Claudette Colbert, Louise Beavers, Fredi Washington, Warren William. Originally released as a motion picture in 1934. Full screen (1.33:1). 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack. Special features: new interview with Miriam J. Petty, author of Stealing tyhe 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. Accompanied by folded insert containing an essay by Miriam J. Petty.
Summary:
It explores the friendship between two struggling single mothers: one a working-class white woman who ascends to the top of the business world, and the other her Black housekeeper, whose life is shattered by the rejection of her rebellious, white-passing daughter. 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.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.