IMITATION OF LIFE (1959): Imitation of Life starts off very strongly a white woman and her young daughter meet a black woman and her daughter, who is very light skinned, randomly at the beach. Both single mothers are struggling. The black woman, Annie, moves into the white woman, Lora's, apartment and begins to act as a maid. Lora is an aspiring actress/model who is trying to find jobs, but is not succeeding. The film begins by showing the racial differences, especially in how African-Americans were treated. Annie's little girl, Sarah Jane, could easily pass for white, and tries to at school. She instinctually knows that she will be singled out as a black girl, whereas she would easily fit in if she were white. The film shows the relationship between mother and daughter very well, as Sarah Jane's opinion of her mother lessens as she is faced with the pressures of the outside world. On the other hand, Lora is very protective of her daughter Susie. She demands to know what happened when Susie obtains even the smallest injury.
The film moves into its halfway point on an equally strong note. Lora is noticed by some Broadway execs, but comes to realize that the life of a big star is anything but glamorous. She gets her big break, though, and this is where the film loses sight. We end up focusing on Lora's various romances, one of which is very important in the film later on. However, these romance scenes are very weak and unnecessary. The movie could have easily lost ten minutes of its two hour running time by cutting out some scenes entirely.
By the end, Imitation of Life has taken a dive straight into sappy melodrama. It's sad, too, because it started off very strongly. The one thing the remained consistent was the undertones of racial issues. The relationships between Annie and Sarah Jane are far more interesting and disheartening than the problems that Lora and Susie incur.
As far as acting is concerned, it's pretty decent, though I wasn't terribly impressed by Lana Turner. There are scenes where it's obvious that she's acting and it was a bit distracting. Other than that, no complaints on the acting front.
Overall, I guess I enjoyed it. However, the end is messy, predictable, and too sappy for its own good. Worth watching if one is a fan of chick flicks or character relationships, which is this one's foundation.
6/10
The film moves into its halfway point on an equally strong note. Lora is noticed by some Broadway execs, but comes to realize that the life of a big star is anything but glamorous. She gets her big break, though, and this is where the film loses sight. We end up focusing on Lora's various romances, one of which is very important in the film later on. However, these romance scenes are very weak and unnecessary. The movie could have easily lost ten minutes of its two hour running time by cutting out some scenes entirely.
By the end, Imitation of Life has taken a dive straight into sappy melodrama. It's sad, too, because it started off very strongly. The one thing the remained consistent was the undertones of racial issues. The relationships between Annie and Sarah Jane are far more interesting and disheartening than the problems that Lora and Susie incur.
As far as acting is concerned, it's pretty decent, though I wasn't terribly impressed by Lana Turner. There are scenes where it's obvious that she's acting and it was a bit distracting. Other than that, no complaints on the acting front.
Overall, I guess I enjoyed it. However, the end is messy, predictable, and too sappy for its own good. Worth watching if one is a fan of chick flicks or character relationships, which is this one's foundation.
6/10