Imitation of Life

Director: 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 rende

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]
Language:	English
Time:	2:05:00
Sales rank:	21,808

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
Frank Skinner	Composer
Teddy Buckner	Member of Marching Band
Leota Lorraine	Bit Part
Forbes Murray	Bit Part
Henry Mancini	Composer

Technical Credits

Eleanore Griffin

Allan Scott

Fannie Hurst

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

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.

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

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