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- 1959
- TV-PG
- Universal Pictures
- 2 h 5 m
- 1959
- TV-PG
- Universal Pictures
- 2 h 5 m
Summary An aspiring white actress befriends an African American widow, but trouble arises when the latter is rejected by her daughter, who tries to pass for white.
Directed By: Douglas Sirk
Written By: Eleanore Griffin, Allan Scott, Fannie Hurst
- 1959
- TV-PG
- Universal Pictures
- 2 h 5 m
- 1959
- TV-PG
- Universal Pictures
- 2 h 5 m
Imitation of Life
7.5
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Summary An aspiring white actress befriends an African American widow, but trouble arises when the latter is rejected by her daughter, who tries to pass for white.
Directed By: Douglas Sirk
Written By: Eleanore Griffin, Allan Scott, Fannie Hurst
Where to Watch
Coming Soon
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim Based on 16 Critic Reviews
87
94% Positive
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
6% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim Based on 16 Critic Reviews
87
94% Positive
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
6% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
A film that can tear you apart emotionally; it's both one of the great movie soap operas and a powerful indictment of racism. Sirk's cool, elegant style--smooth as silk on top, jagged and hot with feeling below--has rarely been joined to a more perfect subject. [05 May 2006, p.C9]
If Sirk exploits the material for all it's worth and seems to be sardonically allowing the artifical genre to devour itself as he sits back and watches, at the same time the weepie aspect is so melodramatic as to tear the sobs from your throat.
By Staff (Not Credited) FULL REVIEW
Marketed as a glossy weepie but in fact an outstanding piece of social criticism that goes to the root of postwar American life. [26 Sep 2010, p.56]
By Philip French
The secret of Sirk's double appeal is a broadly melodramatic plotline, played with perfect conviction yet constantly criticized and challenged by the film's mise-en-scene, which adds levels of irony and analysis through a purely visual inflection.
By way of contrast, Imitation of Life and its predecessors really poked their noses into the ratty, fetid spaces behind the plush curtains.
Forget those who decry the '50s Hollywood melodrama; it is through the conventions of that hyper-emotional genre that Sirk is able to make such a devastatingly embittered and pessimistic movie.
By Staff (Not Credited) FULL REVIEW
This modernized remake of Miss Hurst's frankly lachrymose tale is much the same as its soggy predecessor. It is the most shameless tear-jerker in a couple of years.
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 8 User Ratings
7.5
88% Positive
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
13% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 8 User Ratings
7.5
88% Positive
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
13% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Production Company
- Universal Pictures
Release Date Mar 18, 1959
Duration 2 h 5 m
Rating TV-PG
Genres
Tagline "I'll get the things I want out of life, one way or another...from one man to another!"
Awards
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Academy Awards, USA
• 2 Nominations
Laurel Awards
• 1 Win & 3 Nominations
