Wednesday, November 17, 2021
Imitation of Life (1959)
- Who's watched: M & G
- Mentions: None, to my surprise
- Commentary: This is Mom's favorite version. I'm not sure whether it's because it's a color version, or more 50's, which is a decade she loved, or what. I like this version, but my favorite is Claudette Colbert's.
See my comments in the write-up for the 1934 original of this film.
Unlike the 1934 original, multitudes of reviewers flocked to writing about this version. Two of the four interesting reviews I found (first of the two linked in the title of this post; second, here), while both discussed the movie, more inclined toward the subject of the movie and how it was treated. The third review I found does not shy away from the problems Sirk intended to highlight, but reviews the story, in combination with where we are now in race relations (at least, where we were in 2012 when this review was written) meticulously. Finally, the fourth review I found is kind of a combination of the other three.
I don't have a favorite among the reviews, which is why I included them all. I have to say, though, I am surprised at how much this version has been reviewed compared with how little the 1934 version was reviewed. It's almost as though they are different stories, different movies. Which, in many ways, they are.
Update 11/17/2021: This post was originally published February 6, 2005. It was one of the accidental deletions that occurred, which is covered in this post.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Lana Turner Laura Meredith Juanita Moore Annie Johnson Sandra Dee Susie Susan Kohner Sarah Jane John Gavin Steve Archer Robert Alda Allen Loomis Dan O'Herlihy Dave Edwards Mahalia Jackson Choir Soloist
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1959
Directed by Douglas Sirk.
Labels: douglas-sirk, dramaC, mother-daughter-dynamics1, romance4
