Imitation of Life

Genre: slice-of-life drama

With: Lana Turner (Lora Meredith), Juanita Moore (Annie Johnson), John Gavin (Steve Archer), Sandra Dee (Susie in her teens), Susan Kohner (Sarah Jane in her teens), Robert Alda (Allen Loomis)

Director: Douglas Sirk

Release: 1954

Studio: CIC Universal

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.0/10

A Mother’s Work Is Never Done

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Story-line: at Coney Island in 1947, Lora Meredith loses her daughter Susie in a crowd and finds her playing with Sarah Jane Johnson, Annie’s little girl. From then on, a lasting bond will develop between the Merediths and the Johnsons, but a bond that won’t shield them against life’s nagging problems. Lora’s main problem is work… a theatrical career she’s been dreaming of since becoming a widow. For the Johnsons, it’s the prejudice they suffer because they are black... more precisely, because Annie is much darker-skinned than her daughter Sarah Jane.

Pluses: distinguished performances by Susan Kohner (a Golden Globe winner and an Oscar nomination) and Juanita Moore (two noms), a serious screenplay treated in an appropriate tone, strong direction by a much respected American helmer.  

Minuses: the story may lack unity because it deals with several issues over time. Some events will feel like déjà vu for today’s movie buffs although they remain important. As a side note, the poster shown above doesn’t give a full idea of the film’s content.

Comments: this noble movie defies description because it covers a whole decade in the lives of two mothers supporting each other through personal challenges. Taking its cue from Annie and Lora, it also chooses humility and decency over glamour and sensationalism. A critically acclaimed production, a top-grade soap opera and a rare chance to see and hear the great Mahalia Jackson… how can you go wrong with IMITATION OF LIFE?

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