I've seen the remake of this story, of which I'm a big fan, countless times, and I finally saw the original version over the weekend. Overall, the remake to is more believable and much more entertaining. The story is about two sets of moms and daughters; in the original they are Delilah and Peola (the black mom and daughter) and Bea and Jessie (white mom and daughter); in the remake they are renamed Annie and Sarah Jane (black) and Lora and Suzy (white). As a black man, the original left me angered in its depiction of black people; as an actor, it left me bored due to the painfully slow pace, bad acting, unnecessary dialogue, pointless camera shots and ludicrousness.
In the original, Delilah (black mom) is not a real person. Yes, blacks in the 1930's had to be subservient to whites, but Delilah takes her servant status too far. She forgoes financial independence in favor of continuing to be a maid and mammy to her white employers! In reality, blacks of the 30's would have jumped at the option of financial independence and stability over a lifetime of voluntary servitude. As other comments have stated, the original shows the black mom (Delilah) speaking in broken English, which portrays her as charmingly ignorant. Thankfully in the remake, the black mom (Annie) is smarter and more dignified as she uses mostly correct grammar and different tactics to get Sarah Jane (her daughter) to embrace her racial identity; in the original Delilah kept using the same weak excuse to force her daughter Peola to embrace her identity.
In the original version, the both daughters are poorly fleshed out. All we really know about them is that Peola doesn't want to be black, and that Jessie is on vacation from school and gets a crush on mom's boyfriend (who says he's 37, but is clearly at least 50). In the remake, we get to see beneath the surface of the daughters; we learn that Suzy feels unloved by her mother, and that Sarah Jane is willing to endure lies and heartbreak in order to have more opportunities in life. The remake also depicts the daughters as friends, while in the original, Jessie (white daughter) seems to care less about Peola's (black daughter's) situation or feelings.
The original's only advantage over the remake is the friendship between the mothers; it shows a greater arc of the women's relationship over time. To the original's credit, Bea is considerate of Delilah when she offers Delilah a small cut of the business profits; very few white women would have acknowledged a black woman with a business deal in the 30's. Bea and Delilah frankly and intimately discuss very personal issues, considering the era and their racial difference. Bea also repeatedly takes a sincere and active interest in helping Delilah through her difficulties with her daughter. In the remake, the mothers' relationship mostly remains on the maid/boss level, with Lora (white mom) showing occasional interest in Annie's (black mom) plight when it's convenient for Lora.
The remake has a higher entertainment value because it is in color, has a heightened sense of melodrama (gotta love Lana Turner's over the top acting), and is generally more glamorous (prettier actors, nicer costumes, the tried-and-true story of a struggling actress who makes it big, and the very elegant opening credits).
In the original, Delilah (black mom) is not a real person. Yes, blacks in the 1930's had to be subservient to whites, but Delilah takes her servant status too far. She forgoes financial independence in favor of continuing to be a maid and mammy to her white employers! In reality, blacks of the 30's would have jumped at the option of financial independence and stability over a lifetime of voluntary servitude. As other comments have stated, the original shows the black mom (Delilah) speaking in broken English, which portrays her as charmingly ignorant. Thankfully in the remake, the black mom (Annie) is smarter and more dignified as she uses mostly correct grammar and different tactics to get Sarah Jane (her daughter) to embrace her racial identity; in the original Delilah kept using the same weak excuse to force her daughter Peola to embrace her identity.
In the original version, the both daughters are poorly fleshed out. All we really know about them is that Peola doesn't want to be black, and that Jessie is on vacation from school and gets a crush on mom's boyfriend (who says he's 37, but is clearly at least 50). In the remake, we get to see beneath the surface of the daughters; we learn that Suzy feels unloved by her mother, and that Sarah Jane is willing to endure lies and heartbreak in order to have more opportunities in life. The remake also depicts the daughters as friends, while in the original, Jessie (white daughter) seems to care less about Peola's (black daughter's) situation or feelings.
The original's only advantage over the remake is the friendship between the mothers; it shows a greater arc of the women's relationship over time. To the original's credit, Bea is considerate of Delilah when she offers Delilah a small cut of the business profits; very few white women would have acknowledged a black woman with a business deal in the 30's. Bea and Delilah frankly and intimately discuss very personal issues, considering the era and their racial difference. Bea also repeatedly takes a sincere and active interest in helping Delilah through her difficulties with her daughter. In the remake, the mothers' relationship mostly remains on the maid/boss level, with Lora (white mom) showing occasional interest in Annie's (black mom) plight when it's convenient for Lora.
The remake has a higher entertainment value because it is in color, has a heightened sense of melodrama (gotta love Lana Turner's over the top acting), and is generally more glamorous (prettier actors, nicer costumes, the tried-and-true story of a struggling actress who makes it big, and the very elegant opening credits).