't see why you would be offended by this movie. The white characters didn't act in any racial way whatsoever besides Sarah Jane's boyfriend.
@elohel9dalton I'm not talking about THIS movie. I'm talking about the 1939 version. You should get smart on what's going on before you jump into conversations that have nothing to do with you.
@elohel9dalton ppl need to sit down and comprehend the movie, this was a wonderful movie and i agree with u. sarajane's ass hole boy friend was the only jerk, ppl did'nt see sarah really loved her mom, she just could'nt handle being ridiculed, she never said she wants be white she just did'nt want ppl to know she was black, and during those time i could'nt blame her.
@boomcc1 LOL, I like your way of thinking. You should watch "The human stain", there is a character even more self-hating than Sarah Jane/Peola there.
@boomcc1 She would have rather been seen as white. She looks in the mirror & says "I'm white". At that time, I couldn't blacme her either. In that time, I probably would have done the same thing b/c I can easily pass for white. I'm sure many blacks who passed for white like Sarah Jane loved their family members, but they just wanted a better place in society.
@Omritable Really? I don't think the black woman fits that stereotype at all - judging from this clip at least. I watched her and saw a loving, articulate mother.
@DrMBA28 Before you start responding to my comments read all of them first. I wasn't talking about THIS movie. I was talking about the 1930's version. Learn to read, thanks.
@Omritable If I didn't know how to read I wouldn't have been able to read your comment. Some of us have lives and don't have time to read the backstory on some loser's comment.
@DrMBA28 If you don't know what someone's referring to then why don't you shut the hell up and keep it moving. And if I'm such a loser then why are you giving me the time of day anyway? If your time is so precious, how have you been able to respond not once but TWICE when you're obviously so busy? Dumb ass.
@Nemesis7293 Learn to type using proper grammar and I might actually care about a thing you have to say. You ask me to refrain from reproducing because I hate the 1934 version of this movie? Lol you're childish, dramatic, an asshole and an idiot. Go act out your tantrums in real life instead of making a fool of yourself on the internet. Good day to you!
@dusroots I didn't remember that part, so I watched just to see what part you were talking about, and oh my gosh, it almost got me too! Just heartbreaking =(
I have the best mom on world and trying to be as better daughter, but every time I watch this movie I cry... and again I realize that a parent is only friends with no interest
I like both versions of the film but I like the 1934 version better. In the older film Annie is not the other womens maid. They are freinds. I also liked that in the 1934 version they actually had a light skinned black actress( the beautiful and talented Fredi Washington) play the Sarah Jane role rather than having a white acttress playing the part.
They did a good job in showing what a mind-fuck that slavery and white supremacy is. It screwed up so many people. A real crime against humanity, that the perpetrators and current benefactors have not been punished for. The past is relevant as it creates the present.
@monkhillier "Current benefactors",....really??? Such as who? Let me guess, you're in favor of reparations for slavery, right? Well, guess what? Since that time, some of your own family might be responsible for those reparations, unless you're perfectly positive that your bloodline contains positively no white blood.
This is a sad and great movie. You should watch the 1934 version too. It's good -- a little closer to the book version. However, the director of the 1959 version had to change it in light of the civil rights movements and social climate. If you can get past the Annie character with the bug-eyed scenes and total "yessum missy." type of dialogue it's good.
To Nognilk.. you way this movie is on TCM a couple times a year... I watch it whenever it is on. By the way, the movie is posted on Youtube in it's entirety. Now you can watch it any time you want!
This movie is fantastic. It's one of my favorites. It was made in 1959 but was YEARS ahead of its time in the way it dealt with racial issues. Incredible.
@Eddiesix I most certainly agree with you that this movie is way way ahead of its time. However I find the "Sarah Jane" storyline disturbing. The negative portrayal of a confused child from an interacial relationship would no doubt consolidate the minds of the people at that time, there should be no mixing of races. Nevertheless, it's a very real character with very real issues. I do like the movie.
I understand this part a lot cause I'm biracial to and my moms black but most of my biracial friends have white moms and truth be told I'm not afraid of having a black mom but it Is kind of confusing at times so I get Sara Jane a lot...
@cassandra2596 I guess what you are trying to say is you wish you had a black father and white mother? A black father and black mother are the same. White moms aren't any better than black moms. If your dad instead of you mom was black, then it would be the same-one black parent.
@malt8291 The "young actress" is the brilliant Susan Kohner.......and it's not about how the character looks, but who the character is, and wants to be.
It's SOOO sad how Satan the Devil has created such a divide on our earth throughout history to make the races hate one another. He has wrecked people's lives, even up to this day. It is DISGUSTING. But our God has promised to bring an end to it and we will very soon all live together in peace, in real love, for one another. (Psalm 37:10,11,29)
During this period in American history you actually had cases like this in real life.Back in the day it was so hard on black families getting anywhere in life that if they had a child that could pass for white you would have extream measures taken
@CarlyIsAGangster haha you're crying?...that's not very gangster of you considering your name is carlyisagangster X]...but yeah I can see why people would cry (especially if you're a girl lol)
Thats horrible 2 treat ya own mother that way especially a mother who clearly shows her love..I know this is only a movie but I know someone whose in the same situation,and we've recommded her to watch this movie!Great msg!
A really great film. And quite astounding that Hollywood actually tackled the race issue & the social problems & prejudices at that time.
There's a very interesting line when Annie talks about her friends (at the Church) and Laura says "Friends? Why Annie, it never occurred to me that you might have any friends". Wow !! Powerful stuff all tied-up in a women's-weepie fluffy drama. Love it.
@bootsamou I don't think she was trying to be mean, I think laura had never seen annie with anyone other then the people at the house .. Annie said to her 'you never asked"..
Yeah ~ and good old Annie says it in such a sweet way ~ "Why Miss Laura. You never asked". And that itself was a kickintheteeth for Miss Laura. It hadnt even occurred to her ~ she hadnt asked or been interested in Annie's life or what she had done (the things Annie says when she dies are quite a revelation to Miss Laura.). Very telling.
Great that Hollywood tackled this issue, but it would be VERY interesting to see what fee the acress playin Annie actually received.
This movie is classic especially I love the part when Mahalia Jackson sings at the funeral but it was sad at the end though she regretted she did her mama wrong when she died. Some should realize that life is short. Obey Thy Parents as the good bible saids :)
ca fait 15 fois que je vois ce film et je pleure toujours autant j ai jammais vu un film aussi dur et poignant un vrai chef d oeuvre bravo aux acteurs et surtout juanita moore exelente actrice
i like the original version better but that daughter of hers was a bratty little b**ch in both version peola in the original sarah jane in this one, i wanted to smack her in both versions
this is such a great scene. i played susan kohners part when i was 10 - still have the same name karin dicker. i was in beginning of movie. just went to a 50 yr. celebration at acadamy party and showing. she was there as was juanita moore. i am white Jewish too. it was a very controversial movie in 1959. Life thank goodness is much different now.
@auctioneersdaughter You did a great job. I like the scene you did at the school - really well acted. This is my favorite movie of all time. Thank you for your contribution.
Respond to this video...Ms. Dicker, You gave what surely must be considered one of the most perfect performances ever given by a child on the American screen! You effortlessly portrayed Sarah Jane's pain, longing, and bitterness. That moment during the Christmas scene when you respond that Jesus was "white....like me" is one of the most searingly effective in the whole film. I can only say a profound "thank you" for your profound contribution to the American cinema!
Karin, you are a wonderful and talented actress, and the cause of many tears over the years from me and my sister, since we first saw it as kids in 1959. This is our all time favorite movie, and it all started with that beautiful little girl at the beach, crying because she had no place to sleep. Thanks for the memories. Jack
@Nemesis7293 whatever. who cares. It's just rediculous to me how narrow white hollywood's view of black american life used to be. That's just not how the conversations went in most cases. In most cases, there weren't any conversations. People who could pass just up & left. Didn't tell their black families where they went for fear of being found out. EVER. We still talk about family members who scrammed. Why be black back then if you didn't have to be? Silly movie but E for effort.
This is a perfect example of why people who are mostly mixed dont have to choose you can always say you are mixed and be proud, you dont have to choose.
I loved this movie and everything especially Mahalia Jackson singing but one thing about the movie I didnt like and everyone will agree with me, if I was that woman i would of whoop that bitch's azz. I hated her character.
@tigerlost And how, exactly, do you want a character who is black but able to "pass for white" to look? If she looked black HOW would she be able to pass for white??? Get a clue.
This is by far the best scene in Imitation of Life...I wish the entire movie would get posted...I know that the 1934 version with Claudette Colbert is online....
@cicta - that's not corny at all. She did her mother so dirty and it brings tears to my eyes every time too!! I cry on so many parts of this movie- so I totally understand.
@cicta It's not corny, it's true, this scene is heartbreaking. It kills me seeing her treat her loving mother this way. I've never seen this movie. It looks great, but I dont think I can bear to see the whole movie. How can anyone treat their mom this way :( Parents love their children so much, their kids often are so cruel :(
just watched this movie agan, I always try to watch it every now and then.. It reminds me of whn my mom was allive, she borrowed this movie, and made us watch it. It was sad then, and now.
today, it would probably be no big deal BUT ... she looks 100% white. She looks like a Natalie Wood type. Back in those days if she were to date a black man, they probably would have been killed by some white people or at least seriously hurt on more than one occasion. The way I see it, she had no choice but to be white. I felt sorry for her mom though. Tough situation all around.
@sookiestackhouse2u You're quite right. With Susan Kohner's beautiful, unique look Sarah Jane would have been to "white" to "pass for black" as well. She would have been screwed both ways....and there were and are certainly people in both situations, though, now, it's less of an issue.
come on black people we too have this same very problem stop fucking lying to yourselves im 18 and know it we are obsessed with white features"good hair"
"red bone"
wtf do you think all of that came from...the same mental thinking that sarah jane had...IT'S THE TRUTH AND YOU KNOW IT!!!!!!
This may have been Lana Turner's come-back movie (after a terrible scandal) but it's this story,the one w/Sarah-Jane & her mother Annie,that everyone remembers about this movie,and cares about too! Susan Khoner & Juanita Moore OWN it....
MsRandomnotes1 6 days ago
Annie had a devil child,sara jane should of been named Omen jane as in the Omen
prancer1000 1 week ago
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prancer1000 1 week ago
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i saw this movie yesterday and i started crying...
normandyangel 2 months ago
....... YES " AMERICA DID A JOB ON BLACK FOLKS " A HELL OF A JOB " THAT'S WHAT'S MIS OBAMA WAS TALKING ABOUT BACK IN THE DAY WHEN SHE SAID WHAT SHE SAID ABOUT AMERICA IT WAS JUST WRONG "
stonethugmusic 2 months ago
that ungrateful b****!!
tna1983 2 months ago
My grandmother show me this movie and loved it its like everyday life when a child feels like an outsider and different gay or black or mix but a child always love there mother.
jncofl23 2 months ago
@jncofl23 How can you EVER compare "gay" with being a certain race??? You don't choose to be white, black or any other race! We are bred the way we are born! Wanting the same sex is a choice, not a destination! If I have a penis, I can choose to stick it in a vagina, or have a penis stuck inside me! I can't choose to be a black person or white person, I am born into a race! Not chose into one!
rootboysupreme1 3 days ago
@rootboysupreme1 Speak for yourself! As someone that is black and gay, I can honestly say that I didn't choose either. It's just who I am.
You can choose who you have sex with, but you can't choose who you're attracted to. Sexual orientation is about your ATTRACTION, not your ACTIONS.
I could choose to sleep with a million women, and I still wouldn't be straight. I'd just be a gay guy who sleeps with women(to fit in with the rest of society).
CameronCourts 2 days ago
@CameronCourts Did you think about what you wrote??? "You can choose who you have sex with,..." Okay, maybe you didn't think about it; maybe you did..., but if you reread what I wrote then you'll see that my point was "choice" centered!Whether you like woman or not, you still have a choice! Whether I like ice-cream, vegetables, pizza or not I still have a choice to eat it! BEING BLACK IS NOT A CHOICE, So AGAIN, YOU CAN'T COMPARE THE 2! You have a choice whether you like it or not!
rootboysupreme1 5 hours ago
@CameronCourts It really bugs me when people "gay's" compare the history of blacks to homosexual lifestyle! Do you think our ancestors would have chose another race when they was getn slaughtered??? Obviously..., why do you think perms were invented? And so many other like things? If we could, we prolly would! But we(they) couldn't! It doesn't matter whether your attracted to the opposite sex or not! You have a choice! POINT BLANK...; or blank point!
rootboysupreme1 5 hours ago
@Kelsita0529ballerina white stars still do play the role of mixed or non white people in hollywood films. Angelina Jolie played a mixed race woman in the film a mighty heart and is now set to play cleopatra in the new remake of the film. Hollywood still whitewashes roles sad to say.
lilmissannette 2 months ago
Susan Kohner won a well deserved Golden Globe for this performance and was nomintated for an Academy Award.
KYKIN89 2 months ago
Omg as a mixed person, I cried so hard seeing this movie. My mom was like oh watch this. It was horrible! How she treated her mother was terrible. She looks way more white than me, but I would never deny my heritage. Her poor mother died of a broken heart!
kittykat979 2 months ago
When she has babies they will come out brown. Back then she would have been killed.
lee2tre 3 months ago
Sarah was a BITCH
hellopinkjelly 4 months ago
@hellopinkjelly
It wasn't entirely her fault, think about the time she lived in and how blacks were treated in America at that time. It was horrible, she must have felt that being white was the only way to be happy and successful. Blame SOCIETY, not her.
gatheringleaves 3 months ago 4
If Alan Jackson was Michael Jackson, would he still be The King of Country? If Michael Jackson was Alan Jackson, would he still be The King of Pop-Tops, Off The Charts? What we look like doesn't count an ounce, sings Wilbur in Charlotte's Web. We've all got LOTS in common where it REALLY counts.
redfordforpresident 4 months ago
i remember watching this didn't know the name of it and it really broke my heart to see her try to hide from hr true colors
cetoya 4 months ago
Damn now that's love even when ur child puts u down make u feel lower den durt u still stand and love her that's love
CLASSY1ON1 5 months ago
No other fictional work will ever move me the way Tony Morrison's "The Bluest Eye" did; but this came close.
ducky8abug 5 months ago
Typical negro always on their knees man fuck sarah jane.I wonder will there ever be a day when niggers stop being mammies and thugs.
supremezen77 6 months ago
@supremezen77 Well maybe when you change from a green irish nigger to a pure german inbreed :)
lovedog49507 5 months ago
@supremezen77
Maybe when white people do not reduce us to it. White people set people they deem as inferior up for failure, then blame the victims for the manifestations.
outinsider 5 months ago
@outinsider You can't be any better... Saying 'white people' like we all do that.
JakeIsKlever 4 months ago
@JakeIsKlever
You do. You just don't want to acknowledge your responsibilities regarding that. It's easier on you and harder on those you directly and indirectly oppress on a daily basis.
outinsider 4 months ago
@outinsider ...Sure. I guess you would know, right?
JakeIsKlever 4 months ago
@JakeIsKlever
As a socially designated "other," yes, I do know.
outinsider 4 months ago
excelente !!! filme que deve ser assistido! grande drama!
a cena final do enterro é inesquecivel...
ADIBCD 6 months ago
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JustinBieberDoesAnal 7 months ago
Some resemblance to Brazil?! A mere coincidence, of course.
Einige Ähnlichkeit mit Brasilien?! Ein Zufall, natürlich.
Alguma semelhança com o Brasil?! Mera coincidência, é claro.
cjspinho 7 months ago
What about her unnamed white/tan-colored father!!? What would he say if he knew that his only mixed-race daughter had broke his wife's heart!!? And how would Sara Jane react if she ever got to meet him?
Scoutpower1 7 months ago
Sarah Jane, such a troubled soul.
AveIvy 7 months ago
im crying too much to even watch this, all I can hear are the words.....
riamina1 8 months ago
I really feel for both of them here. :'-(
lilanma 9 months ago
Mama loved her baby, no matter what..
phree2b 10 months ago
Im dumb....dumb.....DUMB!
Funkybunch29 11 months ago
There have been a lot of essays and articles about IOL, and they can be found on google. I have to agree with one of them that says that it's not really the mother SJ is rejecting, it is the mother's life, the mother's acceptance of the system. The most telling line of the film is (in another segment, not this one) when SJ tells Suzy, "Your mother doesn't own me." It does seem that Annie doesn't mind being "owned," so to speak, by Miss Laura, and it just drives SJ crazy throughout the film.
defundthewar 11 months ago
@defundthewar good point. i think you're right.
NOrleansbro 8 months ago
I Loved This Movie Susie Was Such A Twit
george319 11 months ago
This scene never fails to make me (at least) well up with tears. Absolutely incredible. Sirk was a true master of the art of film.
Elanshof2 1 year ago 2
fucking amazing scene!!!
SoYahYah 1 year ago
You can run all you want, Sarah Jane but you cannot run away from who you are!!!
Scoutpower1 1 year ago 13
I saw this for the first time on TV One yesterday (Sunday). Outstanding movie!
LongBeachStudio 1 year ago
@LongBeachStudio aww man its a really good movie, better late then never. the 1959 version is sooo mcuh better than the 1930s one...
SoYahYah 1 year ago
haha! WOW!! I haven't seen this movie in YEARS and I forgot what the title of the movie was but i remember bits and pieces of it. Thanks for posting. They showed this on my tv last night, but I only caught maybe the last half hour. I LOVED this movie.
neetrab 1 year ago
@ nemesis7293 it might sound mean and uncaring but your right. There were people in my family who passed we never met them but we were told. It was like they died to us lol why do you think the word pass was used? Because the people who passed literally died and was reborn white!
brothaman101 1 year ago
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BlazinTrinidad 1 year ago
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today, it would probably be no big deal BUT ... she looks 100% white. She looks like a Natalie Wood type. Back in those days if she were to date a black man, they probably would have been killed by some white people or at least seriously hurt on more than one occasion. The way I see it, she had no choice but to be white. I felt sorry for her mom though. Tough situation all around.
sookiestackhouse2u 1 year ago
@sookiestackhouse2u, that is right! She did look 100% white. I, too, thought of Natalie Wood. She did have to call herself white. What if Brad Pitt were half or a quarter black? I would say, "He still does not look black at all."
It's tough. Dad was white. Mom was black, but Sarah Jane looked white. Period. I saw no problem just being white. Of course, there would be someone saying that she had the genes to have a child who would look like someone with black ancestry, but, oh, well.
sandinyourshoes 3 months ago
"I'm someone else. I'm white. White. WHITE!"
Absoultely, heartbreaking.
And when Annie hugged Sarah Jane all the anger and bitterness just vanished, and for that split second, she was a little girl again. The power of a mother's love.
psychoboysaz 1 year ago 12
Her mother should stop being selfish,she is black her daughter is white she wants to be white so let her
malt8291 1 year ago
@malt8291 This film was made in a time when having one drop of "black" blood in you made you black. Thus her mother wanted her to stop pretending that she was something that she wasn't. Trying to pass as white when you were black is a huge film topic throughout the 20th century. This is also an important clip because the actress playing the "light skinned" daughter is actually white, studios wouldn't cast black actors to play characters such as Sarah Jane. Do some research, then assume things.
Kelsita0529ballerina 1 year ago
@Kelsita0529ballerina The actress playing Sarah Jane, Susan Kohner is actually spanish. Susan's mother was the Mexican actress Lupita Tovar and father Czech producer/agent Paul Kohner. The 1934 version cast a black actress, Freddie Washington. More importantly, in the 1934 version, the two women were business partners and friends rather than employer and domestic helper.
CaptivatingBeauty 1 year ago
@Kelsita0529ballerina, now that is true. Many white stars did play roles of non-whites or mixed people all the time in the yesteryears of Hollywood.
sandinyourshoes 3 months ago
Juanita Moore and Susan Kohner were both literally perfect in "Imitation Of Life". They were both nominated for the Academy Award For Best Supporting Actress. There have, so far as 2010, been only 2 ties in Academy history. There should have been another in 1959. They both deserved that award and should have won it. They both break my heart.
Nemesis7293 1 year ago
i really like this film. It is very moving and heart breaking. The actresses playing sarah jane and her mother were wonderful and should have won awards.
IluvKenji 1 year ago
One of the great American films, wonderful, tragic, deep
pugcharlie 1 year ago
This scene gets me every time...long live Douglas Sirk.
19ccj65 1 year ago
The daughter is a bitch!!!
43christy 1 year ago
@43christy Sarah Jane IS a bitch, but you can really understand why.....and she suffers for it at the end.
Nemesis7293 1 year ago
@midnitegun hahahhaha lol i know i was looking like a racoon for real my cheap eye liner. lmao
boomcc1 1 year ago
It's too bad they had to make the Annie characters face so ashy--look at her chin---this is a sad movie though
49jubilee 1 year ago
Omg this is the saddest thing ever :( I'm sobbing watching this right now, how awful. Poor mom :(
SueNamiii 1 year ago
This is a beautiful movie. And actually made with class; not full of the degradation towards black people that so many movies around this time had. It's realistic and honest and heart-wrenching. The acting is also amazing. Don't let the fact that this movie was made 50 years ago turn you off from watching it. It's a must-see! A version with Claudette Colbert was actually made in 1939, but it's completely offensive and not very well made. Just make sure you pick up this version and not that one.
Omritable 1 year ago
@Omritable The older version ( the 1934 one) is very good too, IMHO. Why do you find it offensive, if I may ask?
scarybozo 1 year ago
@scarybozo First off, the acting was terrible. And- idk- it was offensive towards black people. Not every black person- over even MOST black people- during the time talked and acted like some "mammy." The terrible attempts at humor were completely humorless, and as someone who has some african-american descent I was utterly offended to the point that I actually shut the movie off half way through. I watched the rest later, but God, I was pissed.
Omritable 1 year ago
@Omritable exactly like you said, SOME black people at this time did talk and act like this. SOME,,, this movie shows the people that actually do. I am biracial and my mother and I find this beautiful (Although i am part black i am not as light as Sarah Jane) it is a truly sad film though. I really don't see why you would be offended by this movie. The white characters didn't act in any racial way whatsoever besides Sarah Jane's boyfriend.
elohel9dalton 1 year ago
@elohel9dalton I'm not talking about THIS movie. I'm talking about the 1939 version. You should get smart on what's going on before you jump into conversations that have nothing to do with you.
Omritable 1 year ago
@Omritable haha sorry, i didn't even realize there was an entire conversation before me. I was stating my opinion like you stated yours
elohel9dalton 1 year ago
@Omritable I think you mean the 1934 version.
Nemesis7293 1 year ago
@elohel9dalton ppl need to sit down and comprehend the movie, this was a wonderful movie and i agree with u. sarajane's ass hole boy friend was the only jerk, ppl did'nt see sarah really loved her mom, she just could'nt handle being ridiculed, she never said she wants be white she just did'nt want ppl to know she was black, and during those time i could'nt blame her.
boomcc1 1 year ago
@boomcc1 LOL, I like your way of thinking. You should watch "The human stain", there is a character even more self-hating than Sarah Jane/Peola there.
scarybozo 1 year ago
@scarybozo I would have to disagree. I think Sarah Jane is way more self-hating & cruel than Anthony Hopkin's character was.
TXrangers100 1 year ago
@boomcc1 She would have rather been seen as white. She looks in the mirror & says "I'm white". At that time, I couldn't blacme her either. In that time, I probably would have done the same thing b/c I can easily pass for white. I'm sure many blacks who passed for white like Sarah Jane loved their family members, but they just wanted a better place in society.
TXrangers100 1 year ago
@Omritable Really? I don't think the black woman fits that stereotype at all - judging from this clip at least. I watched her and saw a loving, articulate mother.
DrMBA28 1 year ago
@DrMBA28 Before you start responding to my comments read all of them first. I wasn't talking about THIS movie. I was talking about the 1930's version. Learn to read, thanks.
Omritable 1 year ago
@Omritable If I didn't know how to read I wouldn't have been able to read your comment. Some of us have lives and don't have time to read the backstory on some loser's comment.
DrMBA28 1 year ago
@DrMBA28 If you don't know what someone's referring to then why don't you shut the hell up and keep it moving. And if I'm such a loser then why are you giving me the time of day anyway? If your time is so precious, how have you been able to respond not once but TWICE when you're obviously so busy? Dumb ass.
Omritable 1 year ago
@Omritable You are a taste bereft, fucking moron. Please, refrain from reproducing.
Nemesis7293 1 year ago
@Nemesis7293 Learn to type using proper grammar and I might actually care about a thing you have to say. You ask me to refrain from reproducing because I hate the 1934 version of this movie? Lol you're childish, dramatic, an asshole and an idiot. Go act out your tantrums in real life instead of making a fool of yourself on the internet. Good day to you!
Omritable 1 year ago
trying to fight the tears... and FAILED
nobodyswatchin2002 1 year ago
Her hair's not cutting it for me... Was it really that hard to just get an actual mixed person to do it?
madcadaver 1 year ago
Comment removed
dusroots 1 year ago 19
@dusroots I had to watch this in my film study class, there were really more guys crying at the end than girls
elohel9dalton 1 year ago
@dusroots That part breaks my heart every....single....time!
Nemesis7293 1 year ago
@dusroots I didn't remember that part, so I watched just to see what part you were talking about, and oh my gosh, it almost got me too! Just heartbreaking =(
fnkyfrshdrssed19 11 months ago
@dusroots I feel you. That last scene pushed me over the top
rlazarr 7 months ago
splendid !
TheRedMidget 1 year ago
I have the best mom on world and trying to be as better daughter, but every time I watch this movie I cry... and again I realize that a parent is only friends with no interest
sabinkaca 1 year ago
I like both versions of the film but I like the 1934 version better. In the older film Annie is not the other womens maid. They are freinds. I also liked that in the 1934 version they actually had a light skinned black actress( the beautiful and talented Fredi Washington) play the Sarah Jane role rather than having a white acttress playing the part.
neonmoon82 1 year ago
@neonmoon82 Susan Kohner was not white, that is a color. She had a Mexican mother and a Checaslovokian(didn't spell that right ) father,
cmkoreck 1 year ago
They did a good job in showing what a mind-fuck that slavery and white supremacy is. It screwed up so many people. A real crime against humanity, that the perpetrators and current benefactors have not been punished for. The past is relevant as it creates the present.
monkhillier 1 year ago 28
@monkhillier Very well said.
Omritable 1 year ago
@monkhillier "Current benefactors",....really??? Such as who? Let me guess, you're in favor of reparations for slavery, right? Well, guess what? Since that time, some of your own family might be responsible for those reparations, unless you're perfectly positive that your bloodline contains positively no white blood.
Nemesis7293 1 year ago
too bad that the mother died...
this movie makes me cry more than titanic :'(
Joker1ruler 1 year ago 2
This is a sad and great movie. You should watch the 1934 version too. It's good -- a little closer to the book version. However, the director of the 1959 version had to change it in light of the civil rights movements and social climate. If you can get past the Annie character with the bug-eyed scenes and total "yessum missy." type of dialogue it's good.
acondessa 1 year ago
TEARS
GIVING2 1 year ago
To Nognilk.. you way this movie is on TCM a couple times a year... I watch it whenever it is on. By the way, the movie is posted on Youtube in it's entirety. Now you can watch it any time you want!
Eddiesix 1 year ago
"So honeychile you had a mammy. Yes, all my life" What a great line!! I love it.
Eddiesix 1 year ago
This movie is fantastic. It's one of my favorites. It was made in 1959 but was YEARS ahead of its time in the way it dealt with racial issues. Incredible.
Eddiesix 1 year ago
@Eddiesix I most certainly agree with you that this movie is way way ahead of its time. However I find the "Sarah Jane" storyline disturbing. The negative portrayal of a confused child from an interacial relationship would no doubt consolidate the minds of the people at that time, there should be no mixing of races. Nevertheless, it's a very real character with very real issues. I do like the movie.
Jovitinha 1 year ago
I understand this part a lot cause I'm biracial to and my moms black but most of my biracial friends have white moms and truth be told I'm not afraid of having a black mom but it Is kind of confusing at times so I get Sara Jane a lot...
cassandra2596 1 year ago
@cassandra2596 I guess what you are trying to say is you wish you had a black father and white mother? A black father and black mother are the same. White moms aren't any better than black moms. If your dad instead of you mom was black, then it would be the same-one black parent.
mockingbirdforever 1 year ago
My favorite movie scene of all time. I always cry.
Sarah Jane is the mother of the Wietz brothers (American Pie, Twilight:New Moon).
ch1aka2 1 year ago
Omg, I saw this movie when I was nine and totally forgot about it... thanks Paul you made my month.
cuntcow6 1 year ago
@cuntcow6 i saw it when i was about 9 or 10 also now im 50 and just seeing it again so i thank u too for posting
boomcc1 1 year ago
not everything bad that happens is because of the devil. there needs to be a balance of both good and bad, thats just the way the world works.
iacquirethought 1 year ago
Sarah Jane is a total bitch...
MerleOberon 1 year ago
@MerleOberon lololol
mscaseybabii 1 year ago
she is white!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! rofl she just insulted herself.
ihavemonkeysinmybutt 1 year ago
the young actress looks white,wtf
malt8291 1 year ago
@malt8291 The "young actress" is the brilliant Susan Kohner.......and it's not about how the character looks, but who the character is, and wants to be.
Nemesis7293 1 year ago
THE MOST HEARTBREAKING BEAUTIFUL SCENE IN ALL SCREEN HISTORY. It quivers with truth and feeling. Brilliantly performed and gorgeously scored.
CARSONART 1 year ago
@CARSONART It truly is brilliant. Frank Skinner's genius score adds immeasurably to the power of this film.
Nemesis7293 1 year ago
Great movie !
cincotti 1 year ago
It's SOOO sad how Satan the Devil has created such a divide on our earth throughout history to make the races hate one another. He has wrecked people's lives, even up to this day. It is DISGUSTING. But our God has promised to bring an end to it and we will very soon all live together in peace, in real love, for one another. (Psalm 37:10,11,29)
TheSMMB 1 year ago
@TheSMMB It's such a comfort how God lets suffering and horrors occur and will "someday" put an end to it. "Someday" doesn't do shit!
Nemesis7293 1 year ago
During this period in American history you actually had cases like this in real life.Back in the day it was so hard on black families getting anywhere in life that if they had a child that could pass for white you would have extream measures taken
Useyno 1 year ago
This movie kills me every time.
I don't even relate to any of the characters, and I feel like its happening to me.
It breaks my heart into pieces.
This isn't even the saddest part, and I'm crying.
CarlyIsAGangster 1 year ago 3
@CarlyIsAGangster haha you're crying?...that's not very gangster of you considering your name is carlyisagangster X]...but yeah I can see why people would cry (especially if you're a girl lol)
ismaithleat 1 year ago
no matter how many times i watch this film,i simply cry and cry and cry my heart out, actually i'm crying right now.
luciabubble 1 year ago 2
Thats horrible 2 treat ya own mother that way especially a mother who clearly shows her love..I know this is only a movie but I know someone whose in the same situation,and we've recommded her to watch this movie!Great msg!
shontel1ful 1 year ago 2
I almost cried again!
shawtyjo85 1 year ago
Comment removed
curtisitoable 1 year ago
see the original, howeveer this is the best. There was an Imitation of life before this
143lesbian 1 year ago
A really great film. And quite astounding that Hollywood actually tackled the race issue & the social problems & prejudices at that time.
There's a very interesting line when Annie talks about her friends (at the Church) and Laura says "Friends? Why Annie, it never occurred to me that you might have any friends". Wow !! Powerful stuff all tied-up in a women's-weepie fluffy drama. Love it.
bootsamou 1 year ago 2
@bootsamou I don't think she was trying to be mean, I think laura had never seen annie with anyone other then the people at the house .. Annie said to her 'you never asked"..
ladycatherine 1 year ago
@ladycatherine
Yeah ~ and good old Annie says it in such a sweet way ~ "Why Miss Laura. You never asked". And that itself was a kickintheteeth for Miss Laura. It hadnt even occurred to her ~ she hadnt asked or been interested in Annie's life or what she had done (the things Annie says when she dies are quite a revelation to Miss Laura.). Very telling.
Great that Hollywood tackled this issue, but it would be VERY interesting to see what fee the acress playin Annie actually received.
bootsamou 1 year ago
If this doesnt bring a tear to your eye nothing will
babyycat 2 years ago 7
This movie is classic especially I love the part when Mahalia Jackson sings at the funeral but it was sad at the end though she regretted she did her mama wrong when she died. Some should realize that life is short. Obey Thy Parents as the good bible saids :)
missqueenbeezk 2 years ago 2
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Sarah Jane reminds of the typical educated Black woman in Southern California. Their college degrees causes them to think they are White.
helihellraiser 2 years ago
@helihellraiser What do you mean?
ketchuplittletomato 2 years ago
ca fait 15 fois que je vois ce film et je pleure toujours autant j ai jammais vu un film aussi dur et poignant un vrai chef d oeuvre bravo aux acteurs et surtout juanita moore exelente actrice
nath1164 2 years ago
i like the original version better but that daughter of hers was a bratty little b**ch in both version peola in the original sarah jane in this one, i wanted to smack her in both versions
lovelydiva06 2 years ago
mammie.
123mooa 2 years ago
Such a sad and heartbreaking movie. I loved Juanita Moore's character.
christenemitri 2 years ago 4
this is such a great scene. i played susan kohners part when i was 10 - still have the same name karin dicker. i was in beginning of movie. just went to a 50 yr. celebration at acadamy party and showing. she was there as was juanita moore. i am white Jewish too. it was a very controversial movie in 1959. Life thank goodness is much different now.
auctioneersdaughter 2 years ago 3
@auctioneersdaughter You did a great job. I like the scene you did at the school - really well acted. This is my favorite movie of all time. Thank you for your contribution.
ketchuplittletomato 2 years ago
Comment removed
Nemesis7293 1 year ago
Respond to this video...Ms. Dicker, You gave what surely must be considered one of the most perfect performances ever given by a child on the American screen! You effortlessly portrayed Sarah Jane's pain, longing, and bitterness. That moment during the Christmas scene when you respond that Jesus was "white....like me" is one of the most searingly effective in the whole film. I can only say a profound "thank you" for your profound contribution to the American cinema!
Nemesis7293 1 year ago
Karin, you are a wonderful and talented actress, and the cause of many tears over the years from me and my sister, since we first saw it as kids in 1959. This is our all time favorite movie, and it all started with that beautiful little girl at the beach, crying because she had no place to sleep. Thanks for the memories. Jack
jackiejoe 2 years ago
the tragic mulatto. tsk, tsk, tsk.
silverflyt 2 years ago
@silverflyt The tragic asshole, tsk, tsk, tsk.
Nemesis7293 1 year ago
@Nemesis7293 whatever. who cares. It's just rediculous to me how narrow white hollywood's view of black american life used to be. That's just not how the conversations went in most cases. In most cases, there weren't any conversations. People who could pass just up & left. Didn't tell their black families where they went for fear of being found out. EVER. We still talk about family members who scrammed. Why be black back then if you didn't have to be? Silly movie but E for effort.
silverflyt 1 year ago
WHITE!!! lmao
silverflyt 2 years ago
This is a perfect example of why people who are mostly mixed dont have to choose you can always say you are mixed and be proud, you dont have to choose.
10barbiedollz 2 years ago
I loved this movie and everything especially Mahalia Jackson singing but one thing about the movie I didnt like and everyone will agree with me, if I was that woman i would of whoop that bitch's azz. I hated her character.
jaydawg1965 2 years ago
damn, that gave me chills. BRAVO!!
ifeellikekissing 2 years ago 3
This was one of the saddest movies in Hollywood. The ending is heartbreaking. This is when Hollywood knew how to make movies.
smbok123 2 years ago 8
that actress is white as hell
tigerlost 2 years ago
Susan Kohner is of Jewish and Mexican ancestry
dfsparks2000 2 years ago 4
@tigerlost And how, exactly, do you want a character who is black but able to "pass for white" to look? If she looked black HOW would she be able to pass for white??? Get a clue.
Nemesis7293 1 year ago
This is by far the best scene in Imitation of Life...I wish the entire movie would get posted...I know that the 1934 version with Claudette Colbert is online....
Eddiesix 2 years ago
This is soapy but it works.
yak6ex 2 years ago
This motion picture reminds me of the love of Christ to all mankind, even when we reject His love He continues to love us.
chibuisi 2 years ago 8
@chibuisi I believe that, but I wish he'd make it a little more apparent.
Nemesis7293 1 year ago
cant they show the whole movie pls
TheHallrg 2 years ago
this movie brings me to tears every time, without fail
HisOnly17 2 years ago 5
me too(: hahah
clairerizzle 2 years ago
this is such a wonderful film..i love it!
GoldenCLASSICSatYT 2 years ago 4
this movie is so hard to watch
bellasong75 2 years ago 29
I TOTALLY agree with you.
NJNupe1911 2 years ago
@bellasong75 YES IT IS IT MAKE TEAR COME OUT THE STRONGEST OF MEN WITH A HEART
STLEO1 1 year ago
i feel so bad for her mother :(
as corny as it sounds, this scene
almost tears my heart out :((
cicta 2 years ago 19
@cicta - that's not corny at all. She did her mother so dirty and it brings tears to my eyes every time too!! I cry on so many parts of this movie- so I totally understand.
ojthe3rd 1 year ago
@cicta It doesn't sound corny
STLEO1 1 year ago
@cicta It's not corny, it's true, this scene is heartbreaking. It kills me seeing her treat her loving mother this way. I've never seen this movie. It looks great, but I dont think I can bear to see the whole movie. How can anyone treat their mom this way :( Parents love their children so much, their kids often are so cruel :(
SueNamiii 1 year ago 2
just watched this movie agan, I always try to watch it every now and then.. It reminds me of whn my mom was allive, she borrowed this movie, and made us watch it. It was sad then, and now.
sherelle74 2 years ago
today, it would probably be no big deal BUT ... she looks 100% white. She looks like a Natalie Wood type. Back in those days if she were to date a black man, they probably would have been killed by some white people or at least seriously hurt on more than one occasion. The way I see it, she had no choice but to be white. I felt sorry for her mom though. Tough situation all around.
sookiestackhouse2u 2 years ago 2
@sookiestackhouse2u You're quite right. With Susan Kohner's beautiful, unique look Sarah Jane would have been to "white" to "pass for black" as well. She would have been screwed both ways....and there were and are certainly people in both situations, though, now, it's less of an issue.
Nemesis7293 1 year ago
Favortie movie of all time
kyrboobabii15 2 years ago
This is so sad. I think her mother knows that she is dying and the daughter doesn't know.
SexyAzzHell93 2 years ago
Wow...this is sad.
rassledassle82 2 years ago 5
sum bodii plz download the whole movvie thanxs
LADY8969 2 years ago
come on black people we too have this same very problem stop fucking lying to yourselves im 18 and know it we are obsessed with white features"good hair"
"red bone"
wtf do you think all of that came from...the same mental thinking that sarah jane had...IT'S THE TRUTH AND YOU KNOW IT!!!!!!
lilmamidougiie 2 years ago 4