The first film version was as faithful to the novel as it dared be, telling the story of two single mothers--one black, one white--who join forces and hit the big time when the white woman successfully markets the black woman's pancake recipe. But the 1959 film version substituted pancake make-up for pancake batter: the white woman is an actress, and with her black friend behind her she climbs the ladder to Broadway stardom. Director Douglas Sirk was reknowned for his ability with this sort of material, and although he did better films IMITATION OF LIFE is perhaps his most obvious stylistic statement: gallons of gloss, more soap suds than a sink full of dishes, and enough vulgar melodrama to fuel a thousand 1950s schoolgirl dreams.

This time around our stars are Lana Turner and Juanita Moore, supported by Sandra Dee and Susan Kohner as the respective and rebellious daughters who make their mothers lives a living hell, with Lana's daughter Sandra falling in love with her mother's beau and Juanita's daughter Susan determined to defeat the racist society in which she lives by passing for white. All four actresses give it everything they've got, which means they all emote to the nth degree as they suffer through every emotional upheaval the screenwriters can devise.

Turner and Dee are essentially Turner and Dee. The real surprises here are Moore and Kohner. Saddled with a story that still keeps the black woman in the kitchen while the white woman plays, Moore nonetheless gives an outstanding and ultimately heartbreaking performance, and Kohner matches her every bit of the way as the wayward daughter who makes one bad choice after another in her refusal to knuckle under to a repressive society. It is a tremendous pity that neither actress went on to equally high-profile roles and films, but the times were against them--as the very nature of the film's story should make abundantly clear.

The original novel and film were actually advanced for their time, but by the time this version hit the screen the "white lady upstairs and the black lady downstairs" was hardly a rung up the ladder. Even in 1959 many denounced the film as perpetuating racial stereotypes and class-thinking, and by today's standards it is alternately distasteful and absurd. But oddly enough, that fact doesn't undercut the incredible watchablity of the film. We may sneer at some of the values it presents, but it holds our attention all the way, and you'll need at least three hankies for the film's conclusion. If you are torn between purchasing the DVD or a VHS version, you should know that there is actually little difference between the two. The film has not been restored for DVD, and the lack of restoration is quite noticeable; moreover, the only bonus material on the DVD is the theatrical trailer. You might prefer to go with a low cost VHS until a really good DVD is released.


FIVE HANKY TEARJERKER....   March 31, 2003
 45 out of 53 found this review helpful

Based upon the best selling, Fannie Hurst novel of the same name, this 1959 remake of the 1934 film starring Claudette Colbert and Louise Deavers is a terrific, well acted, sentimental melodrama that should be viewed with a caveat. While not so politically incorrect as to be nearly astounding, as was the 1934 version, it still presents a stereotypic view of blacks reflective of the time in which this movie was filmed. It is certainly is a view that is jarring in these more enlightened times, as it reflects the nature of the racism that was inherent in our society at that time. Remember, this film was made before the civil rights movement took root. Notwithstanding this, it is still a remarkable film that will hold the viewer in its thrall.

Lana Turner plays the role of Lora Meredith, a struggling widow and aspiring actress with a young daughter named Susie. Juanita Moore plays the part of Annie Johnson, also a struggling widow. Together they join forces, enabling Lora to pursue her dreams and Annie to provide a home for her own young daughter, Sarah Jane. Lora follows her dreams of fame and fortune, with Annie, as Lora's housekeeper, providing the stability of a regular home life for Susie and Sarah Jane.

Before you know it, Lora becomes a star on Broadway. Along the way, she is romanced by Steve (John Gavin), who met Lora when she was still living in a cold water flat and he was a promising artist with dreams of his own. While climbing the rungs of the ladder of success, Lora is propositioned by her agent, Allen Loomis (Robert Alda), who, charmed by her basic decency and refusal to go the casting couch route, takes her on as a client, anyway. She also is romanced by a playwright, David Edwards (Dan O'Herlihy), with whom she forges a successful professional collaboration.

Meanwhile, Annie still keeps the hearth fire burning at home, always the perennial "mammy", as Susie (Sandra Dee) and Sarah Jane (Susan Koehner) grow up to be two very attractive young ladies. Moreover, while Lora treats Annie with affection, love, and care, there is not a level playing field between them. Lora and Susie always address Annie by her first name. Yet, Annie always addresses them as Miz Lora and Miz Susie. Moreover, while Annie knows everything about Lora's personal life, Lora knows nothing about Annie's, as she has never even asked about it, something Annie points out to Lora. The racial divide is there for all to see.

Meanwhile, the years have passed and Annie's light skinned daughter, clearly knows the score. Sarah Jane certainly has no intention of being anyone's "mammy" and wants to pass for white, as she does not wish to be relegated to second class citizenry. She does not try to do this because she wants to be white, but rather, she wants the advantages associated with being white in that time. Hers is not a decision based upon race self-hate, but upon a realistic assessment of how she could be all she could be. Still, she breaks Annie's heart by doing this, and when Annie dies, a part of Sarah Jane dies with her. Annie's funeral is also a focal cinematic moment due to the spiritual sung by the magnificent Mahalia Jackson.

The film updates the original in a number of ways in order to give the film a more contemporary look. The part of Annie (Delilah in the 1934 version) now calls for less of a stereotypic "mammy" look. Annie is more of an black Betty Crocker, finer featured, trim, and a bit stylish. Yet, the very nature of the role is still stereotypic in that Annie is still portrayed as the long suffering, self-sacrificing, religious, black servant who wants nothing more than to make life easier for her white mistress. Annie may have shed the "mammy" look, but she is still portrayed as a "mammy" at heart. Moreover, Lora's relationship with Annie in this 1959 remake is stuck in time, as it is still the same as Bea's relationship with Delilah in the 1934 version.

Interestingly enough, in this remake Susan Koehner, a white actress, was cast in the role of the light skinned Sarah Jane (Peola in the 1934 version), while bi-racial Fredi Washington played the role of the light skinned Peola in the 1934 version. Although the casting of a white woman for the role of a light skinned black woman may be puzzling to those of us in the twenty first century, I presume that this was done in order to be on the safe side. In the 1934 original, Peola did not have a white boyfriend, while in this remake Sarah Jane has an on screen white boyfriend (Troy Donahue). Although she does not have any love scenes with him, there is still the underlying concept of a black woman having a white boyfriend, and they do have a scene together, though it can hardly be called a love scene. I surmise that the studio chose to play it safe for this reason, casting a white actress in the part rather than a light skinned black one, so as to avoid actual controversy in certain parts of the country. This is, however, pure conjecture on my part.

All in all, this is a mesmerizing film, both cinematically and historically, as it is a reflection of another time in which racial conflict was viewed in such a paternalistic way. Lana Turner, Juanita Moore, and Susan Koehner all give moving, compelling performances, notwithstanding the political incorrectness of the script. Sandra Dee sweetly handles the role of Susie with wide-eyed innocence. John Gavin, Robert Alda, and Dan O'Herlihy all give deft supporting performances as the men in Lora's life. Juanita Moore and Susan Koehner each deservedly won an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. This anachronistic, well directed, sentimental tearjerker is a definite must see by those who enjoy first rate melodramas.


FANNIE HURST'S DURABLE TEARJERKER IS TIMELESS   December 7, 1999
 19 out of 21 found this review helpful

Hurst's best-selling novel was published in 1933 and Douglas Sirk took a modernized approach in the filming of his 1959 remake of the 1934 Claudette Colbert weeper (which was very close to the book).Lana Turner eventually becomes movie star Lora Hart in this version and her daughter is played by Sandra Dee. Memorable seens include Sara Jane (Susan Kohner) getting smacked by her blond boyfriend (Troy Donahue) when he finds out about her and magnificent finale whereupon Sara Jane finally realizes what is important in life as she gets hysterical at her mother's funeral service (complete with Mahalia Jackson singing "The Troubles of the World" A real tearjerker!


...Hers is a very REAL problem!   January 9, 2001
 15 out of 17 found this review helpful

Douglas Sirk's 1959 remake of "Imitation of Life" has become one of the screen's legendary tear-jerkers. The story, from Fannie Hurst's novel, was previously filmed in 1934, starring Claudette Colbert and Louise Beavers. In the 1934 version, the two women (one white, one black) were business partners. In the 1959 version, the black woman is the white woman's maid. So much for racial advancement! However, the 1959 version is one of my guilty pleasures. The film is so OBVIOUSLY "Hollywood" and "Plastic" that I would have to agree with John Epperson, aka "Lypsinka", the hilariously performance artist, that Douglas Sirk was putting his own spin on "The Hollywood Movie". Lana Turner's hair is platinum blonde. Her wardrobe is predominantly white and beige. Her house is decorated in white-on-white. Her daughter, played by the very white Sandra Dee, is dressed in fluffy pastels. No wonder poor Sara Jane Johnson was nearly driven mad, to be surrounded by all this in-your-face whiteness. To me, as I'm sure as to many others, that the relationship between Sara Jane and her mother, the grin-and-bear-it Annie, is the core of this film. Yes, African-Americans did NOT have an easy time in a caucasian-dominated society. Inter-relations between whites and blacks was taboo, not to mention marriage. Upward mobility was not impossible, but difficult. I always felt that Lana Turner's character, Lora Meredith, didn't have too many "problems". I always felt that her biggest problem was deciding what Jean Louis gown to wear. However, the scenes between Juanita Moore and Susan Kohner are, to me, very heart-wrenching. They are an excellent contrast to all of Lana Turner's scenes, which always make me howl. The lady was a stunner. Her acting, if you want to call it that, left something to be desired. But she was a "movie star" in every sense of the word. Even her rather messed-up, scandalous personal life added a deranged tinge of glamour to her, a sort of wayward Barbie doll. So, get out a big box of Kleenex, make some cocktails, put on your chiffon dress, and enjoy "Imitation of Life"-accept no imitations!


kohner   May 14, 2001
 14 out of 15 found this review helpful

Truly a guilty pleasure. On the one hand, the racial issue in this movie was considered enlightened in 1959 (by Hollywood standards of the time, anyway); by today's standards, it has some squirm-worthy moments, especially when the Juanita Moore's Annie Johnson asks lily-white Lana Turner's Lora Meridith to "Just let me do for you" without pay (Then again, Annie might have been ahead of her time _ a single mother on her own who was savvy enough to find a kindred soul in fellow single mother Turner). On the other hand, this is a tear-jerker/soap opera supreme, which truly comes to life when the smoldering Susan Kohner enters the picture. She is both sexy and vulnerable, and, while some may (quite correctly) question a white actress playing a light-skinned African-American role (compared to the 1934 version of this film, which featured an authentic African-American actress in the same role), Kohner does her part justice, all sex, rage, and ready-to-burst emotion (Watch where she kicks a stuffed animal across her room). She is much more interesting than squeaky white-bread Sandra Dee, and, well...let's face it, she is stunning (And when then-unknown-but-just-about-to-be-a-star Troy Donahue slaps her around and uses the vile N-word, she makes a harrowing scene even more horrific). Beyond looks, Kohner steals the whole last 10 minutes of the film (If you haven't seen it, stop reading here)when she clutches the flowers on her mother's coffin and weeps "I didn't mean it...Momma...I loved you." Over-the-top sentiment? Yes. Dated but well-intentioned messages about race and society? Yes. But Susan Kohner's performance alone both makes this get-out-your-hankies weeper ever more weepy and adds a touch of sophistication to a movie aspiring to prestiege.