Review of Imitation of Life (1959) by John W — 13 Aug 2013

I recently had the opportunity to revisit director Douglas Sirk's unabashedly schlocky tearjearker and first-rate melodrama "Imitation of Life," from 1959. From the struggling would-be actress juggling the various suitors in her orbit (John Gavin and Robert Alda) to the neglected daughter feeling abandoned when her mother makes it big, this is a soap opera.

Normally that would not be a good thing. Yet here it works. Lana Turner in the lead role gives one of the strongest performances of her career and the oftentimes choppy writing can go relatively unnoticed due to the superior performances of the supporting players (Gavin, Alda, Sandra Dee, Juanita Moore, and Jack Weston.

Of the soap opera films so in-vogue in the late '50s, this is the most effective, realistic example.