Skip to content

Back to Blu-ray

Imitation of Life - The Criterion Collection

£22.99

Released: 27th February 2023. Melodrama master JOHN M. STAHL (Magnificent Obsession) brings his exquisite restraint and almost spiritually pure visual style to this devastating, enduringly relevant story of mothers and daughters. Imitation of Life explores the friendship between two struggling single mothers: one (It Happened One Night’s CLAUDETTE COLBERT) a workingclass white woman who ascends to the top of the business world, the other (Beulah’s LOUISE BEAVERS) her Black housekeeper, whose life is shattered by the rejection of her rebellious, white-passing daughter (One Mile from Heaven’s FREDI WASHINGTON). It is this latter relationship— attuned to America’s bitter racial realities and heartbreakingly enacted by trailblazing Black performers Beavers and Washington—that lends the film its transcendent emotional power. This first adaptation of Fannie Hurst’s best-selling novel boldly confronts the complexities and contradictions of racial identity, economic exploitation, and the limits of the American dream. SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack New interview with Miriam J. Petty, author of Stealing the Show: African American Performers and Audiences in 1930s Hollywood, about the resonance of Louise Beavers’s and Fredi Washington’s performances New interview with Imogen Sara Smith, contributor to The Call of the Heart: John M. Stahl and Hollywood Melodrama, about director John M. Stahl and his work with actor Claudette Colbert and others Trailer English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing PLUS: An essay by Petty

More info

Format

Blu-ray

There was an error adding this product to your basket. Please try again.

Ring & Reserve

*Availability subject to change.

To reserve this item in store, call: 03333 230 667

Delivery to the UK only
*Free UK delivery on orders over £20
(exclusions apply)
Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Click & Collect
Get it delivered to a store near you with FREE Click & Collect available on this product.
  • Details

    Released:
    27th February 2023
    Category:
    Drama
    Studio:
    Sony Pictures Home Ent.
    Format:
    Blu-ray
    Barcode:
    5050629610536
  • Description

    Melodrama master JOHN M. STAHL (Magnificent Obsession) brings his exquisite restraint and almost spiritually pure visual style to this devastating, enduringly relevant story of mothers and daughters. Imitation of Life explores the friendship between two struggling single mothers: one (It Happened One Night’s CLAUDETTE COLBERT) a workingclass white woman who ascends to the top of the business world, the other (Beulah’s LOUISE BEAVERS) her Black housekeeper, whose life is shattered by the rejection of her rebellious, white-passing daughter (One Mile from Heaven’s FREDI WASHINGTON). It is this latter relationship— attuned to America’s bitter racial realities and heartbreakingly enacted by trailblazing Black performers Beavers and Washington—that lends the film its transcendent emotional power. This first adaptation of Fannie Hurst’s best-selling novel boldly confronts the complexities and contradictions of racial identity, economic exploitation, and the limits of the American dream.

    SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
    • 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
    • New interview with Miriam J. Petty, author of Stealing the Show: African American Performers and Audiences in 1930s Hollywood, about the resonance of Louise Beavers’s and Fredi Washington’s performances
    • New interview with Imogen Sara Smith, contributor to The Call of the Heart: John M. Stahl and Hollywood Melodrama, about director John M. Stahl and his work with actor Claudette Colbert and others
    • Trailer
    • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
    • PLUS: An essay by Petty
    Region Code:
    Region B
    Extras:
    Language(s): English, Interactive Menu
  • Delivery and Returns

    Delivery charges

    • Orders under £20 - £2.99 postage fee
    • Orders £20 and over - FREE*
    • Click & Collect - FREE**
    • Express Delivery - £5.99
    *Selected items are only available for shipping via a dedicated delivery service for a charge.
    **Selected items are only available for delivery using Click & Collect to an hmv or FOPP store of your choice.

    For more information, please visit the Delivery section of our Help Centre.


    When will my order arrive?

    • We aim to dispatch orders within 24 hours* 
    • Standard delivery is a Royal Mail Tracked 48® service and usually arrives within 2-5 working days, including Saturdays. 
    • Express delivery is either a Royal Mail Tracked 24® or DPD service, for delivery within two working days (if ordered by 2pm, Monday to Friday - excluding public holidays).
    • We’ll aim to dispatch pre-orders so that you receive them on the release date.
    *Please be advised that due to the busy season, there are a few delays to our usual dispatch times. We'll send you an email to let you know as soon as your order is on the way, thank you for your patience. 

    *Items must be in stock to be dispatched within these timeframes. Where an item is 'Back in stock soon', we'll aim to receive more stock within a week and will dispatch orders once the stock has arrived.

    For more information, please visit the Delivery section of our Help Centre.

    Will you tell me when my order is on its way?

    • We’ll send you a dispatch email when your items are on their way, but you can also check the status of your order in your account.
    • We don’t always ship everything together so check your dispatch email for more details - we’ll send you a dispatch email per parcel.
    • If your order contains items that are out of stock, we’ll ship the in-stock items as soon as we can and will dispatch the out-of-stock items as soon as we’ve received more stock.
    For more information, please visit the Delivery section of our Help Centre.


    Trusted Suppliers

    Products labelled '*item fulfilled by Exertis on behalf of hmv' will be supplied to you directly by Exertis via their approved couriers. When you place an order for an item that is fulfilled by Exertis, your details shall be forwarded to them so that they can fulfil the order, and to their courier so that they can deliver the item.


    Returns

    • We're happy to accept returns for unwanted items provided that they're returned within 14 days of receipt; unopened, unused and in perfect condition.
    • Some exclusions apply, please visit the Returns section of our Help Centre for more details. 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Sign-up for emails

Sign-up for emails

Sign-up for emails

I'd love to hear about offers and promotions from hmv*