Imitation of Life Movie Review 1959

Remake of the successful 1939 Claudette Colbert outing of the same title, and based on Fanny Hurst's novel, with a few plot changes. Turner is a single mother, more determined to achieve acting fame and fortune than function as a parent. Her black maid, Moore, is devoted to her own daughter (Kohner), but loses her when the girl discovers she can pass for white. When Turner discovers that she and her daughter are in love with the same man, she realizes how little she knows her daughter, and how much the two of them have missed by not having a stronger relationship. Highly successful at the boxoffice.

Distribution

Facets Multimedia, Inc., 1517 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago, IL 60614, Phone: (773)281-9075, Toll-free: 800-331-6197, Fax: (773)929-5437, Email: sales@facets.org, URL: http://www.facets.org

Available on VHS
Running time 124 minutes.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Books to Film: Fanny Hurst, Not-So-True Identity, Price of Fame, African America, The Help: Female, Moms

Cast

Lana Turner, John Gavin, Troy Donahue, Sandra Dee, Juanita Moore, Susan Kohner

Cinematography

Russell Metty

Director

Douglas Sirk

Producer

Ross Hunter

Awards

Golden Globes 1960: Support. Actress (Kohner).