Taglines: “I’ll get the things I want out of life, one way or another… from one man to another!”
Imitation of Life movie storyline. Lora Meredith (Lana Turner) is a struggling actress with a 6-year-old daughter, Susie. She hires an African American woman, Annie Johnson, as a maid. Annie has an 8-year-old daughter, Sarah Jane, who instantly befriends Susie. Sarah Jane is light-skinned and does her best to pass herself as white at school and in social circles. This is to her advantage because of the racist laws and social mores of the time.
However, her mother is always quick to point out that Sarah Jane is her daughter, and this hinders her. Fast forward 10 years, and Lora is now a Broadway star. An old flame, Steve Archer, has reappeared in her life, and daughter Susie is smitten with him. Meanwhile, Sarah Jane is trying to make her way in the world, socially and career-wise, but her idealistic, hard-headed, clingy mother is still embarrassing and hindering her.
Imitation of Life is a 1959 American drama film directed by Douglas Sirk, produced by Ross Hunter and released by Universal International. It was Sirk’s final Hollywood film and dealt with issues of race, class and gender. Imitation of Life is the second film adaptation of Fannie Hurst’s 1933 novel of the same name; the first, directed by John M. Stahl, was released in 1934.
The film’s top-billed stars are Lana Turner and John Gavin, and the cast also features Sandra Dee, Dan O’Herlihy, Susan Kohner, Robert Alda and Juanita Moore. Kohner and Moore received Academy Award nominations for their performances. Gospel music star Mahalia Jackson appears as a church choir soloist.
In 2015, the United States Library of Congress selected Imitation of Life for preservation in the National Film Registry, finding it “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” The original 1934 version of Imitation of Life was added to the National Film Registry in 2005.
Sirk’s Imitation of Life premiered in Chicago on March 17, 1959, followed by Los Angeles on March 20 and New York City on April 17. Following its New York opening, it became number one in the US for two weeks before Universal put the film into general release on April 30. Though it was not well-reviewed upon its original release and was viewed as inferior to the original 1934 film version – many critics derided the film as a “soap opera,” – Imitation of Life was the fourth-most successful motion picture of 1959, grossing $6.4 million.
Imitation of Life was Universal-International’s top-grossing film that year, and ranked as Universal’s most successful film until the release of Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967).[13][unreliable source?] Hiro wrote that in contrast to the novel, this film and the previous film received “far more critical attention”, with the second film being “more famous” compared to the first.
Both Moore and Kohner were nominated for the 1959 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and the 1959 Golden Globe award for Best Supporting Actress. While neither actress won the Oscar, Kohner won the Golden Globe for her performance. Moore won second place in the category of Top Female Supporting Performance at the 1959 Laurel Awards, and the film won Top Drama. Douglas Sirk was nominated for the 1959 Directors Guild of America Award.
Imitation of Life (1959)
Directed by: Douglas Sirk
Starring: Lana Turner, Juanita Moore, John Gavin, Sandra Dee, Susan Kohner, Robert Alda, Dan O’Herlihy, Than Wyenn, Karin Dicker, Terry Burnham, Ann Robinson, Troy Donahue, Sandra Gould
Screenplay by: Eleanore Griffin, Allan Scott
Production Design by:
Cinematography by: Russell Metty
Film Editing by: Milton Carruth
Costume Design by: Bill Thomas
Set Decoration by: Russell A. Gausman, Julia Heron
Art Direction by: Alexander Golitzen, Richard H. Riedel
Music by: Frank Skinner, Henry Mancini
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Universal Pictures
Release Date: April 30, 1959 (United States)
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