Imitation of Life

Lana Turner 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:	Universal Studios
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Time:	2:05:00
Sales rank:	14,978

Special Features

[None specified]

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Lana Turner	Lora Meredith
John Gavin	Steve Archer
Juanita Moore	Annie Johnson
Sandra Dee	Susie (older)
Dan O'Herlihy	David Edwards
Robert Alda	Allen Loomis
Susan Kohner	Sara Jane (older)
Mahalia Jackson	Herself
Karen Dicker	Sara Jane (younger)
Terry Burnham	Susie Meredith, at 6
John Vivyan	Young Man
Lee Goodman	Photographer
Ann Robinson	Show Girl
Troy Donahue	Frankie
Sandra Gould	Receptionist
Joel Fluellen	Minister
Jack Weston	Stage Manager
Billy House	Fat Man
Maida Severn	Teacher
Than Wyenn	Romano
Peg Shirley	Fay
George Barrows	Furniture Mover
Paul Bradley	Preston Mitchell
Myrna Fahey	Actress
Bess Flowers	Geraldine Moore
Eddie Parker	Policeman
Napoleon Whiting	Kenneth
David Tomack	Burly Man

Technical Credits

Eleanore Griffin

Allan Scott

Douglas Sirk	Director
Alexander Golitzen	Art Director
Miton Carruth	Editor
Sammy Fain	Songwriter
Russell A. Gausman	Set Decoration/Design
Joseph E. Gershenson	Musical Direction/Supervision
Eleanore Griffin	Screenwriter
Frederick Herbert	Songwriter
Julia Heron	Set Decoration/Design
Arnold Hughes	Songwriter
Ross Hunter	Producer
Jean Louis	Costumes/Costume Designer
Henry Mancini	Score Composer
Russell Metty	Cinematographer
Richard H. Riedel	Art Director
Allan Scott	Screenwriter
Frank Skinner	Score Composer
Clifford Stine	Special Effects
Bill Thomas	Costumes/Costume Designer
Paul Francis Webster	Songwriter

Scene Index

Side #1 --
1. Main Titles [2:15]
2. Two Mothers [12:14]
3. Steve Archer [5:32]
4. The Agent [7:49]
5. Everything's Wrong [4:16]
6. Sarah Jane's Shame [4:07]
7. Big News [7:23]
8. The Audition [2:32]
9. A Star Is Born [8:07]
10. The New Home [3:54]
11. An Old and Dear Friend [6:26]
12. Sarah Jane's Secret [3:53]
13. To Be Different [3:59]
14. The Boyfriend [4:36]
15. A "Respectable" Job [3:29]
16. Looking for Sarah Jane [6:30]
17. In Love With Steve [6:11]
18. Annie's Last Wishes [9:56]
19. The Funeral [9:18]
20. End Titles [5:19]

Menu

Side #1 --
   Scenes
   Bonus Materials
      Trailer
      Recommendations
   Languages
      Spoken Language: English 2.0 Mono
      Captioned for the Hearing Impaired: English
      Subtitles: Español
      Subtitles: Français
      Subtitles: None
   Play

Editorial Reviews

The great director Douglas Sirk's Imitation of Life, a spectacular, sprawling melodrama, follows a widowed aspiring actress (Lana Turner) and a homeless single mother (Juanita Moore) who raise their daughters together. While the actress's rise to Broadway stardom at the cost of true love gives the first half of the film a romantic arc, the relationship between the two mothers -- one white, one black -- gradually takes center stage. Sirk never compromises the integrity of the genre, steadfastly crafting archetypes instead of stereotypes while avoiding overt allegory or satire. This earnest sophistication gives Imitation of Life a weight that transcends social commentary. Turner's performance is pivotal, a grandiose portrayal of ambition and desire that fuels the story while contrasting brilliantly with Moore's austerity. Based on a bestselling novel by Fannie Hurst, Sirk's film was the second adaptation of the book, and it strays much farther from the source material than the more straightforward 1934 screen version. They truly don't make movies like this anymore; Imitation of Life stands as Sirk's masterpiece and perhaps the greatest Hollywood melodrama ever made.

Barnes & Noble - Gregory Baird

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.

All Movie Guide - Lucia Bozzola

Read More