SYNOPSIS

Two mothers discover that success is not necessarily the key to happiness, particularly when it comes between mother and child. Actress Lora Meredith claws her way to stardom only to realize the daughter (Sandra Dee) she has neglected for years is now a stranger to her and --worse yet-- her rival for the love of a younger man. At the same time, her African-American housekeeper finds herself rejected by her light-skinned daughter who wants to pass for white.

Director: Douglas Sirk
Producer: Ross Hunter
Screenplay: Eleanor Griffin, Allan Scott
Based on the novel by Fannie Hurst
Cinematography: Russell Metty
Editing: Milton Carruth
Art Direction: Alexander Golitzen, Richard H. Riedel
Music: Frank Skinner
Cast: Lana Turner (Lora Meredith), John Gavin (Steve Archer), Sandra Dee (Susie), Dan O'Herlihy (David Edwards), Susan Kohner (Sarah Jane), Robert Alda (Allen Loomis), Juanita Moore (Annie Johnson), Mahalia Jackson (Herself), Troy Donahue (Frankie), Sandra Gould (Receptionist), Jack Weston (Stage Manager), Bess Flowers (Geraldine Moore), Myrna Fahey (Actress)
C-125m. Letterboxed. Closed captioning.

Why IMITATION OF LIFE is Essential

In April of 1958, Lana Turner's teenage daughter Cheryl Crane stabbed Lana's mobster lover, Johnny Stompanato, to death. Although the killing was ruled justifiable homicide because Cheryl was defending her mother, the scandal rocked Hollywood, and many people thought Lana's film career was over. Enter Ross Hunter, producer of lavish women's pictures for Universal, who had breathed new life into the careers of aging stars like Jane Wyman and Barbara Stanwyck. Hunter offered Turner the starring role in a remake of Imitation of Life (1934).

For Lana Turner, that hit a little too close to home, and she hesitated. But she was deeply in debt, and she needed to work. Hunter offered a first-class production, with Jean Louis gowns and Laykin et Cie jewels, the leading women's director, Douglas Sirk, and a chance to make a lot of money, if Lana would work for a small salary plus half the net profits. Turner agreed, and the film succeeded beyond anyone's wildest dreams. Lana Turner was back on top, and a rich woman as well. In particular, Imitation of Life (1959) proved that her fans had not rejected her after the scandals surrounding the death of her lover Johnny Stompanato. It also reshaped her image to reflect the public's perception of her as a glamorous sex symbol who was a victim of her own success.

Fannie Hurst's novel, Imitation of Life, was the story of two single mothers, one white and one black, who join forces and become successful businesswomen. But both women suffer heartbreak caused by their daughters. (The idea for the book was born when Hurst traveled with black author Zora Neale Hurston and encountered racism, although the story was not remotely based on either of their lives.) The novel was a huge success and it was made into a film in 1934, starring Claudette Colbert and Louise Beavers, directed by John Stahl. Ross Hunter wanted to update the story, making the leading character an actress instead of a businesswoman, but keeping the race issue and the conflicts between mothers and daughters. The film's treatment of race, considered daring in its day, provides a powerful view of liberal sentiments at the birth of the civil rights movement.

Juanita Moore and Susan Kohner were both nominated for Best Supporting Actress Oscars for their searing portrayals of the African-American mother and daughter. Imitation of Life became Universal's biggest moneymaker to date, and a 1995 poll by the New York Daily News still ranked it as one of the top-ten all-time favorite films.

Imitation of Life was the last collaboration for producer Ross Hunter and director Douglas Sirk, who previously had teamed for such hit melodramas as Magnificent Obsession (1954) and All That Heaven Allows (1955).

Despite its success, it was also Sirk's last commercial feature. He eventually returned to his native Germany, where he taught film and made a few experimental pictures.

With Sirk's other melodramas, Imitation of Life has become one of the central films for proponents of the auteur theory, who point to his filmmaking technique as a clear reflection of his personality and his attitude toward the often exaggerated soap opera plots in his films.

by Margarita Landazuri & Frank Miller