MovieChat Forums > Imitation of Life (1959) Discussion > Annie's wish for a big funeral.

Annie's wish for a big funeral.

posted 15 years ago by sylvia67
27 replies | jump to latest

i have always wondered about this, apparently Miss Lora paid her pretty well and she could have spent her money on other things to enjoy in this life, but she was so focused on that funeral, why?
Was it a way to show people "Hey, I might have been "just a servant" in this life, but my life was important, i did matter to people, I was respected/loved etc/?" It was more about who would be there, her leaving this life in a dramatic way... I mean unless you believe you are there in spirit, it is not like you get to participate in this show...

[–] soap_luvr-2 15 years ago

Your funeral is your "homegoing"....going Home to meet God. So it's a day of rejoicing for the family/friends left behind. Just a way of gloryfying your life while you were here on Earth. I loved Annie's funeral.

I Love....ME!!!!

[–] sylvia67 15 years ago

i did too. it tore me up inside to watch. if that scene doesnt affect a person they are cold as ice or made of steel..

[–] jackiefoxybrown 11 years ago

It was touching, but I thought it was really morbid for her to plan her funeral.

[–] Molly-31 11 years ago

It was smart.

You've got me?! Who's got you?!

[–] Molly-31 11 years ago

Me too, and Mahalia knocks my socks off.

You've got me?! Who's got you?!

[–] hodie 11 years ago

Mahalia Jackson's voice gave me chills during her solo. Magnificent.

Get me a bromide! And put some gin in it!

[–] Molly-31 14 years ago

Ann's funeral was traditional for Afro-Americans of her generation, church and background. It was very normal to save $ for a fancy funeral, like the previous commenter said, to celebrate "going home" to God.

She was smart, she had everything planned and written out beforehand. I need to do that.

Let's just say that God doesn't believe in me.

[–] jgrv-1 14 years ago

This made much more sense in the original 1934 movie.

Lora (named Bea in the original movie) and Annie (named Delilah) went into business together. Bea put up a great deal of money to invest in Delilah's special pancake recipe and they both made millions. So Delilah was a very wealthy woman by the time she died. She could easily afford a lavish funeral.

[–] msnell10 14 years ago

I agree that Annie's funeral was lovely, but I feel that it was a waste this is the only thing she splurged on in her life after scrimping and saving. She could have taken a nice vacation or bought herself something she always wanted and still had a nice funeral. I save money but l splurge on occasion. My family could give me a modest funeral and keep the money. I won't be able to enjoy it anymore!

I don't have low self esteem. I have low esteem for everyone else.

[–] b73142 14 years ago

Annie said that 2 of the most important days of a person's life are their wedding & their funeral. I can see why she spent so much on it. She was going home(as she called it).

[–] charcas67 13 years ago

Annie's desire for a big funeral with a parade and marching horses also speaks to how deep down she shares similar ambitions as Lora and Sarah Jane, both of whom go into show business as performers. And also to give herself, posthumously, a chance to be the center of attention after a life spent in the background.

[–] chromesthesia 13 years ago

Hurm. I would have had all of that while I'm alive!

He said,
"Just put your feet down child,
'Cause you're all grown up now."

[–] MIchiganJFrogg 13 years ago

A big fancy funeral would not matter much to me either, but everyone is different. Some people decide to have a huge expensive wedding, and others go for a small wedding to save the money for a house down payment. I have known people who were very concerned about their funeral, to the extent that they selected what food they wanted served, and the music they wanted played. It is not unrealistic that Annie would have chosen this.
Another aspect to consider is that Annie may not have had much other use for the money. In that era, she might have been blocked from buying a nice house, going to the fancy restaurants, etc...

[–] cerelle81 13 years ago

I agree with the first poster. I always saw that funeral as a way of Annie saying "I may have been just a servant, but I was important to people's lives, I made a difference, I did matter". Look again at the heart-to-heart scene where Annie revealed that she was a vital member of her community and her church, and that there was more to her life than Lora thought there was.

[–] Molly-31 9 years ago

This x10000000.

Well, the city's being built and I'm winning this game. So don't interrupt us with trifles.

[–] Ms_Coen 13 years ago

I guess she wanted to experience in death what she hadn't experienced in life. She wasn't given the lavish treatment in life, especially since Sarah Jane pretty much internalized the shame caused by a racist society and shunned Annie as a result.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0kvh4ZsgI1qd7icpo4_250.gif

[–] daron611 12 years ago

Maybe this is taking the cynical view, but to me, Annie's wish for a big, fancy funeral was merely a plot contrivance designed to justify the lavish, dramatic funeral scene at the end. All through the movie, Annie was portrayed as a quiet, modest, self-effacing woman. Her desire for a big, over-the-top, ostentatious funeral seemed out of character and did not ring true for me. Just a clunky plot device...one of many. But, for all its flaws, I found the movie very entertaining!

[–] candacbap-88-377616 12 years ago

Something is wrong with you.

[–] bradford-1 12 years ago

The problem with your funeral (modest or lavish) is that you're the guest of honor, but you ain't there! I have been working on a dvd to be played at my memorial service in which I praise some and rip new ones in others. I alter it every few months.
"May I bone your kipper, Mademoiselle?"

[–] msnell10 11 years ago

That video goodbye is a great idea! Perfect way to continuously tell someone to forever kiss my ass from beyond the grave!

"I try to know everyone. You never know who you may need."- Tyrian Lannister
" I don't have low self esteem. I have low esteem for everyone else." -Daria

[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] dmedinacooper 11 years ago

You're not right, yendor. It wasn't a plot device. It was cultural. As someone alluded to above, dying, going home was something to celebrate. Celebrations were an event. Think New Orleans funerals. There's sadness at the loss of someone you love, but there's joy in that person being reunited with the Lord in Heaven. In the African American community, church is where most wealth is displayed (Sunday's best) and a funeral is a religious ceremony. She wasn't a timid, quiet woman. She didn't need to be ostentatious, but she had a full life with friends, was a member in many social organizations and lived a life of service to not only Lora but to the community in general. Did you see all the people at her funeral? She was quiet at home because that's her nature; she appeared timid, because that's how people interpreted her role at Lora's, but when she needed to get something done, she did (No Mr. Steve, I'll fly)!

It's interesting how many people miss those aspects of her character. She didn't need to stay with Lora as her housekeeper, but she did because she loved Lora and probably felt no one else could do it better. But probably also because her life at Lora's allowed her to do all the things she wanted to do. So yes, a big funeral to go home in style. She didn't need anything else.

[–] MaeBeaBaeBea 11 years ago

I always thought that Annie had a life full of friends, and that she probably gave most of her money to those in need, and to her church. As you said, that type of funeral was not all that uncommon for the wealthy, (especially down south), and Annie was wealthy. As a beloved member of her church, and known by hundreds of people, it's not surprising that the church itself sponsored a great deal of the service. The choir was probably part of the service, and I always felt that Annie knew Mahalia Jackson, and that's why she was there, for Annie. Annie's unknown life (to us) was probably somewhat extraordinary, as well as was her innate and bountiful goodness. I'm sure that Lora too contributed to the service, and Annie's wishes were carried out, probably much more than she even imagined.

What's next? Prostitutes rising from the ground and spitting all over my lawn?

[–] thepixinator 11 years ago

Brilliant reply. I noticed the "No Mr. Steve, I'll fly" too. Way to let him know she thought more of herself than did her closest white friends, and she spent so much time with them they were like a second family!

----------------

A life lived in fear is a life half-lived

... Strictly Ballroom

[–] hodie 11 years ago

Just about the last thing she said to Lora was that the two greatest days in life were your wedding day and the day you died; the latter was when you left this vale of tears and went to join God. She said she wanted the funeral procession to be grand and high-stepping as if she were "going to Glory." I loved it! Especially the white horses pulling the carriage that held her coffin.

Get me a bromide! And put some gin in it!

[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] disinterested_spectator 10 years ago

What amused me is the way Annie, on her death bed, expresses her hope that she will be among the sheep and not the goats when she meets her maker, and then immediately follows that up with the sin of pride, saying how important it was for her to have a lavish funeral. The only other movies I have seen with a funeral like hers were gangster movies.