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Imitation of Life Movie Review

Imitation of Life is a 1959 drama film directed by Douglas Sirk and starring Lana Turner, Juanita Moore and Susan Kohner. It’s such a terrific melodrama.

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“How do you tell a child that she was born to be hurt?“

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An aspiring white actress takes in an African-American widow whose mixed-race daughter is desperate to be seen as white. This is the second movie adaptation of this story after the Oscar-nominated 1934 version. Both of these movies are excellent, though quite different. This one is more epic in scope and more emotional.

I am usually not in favor of remakes, but when they are done this well, I have to appreciate them. And a lot has changed since the original until this remake came out, resulting in the bit more dignified and respectable portrayal of black people here. This is an immensely progressive movie for its time, dealing with the issues of race relations and the hypocrisies of the white middle class in America. The fact that this was addressed so openly in 1959 needs to be admired.

Sure, the ending is way too melodramatic. The mother literally dies from heartbreak. If ever there was a more cinematic and melodramatic death than this one, I don’t know what it is. Still, it worked to a degree because you get invested in these characters and their tragic stories, so the emotional ending hits you no matter what. The whole package is one full of classy and elegant melodrama that is a perfect encapsulation of 1950s Hollywood with some progressive modernity sprinkled in as well.

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Lana Turner is pretty good as Lora. She isn’t amazing, but she is very charming and sweet in the role. Sandra Dee as her daughter is also fine. The two share some very moving sequences and their relationship is very well written, but it pales in comparison to the other much more important relationship.

Yes, the fraught mother-daughter relationship between Annie and Sarah Jane is superbly realized and this is the meat of the story. A white-passing girl is embarrassed by her mother who teaches her to respect her heritage and who she is. The idea of passing is surprisingly well explored in such an early movie and the dynamic between the two is heartbreaking and even more tragic in its implications that these passing women had no other choice but to act white in order to succeed in life.

Susan Kohner is so good in the role of the daughter while Juanita Moore steals the movie from everybody else with such a kind, dignified performance. There is this amazing sequence where she gives a speech about the importance of being true to yourself and it’s so emotionally charged and so inspirational that it was quite impactful. Both of these actresses deserved their Oscar nominations, but Moore undeniably should have won.

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Imitation of Life is also lush in its Technicolor cinematography, gorgeously composed in its score and featuring strong pacing. It’s engaging throughout. Douglas Sirk directed the film with a lot of style and nuance, leading to some of his best works. There is so much heart in this picture that it’s easy to forget its flaws.