Imitation of Life (1958)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Pierluigi P

  
  A sweet and sour pie of the morality and values of it's time. Tasty, colorful in the outside, with so much hipocrisy, prejudices lurking inside. Its deep sensitive core could only be reached by Sirk's nobility. His lyrical and non judgemental treatment , helped by one of the… More
  A sweet and sour pie of the morality and values of it's time. Tasty, colorful in the outside, with so much hipocrisy, prejudices lurking inside. Its deep sensitive core could only be reached by Sirk's nobility. His lyrical and non judgemental treatment , helped by one of the best cinematographers that ever was, Mr. Russell Metty, and amazing performers, beginning with a surprisingly good Lana Turner (This and "The Bad and the Beautiful" were without a doubt her finest acting moments).

• Randy T

  
  <i>Imitation of Life</i> is sentimental without being sappy. It's also boldly allegorical without being preachy. I'm tempted to say that it was ahead of its time but, by 1959, it was long overdue.

• Jeremy S

  
  A soul chilling look at life and love, this film is devestating, extreemly moving and ultimately a soul crushing tragedy.

• Mark H

  
  Given her personal life, Lana Turner would seem ideally suited for a movie detailing the problematic relationship between a single mother and her teenage daughter. Indeed it was one of her greatest successes as she is excellent. The plot concerns Lora Meredith, a struggling white… More
  Given her personal life, Lana Turner would seem ideally suited for a movie detailing the problematic relationship between a single mother and her teenage daughter. Indeed it was one of her greatest successes as she is excellent. The plot concerns Lora Meredith, a struggling white widow with a child who befriends Annie Johnson, a single black mother whose husband has likewise passed on. Driven by ambition to succeed as an aspiring actress, she often makes self-serving concessions in her life. Lora regularly relies on her new friend's assistance in raising her daughter, Susie. But Annie has issues dealing with her own daughter, Sarah Jane, who is so light skinned she appears to be white. This becomes a source of contention for the little girl, embarrassed to have a mother who is black. The story touches on everything from strained families and unrequited crushes to the casting couch and racial inequality. Melodramatic? Very, but in a tremendously enjoyable way. It does seem dated, but entertains despite, or perhaps because of it. Juanita Moore is most engaging as the selfless Annie. She's sincere, sweet and dignified. She rightfully received an Oscar nomination for her part. Also receiving a nomination was Susan Kohner as the daughter who resents her. Her performance, however, is much more overwrought. The script doesn't present her as fully formed a character in the way that her actions don't always seem reasonable, especially to a modern audience. Artificial soap opera dressed up as exquisite drama has all the hallmarks of a Douglas Sirk Hollywood picture. It's colorful, glossy and unapologetically old-fashioned. At first glance it's easy to be mesmerized by the well appointed sets, lavish costumes, and cinematography. But beneath the stylish surface, the action casually unfolds as a harsh critique of contemporary American 1950s society. It's (thankfully) a subtle theme, one that slowly creeps up on you well after the film is over.

• Bob O

  
  Douglas Sirk's classic weepy about our innate tendency to inadvertantly drive away the ones we love the most. Lana Turner and Juanita Moore give particularly outstanding performances.

• AJ V

  
  Sometimes this movie is overly melodramatic, and gets on my nerves a little, but the story is really good and very realistic. This is a remake of the thirties film, but it's slightly better made. It's a really good movie, and I recommend seeing it.

• Stella D

  
  so it's a big soapy melodrama like i always suspected. not a huge fan of glamour girl turner and sandra dee is just annoying, but it has some painful things to say about race relations in the 50's. it was a brave film that made people think, i hope. i felt sorry for sara… More
  so it's a big soapy melodrama like i always suspected. not a huge fan of glamour girl turner and sandra dee is just annoying, but it has some painful things to say about race relations in the 50's. it was a brave film that made people think, i hope. i felt sorry for sara jane; who wouldn't try to pass in those circumstances? i kinda wanted annie to get pissed off and quit acting like a maid too. it was cool to see mahalia jackson at the end. i wouldn't have watched this if it wasn't for kevin's rave review and he's right: it was long overdue

• Michael G

  
  I liked but didn't love Imitation of Life. The titles were fantastic but Douglas Sirk didn't let it as loose as he did with All That Heaven Allows and Written on the Wind when it came to the landscapes and his trademarked colors. I got the message that Sirk was conveying but… More
  I liked but didn't love Imitation of Life. The titles were fantastic but Douglas Sirk didn't let it as loose as he did with All That Heaven Allows and Written on the Wind when it came to the landscapes and his trademarked colors. I got the message that Sirk was conveying but I didn't really care about any of the characters. Lana Turner was kind of dead behind the eyes and artificial, Susie was generally vacuous and Sarah Jane was a raging asshole. Annie was awesome though. When people talk about how they cry at the end, I feel the intense urge to tell them to stop watching The View and to quit peeing while sitting down. But that last scene made that urge go away.

• jay n

  
  almost obsenely lush, easy to get caught up in and moving

• Deb S

  
  The story begins in post WWII NYC when Lana Turner (in the role of a struggling actress) hires a maid Annie (Juanita Moore) to work for and live with Turner and her then 7 year old daughter (same age as the maid's little girl). Times are tough at first, but the foursome gets on… More
  The story begins in post WWII NYC when Lana Turner (in the role of a struggling actress) hires a maid Annie (Juanita Moore) to work for and live with Turner and her then 7 year old daughter (same age as the maid's little girl). Times are tough at first, but the foursome gets on fine. Only little Sarah Jane (the maid's daughter) has constant trouble accepting her color and her "African American" mother whom she blames for preventing her from trying to pass off as white. Years pass, the family gains a good fortune and the girls grow up to young women, but life is not just constant bliss: the racial self-hatred of Sarah Jane (now played by Susan Kohner) is seriously affecting her life and self-image and she never misses the opportunity to degrade and humiliate her Mom for just being a maid while the teenaged Susie (Sandra Dee) develops feelings for Steve Archer (John Gavin), the potential fiancé of Lora which predictably leads to trouble. Ostensibly Lana Turner portrays the main character. Hers is the familiar, rags-to-riches tale, made even more glamorous by its show business context. But by the end of the film, her story is secondary. What makes this movie fascinating are the scenes between long suffering Annie and her daughter Sarah Jane. This is definitely a tear jerker so be sure to have a box of tissues for the film's conclusion.

• Emily B

  
  As with other Sirk films it is overly melodramatic but it's a real tearjerker too. Obviously it brings to light some important racial issues of the time. Juanita Moore and Susan Kohner are the real stars here, their scenes together are heartbreaking but wonderfully played. If… More
  As with other Sirk films it is overly melodramatic but it's a real tearjerker too. Obviously it brings to light some important racial issues of the time. Juanita Moore and Susan Kohner are the real stars here, their scenes together are heartbreaking but wonderfully played. If your not already starting to choke up then your certainly will at the funeral scene. Overall great performances, moving story and also lovely to look at.

• Sean S

  
  Super-melodramatic movie that is designed to pull on your heartstrings. Jaunita Moore's performance and her relationship with her daughter steals the show.

• Audrey L

  
  I need to see this again-been way too long.

• Robert F

  
  Beware: Mass Amounts of Melodrama! I was shocked at how many issues to do with feminism and race relations they managed to tackle in this film. Overall, it was quite entertaining, and upon further reflection, it's a very well-constructed tragedy - one mother dedicates her life to… More
  Beware: Mass Amounts of Melodrama! I was shocked at how many issues to do with feminism and race relations they managed to tackle in this film. Overall, it was quite entertaining, and upon further reflection, it's a very well-constructed tragedy - one mother dedicates her life to her work, and ends up alienating her daughter. The other mother dedicates her life to her daughter, and the daughter grows up to hate her. Oh, and then she dies. Charming, really!

Read all 14 featured audience ratings