Imitation of Life

Starring:Lana Turner, John Gavin, Sandra Dee, Susan Kohner, Robert Alda, Dan O'Herlihy, Juanita Moore, Karin Dicker, Terry Burnham, John Vivyan, Lee Goodman, Ann Robinson, Troy Donahue, Sandra Gould, David Tomack, Joel Fluellen, Jack Weston, Billy House, Maida Severn, Than Wyenn
Director: Douglas Sirk
Studio: Universal Studios
Product Type: DVD

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Imitation of Life (1959)
The last film in Hollywood of director Douglas Sirk (Written on the Wind), the 1959 Imitation of Life--an adaptation of Fannie Hurst's novel--is an endlessly fascinating film that speaks volumes about the American journey toward materialism and the racial tensions that are inseparable from it. Lana Turner plays a white single mother and aspiring actress who takes in a black housekeeper (Juanita Moore) and her daughter (played by an adolescent Susan Kohner), the latter so light-skinned she passes for white. As the years pass and success mounts for Turner, Moore also becomes more comfortable but her status as a domestic never changes. Meanwhile, Kohner's character, chafing against social constraints, rebels at every opportunity and throws a wrench into the perfect order Sirk chillingly captures through the precise, architectural design of his images. On one hand a '50s weepie and on the other a daring allegory, Imitation of Life is an unusual masterpiece. --Tom Keogh

Description

Imitation of Life (1934)
In this Academy Award-nominated Best Picture, Claudette Colbert and Louise Beavers are superb as two women with young daughters who build a fortune together. But success doesn't save them from sorrow with the passing years.

Delilah's light-skinned teenager rejects her mother and her race, while Bea must choose between the man she loves and the daughter who loves him, too. Now all of them will pay the price of love in this spellbinding classic.

Imitation of Life (1959)
Lana Turner heads the outstanding cast with Juanita Moore in the second screen version of this emotionally-charged story about two widows and their troubled daughters.

Lora's search for success causes her to neglect her daughter, while Annie's daughter rejects her culture by trying to pass for white. As the years pass, each of the four women realizes that she has been living out an emotionally fruitless existence.

Customer Reviews:

Imitation of Life.......2007-06-21

Great movie! However, I was disappointed in the way the DVD was marketed. I expected the DVD to actually include both films--one with Claudette Colbert (1934) and one with Lena Turner (1959). The DVD is only of the 1959 film. That is the reason for the low rating.

NO IMITATION.......2007-05-29

This film is most certainly not an imitation of moviemaking. In my view
it's a masterpiece ! Douglas Sirk made it his finest work he had ever done
during 1959 for Hollywood. I was 17 years old when I first gazed upon this
wonderful production and was instantly moved by the atmosphere, the camera
direction, the settings, the gowns and jewelry. Especially the music by
Frank Skinner which can be heard almost constantly throughout the movie is giving the audience a very warm feeling of belonging ..
All the actors are giving the best of their acting abilities. Lana Turner is absolutely lovely to look at and is giving one of her finest performances of her carreer. In looks John Gavin matches her beauty easily. The mature daughter roles are mediocre and I think that Sandra Dee misses the ability for strong dramatic acting. The most outstanding
performance was delivered by Juanita Moore. She should have won an Oscar for her role of Annie, but as far as I know she was not welcome on this
ceremonie because racism was still a big issue during that time.
I'm 65 now and has seen this film many times and every time it catches me
from start to finish. Don't miss this movie or your life maybe an imitation after all !

Max Wolper Amsterdam (The Netherlands)

IMITATION OF LIFE.......2007-05-14

This film is a true classic,cover's racial predjudice from all side' as well as a feel good film.Gives a true uunderstanding of what it was like and unfortunatly still today what it is like to be classed as a minority.All the actor's portray very convincing roles. I strongly recomend the film.

Imitation Of Life.......2007-05-13

Not as good as when i first saw it in the late 60's.But a certain tear jerker.

Two phenominal depictions of success, sorrow, self delial, and ultimatly, love. .......2007-04-07

I originally purchased this 2 DVD set for the 1959 Lana Turner /Juanita Moore second screen version which it includes. I was captivated by the emotional storyline, and especially Juanita Moore's presence. A highlight in the film is a Mahalia Jackson singing "Trouble of the World."

After Viewing the 1959 version, I was pleasently surprised to find that the 1934 Claudette Colbert / Louise Beavers version included in this set is even more captivating. While the basic plotline is the same, the characters are a bit more down to earth, and therefore more relatable to most people. There is also a better love story in this version. It is easy to see why it was Acadamy Award nominated for Best Picture.

Having both of these films to choose from is a wonderful option in DVD viewing. The reason I docked it a star, is because I initialy found it difficult to decipher which film was on which side of the DVD, since it was written in such tiny print around the center ring, and so I had to flip the DVD The first couple of times I watched it, until I figured it out. Of course, that could just be me.

Average customer rating:

Gorgeous--and I'm talking about Susan Kohner...
Sentimental and Politically Charged
Still a tear jerker
Real Artifice
Imitation of Life

Imitation of Life
Starring: Lana Turner , John Gavin , Sandra Dee , Susan Kohner , and Robert Alda
Director: Douglas Sirk
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000714BT
Release Date: 2003-01-07

Customer Reviews:

Gorgeous--and I'm talking about Susan Kohner..........2007-06-20

who bears a striking resemblance to Natalie Wood. Susan is stunning in this and she is the only reason it is even worth watching, and she is not laugable as trying to "pass for black", as Jeanne Crain was in "Pinky" (which is actually a better movie).

A common theme in these "passing" movies made back then (including the original 1934 version) was that passing for white was wrong. How Peola (in the original version) and Sarah Jane (in this version) treated their mother was wrong, but if someone wants to pass for white so they will be treated equally (which they shouldn't have to do), I don't have a problem with that.

Now when it comes to romantic relationships, it's very important to some people to preserve their white heritage, and I don't have a problem with that, just as I don't have a problem with black people wanting to preserve their black heritage, but for those to whom it's not an issue, I don't pass judgement on them. Interracial relationships are not a moral issue, but rather a social and cultural issue, and then what about the children?

That being said, I think Sarah Jane was wrong not to tell her secret boyfriend about her heritage (especially since it was implied they slept together), though I understand why she didn't.

Anyway, John Gavin's character (Steve Archer) as the long-suffering admirer of Lana Turner (Lora Meredith), who really "acts" (but she is playing a stage actress, and they are known for over-acting), could have been left out completely, and the crush Sandra Dee (Susie), who plays Lana's very annoying teenage daughter, should have definitely been left out. I always thought this story added nothing to the movie.

When Lora told Susie that she would give Steve up because her daughter was in love with him (and she was like what, fifteen?), all of a sudden, Susie was angry with her mother for never being there for her when she seemed happy before. It was so obvious she was just mad that Steve was in love with her mother, not her. I just rolled my eyes--Sandra Dee was so retarded in this movie.

I'm really not into actresses playing phony actresses, and I could never see what was so great about Lana Turner in this movie that she became such a star. Lana was never really all that pretty to begin with. Glamorous, yes, beautiful, I think not.

As another reviewer stated, the years passing sequence was pretty cheesy. I mean, I think we could have figured out on our own that several years had passed when we saw the girls all grown up. I never have liked that feature.

I liked Annie, but I was annoyed that she just never "got it" when it came to her daughter. She kept showing up and embarrassing her, and though I understand how hurtful that can be, I think her mother should hav also understood that children can be cruel, and Sarah Jane was passing in school so she could make friends.

I thought Sarah Jane was the only real character in the whole movie.

There were a couple of parts that just didn't click, like when Lora says to Annie (sorry, I can't remember the woman's name) that she didn't know she had any friends (hell, they had lived together for years!), and Annie said she had never asked.

Also, there was hardly any mention of Susie's father (which is why "The Brady Bunch" never made any sense to me in that respect).

Then when Lora tells Sarah Jane about the Hawkins boy (I think that was his name--and Hawkins was black), and doesn't get it why Sarah Jane gets upset over this, because it's like she doesn't even have the right to like a white boy. And then when Lora says, "We've never treated you any differently," well, right there, I mean, it's like she had a reason to, but because she's oh-so-kind, she chose not to.

I still have no idea what the significance is with the big funeral. Why not enjoy all that money that was wasted on it while she was alive, not dead?

This movie talked about a touchy subject, but didn't tackle it. Blacks were still supposed to stay in "their place" and black girls (no matter how white they appeared) weren't supposed to like white boys, etc.

It's worth watching once, but I couldn't sit through it again.

As for the 1934 version, again, once is enough. It's like "The Aunt Jemima Story" and the scenes where Delilah (the black woman) rubs Bea's (Claudette Colbert's) feet feels sort of lesbian-ish.

Sentimental and Politically Charged.......2007-05-19

Imitation of Life is a politically charged movie in the style of a woman's film. Lana Turner stars as an aspiring actress who makes it big in spite of her age and the fact that she has a young daughter (Sandra Dee). In times of poverty, she meets Juanita Moore, a kindly black woman with a daughter of her own (Susan Kohner). This little girl is so light skinned, she could pass as white, and does on many occasions. She is ashamed of her mother and acts out constantly. However, she and Turner's daughter are close friends, and Moore takes care of the family nicely.

We are shown that mothers with careers are almost always doomed to fail. When one is focused on, the other is neglected. Also, race is an important factor; this film was released in the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement.

The performances in this movie are excellent and the cast is wonderful. Moore really outdoes herself with her performance; she is appropriately realistic and sentimental throughout, making for a wonderful overall story.

Still a tear jerker.......2007-05-14

I was so pleased to receive this DVD its an all time classic and now I can add it to my library. I also ordered one for a friend of mine and gave it to her along with a box of kleenex. The picture quality is excellent.

Real Artifice.......2007-05-13

Reality doesn't get any more artificial than this, but what glorious artificiality. Lana Turner as a struggling actress in a cold-water flat--with her maid, instant success on Broadway and a parade of millionaire stage-door Johnnies wanting her, and more changes of gowns and jewels than you'd find in New York during Fashion Week. Grateful and ungrateful daughters, a minor Electra complex, tasteful racism, and ultimate redemption. And not a hint of the "real world" to intrude on the characters's self-absorbtion. This is a home-run of Sirkian excess.

Imitation of Life.......2007-05-13

Excellent film.... Lnan turner is at her best as is Susan Kohner... good start for Sandra Dee. John gavin is light in his role, but he has charm and appeal. A great 1959 movie....

Average customer rating:

buyer beware of bootlegs

Lloyd C. Douglas' Magnificent Obsession

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

All That Heaven Allows - Criterion Collection
Written on the Wind - Criterion Collection
Battle Hymn
Magnificent Obsession
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ASIN: B000BCDNWO

Product Description

EDITORIAL REVIEW: Rock Hudson became a beefcake star playing a self-absorbed, thrill-chasing millionaire playboy in the first of Douglas Sirk's glossy Technicolor melodramas. In a classic example of the wicked machinations of soap opera fate, Hudson's showboating antics kill the most saintly man in motion-picture history and stalk his newlywed widow (Jane Wyman), driving her into an accident that leaves her blind. The kindly attentions of a bohemian painter and part-time guardian angel help turn Hudson's life around, and he rejects his irresponsible lifestyle and dedicates himself to his new "magnificent obsession" of philanthropy and good deeds, meanwhile romancing Wyman in a sincere, soft-spoken voice and with a phony name. 'Magnificent Obsession' was a huge success and established a style Sirk would refine through the 1950s, reaching a baroque peak in 'Written on the Wind' and culminating with what may be his most successful and most famous film, 'Imitation of Life'. Compared to his later successes, this is arch and flat, lacking the ironic edge and luscious style of his best films, but it's an exceedingly handsome production in bold, bright colors where swooning romance and life-saving operations define life as an emotional roller coaster of mythic proportions. [Amazon -- Sean Axmaker --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.] ++++ DVD FEATURES: This All-Region DVD will play world-wide, has 16:9 Letterbox display with Dolby Digital Sound. the film is in ENGLISH with optional (removable) English, Chinese and Indonesian subtitles.

Customer Reviews:

buyer beware of bootlegs.......2006-04-29

IF you see this cover on the front with Jane hugging Rock Hudson's head, you will be hugging your own when you recieve GUESS WHAT!!?, a BOOTLEG DVD. the sound is terrible, and the color vibrates in and out like a psychedelic bad trip. I couldn't even a watch a full ten minutes, the picture was that awful, grainy fuzzy sound. Spend the money on a legit copy of this wonderful movie.
BEWARE

Average customer rating:

Imitation of Life
Starring: Imitation of Life
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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R.E.M.: Imitation of Life {{SUSPENDED}} [Region 2]

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R.E.M.: Imitation of Life {{SUSPENDED}} [Region 2]
Director: Garth Jennings
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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