Imitation of Life

Behind all the artificiality and finesse, this is as earnest, honest and gritty as a Cassavetes... Beautiful, fucking beautiful - harsh and funny; it's throbbing and salient melodrama, addressing shitloads of issues, speaking with fluid words in an amplified tone, indeed, but doing so with a consistency and pertinaciousness and such a big fucking heart. As the film, these words may be corny - but they're not false.

An incredibly layered film for what is, on the surface, a "weepie". Sirk's handling of racial issues is bold and scathing, especially for 1959. I'd be really surprised if there were many other films of this time addressing race in such a complex manner. There's a lot more going on, and we're never quite sure what to make of Lora's ambition, or Steve's passive-aggressive whining. The film is also astoundingly moving, as a melodrama should be, and beautifully photographed.

Sirk's last major film is highly layered and highly complex. It seems like he was full of ideas and eager to infuse what could have been a simple remake with as many themes as possible. Not all of the storylines are equally good, but in general he pulls it off magnificently. As always, this is soap - Sirk sacrifices naturalism, simplifying dialogs and situations in order to dig into the depths of human relationships, and mine out more emotional truths.

Despite melodrama that goes to 11 & featuring the saintliest character since Jesus, this is WAAAY ahead of its time. 2 narratives dovetail perfectly w/ feminist & racial ideas that would not bubble over till the 60's. It's never didactic, as its feminist "heroine" never even heard of feminism & its mixed-race daughter invites questions about civil rights simply by existing. Most impressive is that the film gives no easy answers, insuring that the characters' "progressiveness" never comes cheap.

This is Sirk in all his glory. The slightly overdone satirical melodrama is ever present, but it's toned down just enough so that this works as a serious film as well. Underneath the glorious colors and occasional overacting is a meaningful examination of identity and what it means to be oneself.

Easily the best of Douglas Sirk's colorful soap opera trash, "Imitation of Life" is a society-questioning, character-involving, over-the-top glimpse into as many themes as there are fingers on a hand. While it works as the soapy Sirk crud it is, it also works on the director's intelligent switch with his own style; changing his breed of filmmaking to tie-in with his film's impacting theme of denial. Not a film for everybody, but when familiar with Sirk's style: the brilliance comes to surface.

I totally appreciate how the film, dressed in its silly melodramatic garb, manages to expand understanding of what constitutes real suffering in life. The upper-crust white mother struggles with her daughter's misplaced feelings of love, while the poor black mother struggles with her daughter's rejection of her very identity. One problem, typical of these melodramas, is easily solved, while the other seems to possess no easy answer. That Sirk is able to get all this in a genre pic is impressive.

Things were so quaint in the 1950s. A random dude starts taking pictures of young girls, and their mothers don't take issue. Love how halfway through the film, I was like "I wonder how these stories will intersect", and then just like Emeril -- BAM!

“how do you explain to your child she was born to be hurt?” want to focus on one common criticism for now: if annie is too 'saintly', too defined in relation to the white characters, then surely the concluding scenes demonstrate that we've been viewing her *through* privileged white eyes all along. she's an extremely interesting person with a rich life and we've seen virtually none of it, not because she's a stereotype but because nobody ever asked.

My favorite Sirk. It's all here: His trademark colour palette, his preoccupation with subversive themes, the over-blown emotions. His masterstroke is that the fact that this film is undeniably and delirously over the top both enhances the sentimentality and fascilitates the satirical undercurrent. It's possible to appreciate both, of course, but I would recommend watching, say, 'All That Heaven Allows' and 'Written on the Wind' first in order to get acclimatised with his unique filmmaking.

If you like your drama mellow you should look elsewhere. However, if you're willing to accept a film that takes its melodrama deeply seriously and plays with your heartstrings like a violin, Imitation of Life will satisfy you. Yes, there's crying, unrequited love and broad emotions on display, but would you expect a very well done subplot (or main plot, really) about race relations? The feminist angle of the film may not be as blatant, yet it too seems to be at least a decade ahead of its time.

Heartbreaking and poignant in it's portrayal of women, relationships and racial adversity in the 40's and 50's. Melodramatic and amplified but sincere to the core. A must see.

a.k.a. "The Reverse Rachel Dolezal" or "Why Race Mixing Hurts Everyone".

Epic soap opera, an incredibly lush-looking melodrama drenched in improbable glamour and mood music at every turn.

Great melodrama.

Finally, Sirk has made a film that actually rips my heart out and stomps all over it. I can tell that's what the other films of his I've seen have wanted to do. I'm a real sucker for stories about the unwavering love from suffering single moms, what can I say?

I did like the original better, but, (as remakes go), this is one of my favorites. Sometimes the melodrama gets way outta hand, and Sandra Dee and her buckets of put-upon naivety get on my effing nerves, but the movie is pretty good. Mahalia Jackson at the end? I'd want her to sing at my funeral, too.

DRAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

# 244

A brave film for 1959, it mixes social drama with elements of coming of age movie and reflexive films about acting and cinema. "A beer can is not real."

Made me cried to death!

The way this movie uses surface-level melodrama to comment on majorly important issues before they received national attention is honestly genius. Smart and layered stuff about the trauma of racial prejudice, with excellent photography and performances.

this movie is amazing! the melodrama is just delicious - douglas sirk's visual style is very emotive and conveys better than anything the "imitation of life". the film also, in its melodramatic way, reveals a lot about the relationship between mother and daughter, and even touches upon the larger issues of racism and capitalism. the final scene of the film was surprisingly sad. so much fun to watch.

203

Another of Sirk's deliciously over the top soap operas

Terrbily overmelodramatic but I loved the multilayered structure... Lana Turner is giving a very good performance

As this one fades into my memory I sense the thing I'll hang onto longest is Susan Kohner's storyline, since it's the most vivid, dramatic, complex and topical element of the film also because.... Susan Kohner, va va voom.

I couldn't tear myself away from this film, despite its 2.5+ hour length. As usual, Sirk's entrancing melodrama pulled me in, with its rich palette, artificially-heightened stakes, and to-die-for gowns (a new one on Lana Turner every 10 minutes, it seemed). Sirk uses melodrama to illustrate the deep emotional content in everyday life. The film also wrestles with topics of the day, including civil rights and the role of working single mothers.

Sirk doesn't pull any punches, he pulls a lot on heartstrings though.

Star Rating: ★★★★★

white!

Everybody hurts -- specially when people choose to live through images (or dreams) instead of embracing agendas (your daughter, your mom, your love, that so delayed conversation) that right in front of them.

Half show-biz drama/satire, and half a drama about racial struggles in the 40s and 50s - both parts are effective. The young light-skinned black girl's attempt to be recognized as white is heart-breaking and the highlight of the movie. I've seen a few by Sirk now, and this one is probably my favorite.

watched: 2011, 2016

okay everything here hasn't aged so well, like taking a homeless person as a servent when you don't have money to pay her. but the points this film makes about racism and identity are still so very current (made me cry like a baby)

A beautifully shot film that suffers from too many overly melodramatic moments. It dances around some very important issues of the time but then trivialises them with dubious reactions from rather unrealistic characters.

Probably Douglas Sirk's finest film, even if one misses the presence of Rock Hudson. But Lana Turner was never better and the melodrama has never been more honestly moving. While it can be experienced as a cheesy tearjerker, "Imitation" is also a profoundly chilling and at times nightmarish film that may well be the crowning achievement of its ilk.

Coisa linda toda a sequência do funeral.

At first I thought this was another sappy Sirk melodrama, then about an hour in the satirical edge to this film hit me like a ton of bricks.

"Sirk immediately and deliberately acknowledges the film's metaphoric, almost pathological obsession with surfaces." - Ed Gonzalez

Watching this made me realize that I have probably seen very few melodramas, as I found it hard to find any movie to compare this to. I did like it, and was surprised to see what subject matters it was already addressing in the 1950s, but some of the theatricality also kept me at arm's length.

Enjoyable Douglas Sirk melodrama (not quite as over the top as some) but still packed with emotional truths.

The sequel to Life Itself

Solid classic, i guess. Good to make fun of while watching, especially one scene, when all the seriousness of the racial aspect is tossed completely out of the window for a backalley-bash jazz session.

This is a gorgeous film that is full of masterfully composed shots and fluid sequences. Sirk gets beautiful performances from his cast. They are not naturalistic, but there's beauty and rhythm to their artificiality. Russell Metty's technicolor cinematography is astonishing. This is just a wonderful creation. It feels a little condescending and dismissive of the "women's picture" genre to only endorse this if it has satirical intent.

An aspiring actress and single mother (Lana Turner) takes in a fellow mother (Juanita Moore) as a maid, and despite her professional success, their daughters (Sandra Dee and Susan Kohner) have troubles of their own--especially when the latter tries to pass for white. Soap opera at its finest, brilliantly handled by Douglas Sirk, who combines gloss and heartbreak better than just about anyone. Superb use of color; top acting across the board, but Kohner and especially Moore are truly devastating.

225

Very strong melodrama, though at times a bit overwrought (as melodramas tend to be) and some of the racial elements are lacking in any kind of subtlety. I think a lot of this is intentional, though, and it's effective. Some of the underlying themes and ideas about identity and other topics are very interestingly presented. Very good classic Hollywood. (Oscar nominated) Juanita Moore is especially good, and her relationship with Kohler is more interesting than Turner's side. Sirk's final film.

A little soapy, but still, bravely done for its time and Juanita Moore is brilliant.

#233

Improves on the original in almost every way, most importantly in the story, the characters, and the increased focus on the racial issues which are incredibly bold for the time. To make room for that and still have time to add in the romantic subplot between Archer and the daughter, Sirk lost the one thing that the original actually did well, which was a story about friendship. Still, the compromise benefits it as a whole, so I can't really complain.