Imitation of Life

Director: Douglas Sirk Douglas Sirk

Overview

"One of Douglas Sirk's best films, Imitation of Life, comes to DVD with a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Sirk used color masterfully as this fine image attests. The English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital Mono. Spanish and French subtitles are accessible. There are no supplemental materials of any consequence. This is a fine release from Universal that could be better, but certainly the film has never looked so good on home video."

Product Details

Release Date:	01/07/2003
UPC:	0025192261121
Original Release:	1959
Rating:	NR
Source:	STUDIO DISTRIBUTION SERVS LLC
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	2:05:00
Sales rank:	23,458

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Lana Turner	Lora Meredith
Juanita Moore	Annie Johnson
John Gavin	Steve Archer
Sandra Dee	Susie (age 16)
Dan O'Herlihy	David Edwards
Troy Donahue	Frankie
Jack Weston	Tom
Susan Kohner	Sarah Jane (age 18)
Robert Alda	Allen Loomis
Mahalia Jackson	Herself
Karen Dicker	Sarah Jane (age 8)
Terry Burnham	Suzie (age 6)
John Vivyan	Young Man
Lee Goodman	Photographer
Ann Robinson	Show Girl
Sandra Gould	Receptionist
David Tomack	Burly Man
Joel Fluellen	Minister
Billy House	Fat Man
Maida Severn	Teacher
Than Wyenn	Romano
Peg Shirley	Fay
Cicely Evans	Louise
Bess Flowers	Geraldine Moore
Paul Bradley	Preston Mitchell,Bit Part
Napoleon Whiting	Kenneth
Myrna Fahey	Actress
Eddie Parker	Policeman
George Barrows	Furniture Mover
Teddy Buckner	Member of Marching Band
Leota Lorraine	Bit Part
Forbes Murray	Bit Part
Frank Skinner	Composer
Henry Mancini	Composer

Technical Credits

Eleanore Griffin

Allan Scott

Fannie Hurst

Douglas Sirk	Director
Eleanore Griffin	Screenwriter
Allan Scott	Screenwriter
Ross Hunter	Producer
Clifford Stine	Special Effects
Fannie Hurst	Screenwriter
Leslie I. Carey	Sound Effects
Glenn E. Anderson	Sound Effects
Henry Janssen	Sound Effects

Editorial Reviews

From the opening credits' cascade of jewels to the final orgy of grief and reconciliation, Douglas Sirk's remake of Imitation of Life encases a potentially maudlin soaper in a flamboyant style that incisively critiques 1950s America even as it mercilessly wrings emotions. Finding the perfect exemplars of artificiality in Lana Turner and cloying daughter Sandra Dee to contrast with the genuine, Oscar-nominated pathos of Juanita Moore and troubled daughter Susan Kohner, Sirk adds an extra bite to the divisions of race and class dictating Lora and Annie's unspoken assumption that Annie will always be the maid and Sarah Jane will always play second fiddle to Susie. The gaudy colors, over-the-top interiors (especially Lora's palatial home and Sarah Jane's vulgar nightclub), and copious mirrors emphasize the deleterious impact of the 1950s obsession with surfaces, whether racial, financial, or maternal. The casting of white actress Kohner to play a black passing for white speaks for itself. The climactic funeral featuring gospel singer Mahalia Jackson teeters between wrenching melodrama and comic irony, exemplifying Sirk's gift for pessimistic "happy" endings. Critical or not, Imitation of Life became Universal's biggest hit ever at that time, capping Sirk's soon-to-be distinguished career.

Fischer has assembled an important omnibus of source material and critical appraisals of Douglas Sirk's 1959 blockbuster Imitation of Life , which starred Lana Turner. He brings together selections from Fannie Hurst's 1932 novel (upon which the film was based); biographical information on Turner, Sirk, and Hurst; interviews with Sirk; reviews, critical writings, and commentaries; and Sirk's continuity script. It is a well-rounded study of the entire world of the film and its continuing reflection and impact upon American culture. The gravity of the themes raised by the film and its popular and critical receptions (such as women and work, race relations, star mythology, and parenting) are reflected in the scope and depth of the sources assembled. This important contribution to literature on film and its multifaceted life in the American psyche is a must for film collections.-- Robert Rayher, Sch. of the Art Inst. of Chicago

Library Journal