Imitation of Life: 2-Movie Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Imitation of Life: 2-Movie Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

Two Imitations

Reviewed by Michael Reuben April 12, 2015

Fannie Hurst's 1933 novel, Imitation of Life, was an unlikely property to be turned into one movie, let alone two, because, despite its popularity, it dealt with a touchy subject in America: race relations. But Carl Laemmle, Jr., who took over Universal Studios in 1928, was a notorious risk-taker (which eventually cost him his position). It was Laemmle who acquired Hurst's novel for the studio and produced the first filmed version in 1934, directed by John M. Stahl in black-and-white and starring Claudette Colbert. The second adaptation appeared twenty-five years later, with a significantly re-conceived script, a leading lady of an entirely different temperament and screen presence, Lana Turner, and a director whose colorful cinematic style was the very opposite of Stahl's, Douglas Sirk.

Universal Home Entertainment is releasing both versions of the film on a single Blu-ray disc, and the results are impressive. Each film is reviewed separately. Links are provided below.

For further discussion of the 1934 Imitation of Life, see the full Blu-ray review.

For further discussion of the 1959 Imitation of Life, see the full Blu-ray review.

Imitation of Life: 2-Movie Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

1934 version; additional screenshots may be found here:

Despite being placed on a single Blu-ray disc with the 1959 version of Imitation of Life, the 1934 adaptation, with beautiful black-and-white photography by Merritt B. Gerstad (A Night at the Opera), looks exceptional in this 1080p, AVC-encoded presentation from Universal. Since the studio does not typically provide information about source materials or transfers, one can only judge by the results, which approach (although they don't quite equal) the best B&W Warner transfers from this era. Detail is plentiful, black levels and contrast appear to be correct, and the shades of gray have been delineated with sufficient accuracy to give the image a sense of depth. A fine and natural grain pattern is readily visible without becoming obvious or intrusive, and the image does not appear to have suffered from Universal's reflex habit of applying any artificial sharpening.

The average bitrate of 22.998 Mbps isn't generous, but it appears to have been sufficient for a B&W film with little action and large "windowbox" bars. Artifacts were not an issue.


1959 version; additional screenshots may be found here:

Imitation of Life was shot by Douglas Sirk's usual Hollywood cinematographer, Russell Metty, who would later win an Oscar shooting Spartacus for Stanley Kubrick. Even more than with the 1935 version of the film with which it shares a single Blu-ray disc, I wish that Universal had provided information regarding the source and mastering, because this 1080p, AVC-encoded presentation raises some interesting questions.

First, it has been widely reported that Universal recently undertook a 4k restoration of Sirk's Imitation of Life, the results of which have played at a few specialty venues. One hopes that the same restoration provided the source for the Blu-ray, but nothing is certain, especially since Blu-ray discs often enter production many months in advance of street date. Second, the film's aspect ratio on this Blu-ray is 2.00:1, whereas previous DVD releases have been framed at 1.85:1, which, by 1959, was an established standard. No explanation has been offered for the change. According to people who have an earlier DVD release (which I do not), the new framing does not crop significant picture information but in fact adds information on the top and sides.

While these questions cannot be answered at this time (and I will update the review if I learn more), one can certainly appreciate the richness and intensity of the Blu-rays colors, which are crucial to Sirk's visual design. His use of reds, yellows and blues, both compositionally and thematically, are essential to the tone of each scene and the overall impact of the film, and the Blu-ray delivers these colors in their varied hues with authority and conviction. Detail is generally quite good, although it suffers in some shots that obviously involve either opticals or rear projection (e.g., in the opening sequence at the beach). In crucial scenes where characters are deliberately obscured (by mirrored reflections, shutters, grilles or some other distortion deliberately blocking the camera's view), the level of fine detail is sufficient to make out both the character and the object blocking them, which is essential to the artistic effect.

Black levels and contrast appear to be properly set, and the film's grain pattern appears natural. The average bitrate is exactly the same for the 1959 version as for the 1934, at 22.998 Mbps. Here, too, while I would have preferred more bandwidth, the result appears to be without blemish.

Imitation of Life: 2-Movie Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

1934 version:

The original mono soundtrack has been encoded as lossless DTS-HD MA 2.0, with identical left and right channels. It sounds fine, given the age of the soundtrack. The dialogue is clear, as are the sound effects. (The film was nominated for an Oscar for its sound recording.) The score by Heinz Roemheld (Yankee Doodle Dandy ) is used sparingly, which gives it much greater impact when it does appear. Within the limits of the dynamic range of which the then-current technology was capable, it sounds quite good.


1959 version:

The original mono soundtrack has been encoded as lossless DTS-HD MA 2.0, with identical left and right channels. The dialogue and sound effects are clear, but Sirk's version relies much more heavily on music to carry the film's emotional freight than did the 1934 adaptation. The score by Sirk's usual composer, Frank Skinner (Harvey), is lushly emotive or, depending on one's orientation, flat-out manipulative. The high end sometimes pushes the limits of the recording technology, and I do not recommend turning up the volume too loudly, but the fault is in the original soundtrack. The recording of gospel singer Mahalia Jackson performing "Trouble of the World" is excellent, as is the performance of the film's title song by Earl Grant over the opening titles (music by Sammy Fain, lyrics by Paul Francis Webster).

Imitation of Life: 2-Movie Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Please see the individual reviews for the lists of extras.

Imitation of Life: 2-Movie Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Director John M. Stahl's 1934 Imitation of Life is much more literal and "square" than the more-admired and studied adaptation directed by Douglas Sirk in 1959, but that very lack of artifice is one of the film's great strengths. By hewing more closely to Hurst's original novel and eschewing the directorial filigree for which Sirk was noted, Stahl's version preserves the focus on the story's core dilemma, which is all about race. Sirk may have been the more inventive cinematic artist, but Stahl was a more effective social realist, even within the strictures of the Hays Code and the prevailing mores of the time.

From a different perspective, however, Sirk and Imitation of Life were a perfect match. Sirk was famous for working in the narrative form known as "melodrama", a term that has acquired a bad reputation, although I'm not sure why, given the continued popularity of sci-fi, fantasy and comic book films. Where would any of those genres be without the big emotions, impossible choices forced on characters by circumstances and grand gestures that are the hallmarks of melodrama? Sirk just happened to be interested in a different genre, one dominated by women (hence the term "woman's film") and, at its best, animated by issues of genuine relevance. Imitation of Life was an ideal story for his talents. Both adaptations have their virtues, and both remain relevant. Highly recommended.