Imitation of Life (1959)
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The story
In 1947, aspiring Broadway actress Lora Meredith finds her missing daughter Susie in the care of Annie Johnson, a single Black mother. Lora invites Annie and her light-skinned daughter, Sarah Jane, to stay in her New York City apartment, with Annie agreeing to serve as a housekeeper and nanny. As Lora pursues a demanding acting career and navigates a complex romance with photographer Steve Archer, the household dynamics shift. Lora eventually achieves stardom, while Annie remains her constant confidante. However, the domestic arrangement faces tension as the girls grow up, highlighting the stark differences in their social standing and opportunities.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1947, Lora Meredith, a white widowed actress, finds her daughter Susie with Annie Johnson, a Black mother, and her daughter Sarah Jane. Lora takes them in, and Annie becomes her live-in servant and friend. Lora eventually becomes a Broadway star through the plays of David Edwards, while Annie remains her loyal companion for a decade. After a reunion with her former flame Steve Archer, Lora's life remains glamorous, but Sarah Jane faces discrimination and a violent encounter with a white boyfriend who discovers her mother's race. Sarah Jane eventually works as a chorus girl in Los Angeles. Annie, becoming ill, travels to see her daughter before dying. Lora eventually marries Steve, causing a rift with Susie. After Annie's death, Lora provides a lavish funeral. In a climactic scene, Sarah Jane appears at the funeral, confessing she 'killed' her mother by leaving her, before being led away by Lora.
- First release year
- 1959
- Runtime (minutes)
- 125
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Douglas Sirk
- Writers
- Eleanore Griffin · screenplay; Allan Scott · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Lana Turner · Lora Meredith; John Gavin · Steve Archer; Sandra Dee · Susie; Dan O'Herlihy · Allen Loomis; Susan Kohner · Sarah Jane; Robert Alda · David Edwards; Juanita Moore · Annie Johnson; Mahalia Jackson · church choir soloist
- Genres
- melodrama; romantic drama
- Themes
- race; class; gender; racial discrimination; mother-daughter relationships
- Tone and mood
- melodramatic; visually lush; intense
- Premise and plot tags
- melodrama; period piece; social issues; remake
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1933 novel by Fannie Hurst
- Content notes
- racial passing
- Reception
- The film was not well-reviewed upon its original release, often being derided as a 'soap opera,' but it was a commercial success and has since been re-evaluated as a masterpiece of Douglas Sirk's career.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 87 · scale: 100 · review count: 15
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Supporting Actress · 1959 · nomination; Golden Globe Award · Best Supporting Actress · 1959 · win; Golden Globe Award · Best New Actress · 1959 · win; Laurel Awards · Top Female Supporting Performance · 1959 · second place; Laurel Awards · Top Drama · 1959 · win; Directors Guild of America Awards · Outstanding Directing – Feature Film · 1959 · nomination
- Production trivia
- Lana Turner's wardrobe for the film cost over $1.078 million, making it one of the most expensive in cinema history at that time.; The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2015.; The 1969 song 'I'm Livin' in Shame' by Diana Ross & the Supremes is based on this film.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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