Underplayed Gems

Imitation of Life (1959)

Imitation of Life poster
Directed by
Douglas Sirk
Genre
drama film, romance film
Country
United States
Runtime
2h 04m
Rated
NR
Rating
7.5 of 10 from 321 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A widowed actress and her black housekeeper raise their daughters together. The housekeeper's daughter passes for white and rejects her mother, causing deep family pain.

melancholicemotionally intensevisually lushsoapyheartbreakingdramaticpoignantsocially charged

What happens

Imitation of Life is a 1959 American melodrama film directed by Douglas Sirk and produced by Ross Hunter. It stars Lana Turner and John Gavin, with Sandra Dee, Dan O'Herlihy, Susan Kohner, Robert Alda, and Juanita Moore in supporting roles. Gospel music singer Mahalia Jackson appears as a church choir soloist. It is the second film adaptation of the 1933 novel by Fannie Hurst, following the 1934 film directed by John M. Stahl. Released by Universal Pictures, Imitation of Life was Sirk's final Hollywood film and dealt with issues of race, class and gender. Kohner and Moore each received Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress for their performances, with Kohner winning the Golden Globe Award. In 2015, the United States Library of Congress selected Imitation of Life (1959) for preservation in the National Film Registry, finding it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The 1934 version of Imitation of Life had previously been added to the National Film Registry in 2005. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

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