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Information

Year
1959
Runtime
125 min.
Director
Douglas Sirk
Genres
Drama, Romance
Rating *
7.8
Votes *
9,064
Checks
2,704
Favs
232
Dislikes
17
Favs/checks
8.6% (1:12)
Favs/dislikes
14:1
* View IMDb information

Top comments

  1. Siskoid's avatar

    Siskoid

    Every time Imitation of Life (1959) has something interesting to say, it turns its head and forces us to watch the trite melodrama of Lana Turner's character trying to make it big (or bigger) on Broadway and her love affairs. It's a real shame. The only thing of any real interest here is Sarah Jane (Susan Kohner), a fair-skinned African-American girl who can "pass" as white resenting her mother played by Juanita Moore. When Sarah Jane is a little girl (as the movie spans more than a decade of soap opera), we get glimpses of this, but then the false-sounding Lana drama takes over every time. I do wish the film would do more with the friendship between Turner and Moore's two mothers, but there's something more than off-putting about Moore's character happily acting like a servant to the family and calling the woman who is ostensibly her best friend "Miss Laura". I mean, the movie knows it's at least in part about race relations and racial identity, but look at that poster or how far down Juanita Moore is in the credits. There's about a half-hour of intriguing, progressive content, but the rest is quite dated. Sappy to a fault, I felt like it was trying to wring tears from me through the last act, but it felt so scripted and overwrought that I actually shouted at the screen in frustration a couple times. 4 years 8 months ago
  2. -1flb2-'s avatar

    -1flb2-

    Excellent movie, very powerful. Strong characters and a strong message. Should be on more lists and seen by everyone. A real gem. 7 years 5 months ago
  3. Miss Jitterbug's avatar

    Miss Jitterbug

    Much better than I expected it to be... Should definetely be in more lists!!! 10 years ago
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  1. RoninRunner checked this movie 4 days 15 hours ago
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In 6 official lists

  1. This movie ranks #85 in Sight & Sound's The Greatest Films of All Time
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    Sight & Sound's The Grea…

    85
  2. This movie ranks #132 in TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest Films
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    TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest F…

    132
  3. This movie ranks #404 in The New York Times's Book of Movies
    The New York Times's Book of Movies's icon

    The New York Times's Boo…

    404
  4. This movie ranks #452 in Time Out's 1000 Films to Change Your Life
    Time Out's 1000 Films to Change Your Life's icon

    Time Out's 1000 Films to…

    452
  5. This movie ranks #569 in David Thomson's Have You Seen?
    David Thomson's Have You Seen?'s icon

    David Thomson's Have You…

    569
  6. This movie ranks #687 in Library of Congress's National Film Registry
    Library of Congress's National Film Registry's icon

    Library of Congress's Na…

    687
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