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Imitation of Life (Widescreen)
- Starring: Lana Turner, John Gavin, Juanita Moore
- Director: Douglas Sirk
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Description
This glamorized remake of the 1934 film Imitation of Life bears only a passing resemblance to its source, the best-selling novel by Fannie Hurst. Originally, the heroine was a widowed mother who kept the wolf from the door by setting up a successful pancake business with her black housemaid. In the remake, Lana Turner stars as a would-be actress who is raising her daughter on her own. She chances to meet another single mother at the beach: African-American Juanita Moore. Moore goes to work as Turner's housekeeper, bringing her light-skinned daughter along. As Turner's stage career goes into high gear, Moore is saddled with the responsibility of raising both Turner's daughter and her own. Exposed to the advantages of the white world, Moore's grown-up daughter (Susan Kohner) passes for white, causing her mother a great deal of heartache. Meanwhile, Turner's grown daughter (Sandra Dee), neglected by her mother, seeks comfort in the arms of handsome photographer John Gavin. When Moore dies, her daughter realizes how selfish she's been; simultaneously, Turner awakens to the fact that she hasn't been much of a mother for her own daughter, whose romance has gone down the tubes. Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Features
- Genre: Drama
- Category: Family Drama, Melodrama
- Theme: Actor's Life, Class Differences, Mothers and Daughters, Race Relations, Servants and Employers, Women's Friendship
- Release Date: January 07, 2003
- Rating: NR (Not Rated)Rating Opens in New Window - Suitable for Children
- Studio: Universal Studios
- Lead Actors: Lana Turner, John Gavin, Juanita Moore, Sandra Dee, Dan O'Herlihy
- Supporting Actors: George Barrows, Myrna Fahey, Paul Bradley, Eddie Parker, David Tomack, Napoleon Whiting, Bess Flowers, Robert Alda, Susan Kohner, Mahalia Jackson, Karen Dicker, Terry Burnham, John Vivyan, Lee Goodman, Ann Robinson, Troy Donahue, Sandra Gould, Joel Fluellen, Jack Weston, Billy House
- Director: Douglas Sirk
- Picture Format: Widescreen
- Run Time: 2 hr 5 min
- Subtitle Language: English, French, Spanish
- Format: DVD
Awards
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Awards: Golden Globe Awards (1)
Nominations: Golden Globe Awards (1), Academy Awards (1)
Nominee: Academy Awards Best Supporting Actress 1959, Juanita Moore, Susan Kohner
Additional Information
- DPCI: 246-00-4130
- ASIN: B002HXMHAY
- Catalog #: 11330422
- Item can not be gift wrapped.
Shipping & Policies
- You may return this item to any Target store.Opens in New Window
- Shipping & Delivery InformationOpens in New Window
- Estimated Ship Dimensions : 7.62 inches length x 5.39 inches width x 0.58 inches height
- Estimated Ship Weight: 0.08 pound.
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Expert Reviews
From the opening credits' cascade of jewels to the final ****** of grief and reconciliation, Douglas Sirk's remake of Imitation of Life encases a potentially maudlin soaper in a flamboyant style that incisively critiques 1950s America even as it mercilessly wrings emotions. Finding the perfect exemplars of artificiality in Lana Turner and cloying daughter Sandra Dee to contrast with the genuine, Oscar-nominated pathos of Juanita Moore and troubled daughter Susan Kohner, Sirk adds an extra bite to the divisions of race and class dictating Lora and Annie's unspoken assumption that Annie will always be the maid and Sarah Jane will always play second fiddle to Susie. The gaudy colors, over-the-top interiors (especially Lora's palatial home and Sarah Jane's vulgar nightclub), and copious mirrors emphasize the deleterious impact of the 1950s obsession with surfaces, whether racial, financial, or maternal. The casting of white actress Kohner to play a black passing for white speaks for itself. The climactic funeral featuring gospel singer Mahalia Jackson teeters between wrenching melodrama and comic irony, exemplifying Sirk's gift for pessimistic "happy" endings. Critical or not, Imitation of Life became Universal's biggest hit ever at that time, capping Sirk's soon-to-be distinguished career. Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
