Imitation of Life Poster
MOVIEmeter
SEE RANK
Down 720 this week

Imitation of Life (1959)

APPROVED  125 min  -  Drama | Romance   -  30 April 1959 (USA)
7.7
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 7.7/10 from 5,837 users  
Reviews: 120 user | 29 critic

A struggling young actress with a six-year-old daughter sets up housekeeping with a homeless black widow and her light-skinned eight-year-old daughter who rejects her mother by trying to pass for white.

Director:

Douglas Sirk

Writers:

Eleanore Griffin (screenplay), Allan Scott (screenplay), and 1 more credit »
Watch Trailer
 Loading Watchlist 

Watch now

Buy it from Amazon »

Related Lists

image of title
a list of 2,174 titles by Dr-Faustus created 8 months ago
 
image of title
a list of 1,000 titles by PeacefulAnarchy created 3 weeks ago
 
image of title
a list of 946 titles by abcj-2 created 2 months ago
 
image of title
a list of 3,201 titles by angelwizzard666 created 2 months ago
 
image of title
a list of 481 titles by kennethspencer25 created 1 week ago
 

Connect with IMDb


Download the free IMDb App
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 3 nominations See more awards »
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lana Turner ...
John Gavin ...
Steve Archer
Sandra Dee ...
Susie - 16
Susan Kohner ...
Robert Alda Robert Alda ...
Allen Loomis
Dan O'Herlihy Dan O'Herlihy ...
David Edwards
Juanita Moore ...
Annie Johnson
Karin Dicker Karin Dicker ...
Terry Burnham Terry Burnham ...
Susie - 6
John Vivyan John Vivyan ...
Young Man
Lee Goodman Lee Goodman ...
Photographer
Ann Robinson Ann Robinson ...
Showgirl
Troy Donahue ...
Frankie
Sandra Gould Sandra Gould ...
Annette
David Tomack David Tomack ...
Mr. McKenney
Edit

Storyline

Aspiring actress Lora Meredith meets Annie Johnson a homeless black woman at Coney Island and soon they share a tiny apartment. Each woman has an intolerable daughter, though Annie's little girl Sarah Jane, is by far the worse. Neurotic and obnoxious, Sarah Jane doesn't like being black; since she's light-skinned (her father was practically white), she spends the rest of the film passing as white, much to her mother's heartache and shame. Lora, meanwhile, virtually ignores her own daughter in a single-minded quest for stardom. Written by alfiehitchie  

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Actress | Girl | Maid | Model | African American  | See more »

Genres:

Drama | Romance

Edit

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

(USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Solange es Menschen gibt See more »

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$25,000,000 (Worldwide) (1 January 1970)
See more »

Company Credits

Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono  | Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

Douglas Sirk's last Hollywood film before he retired back to his native Germany. See more »

Goofs

Boom mic visible: In the top right corner as David Edwards arrives in Lora's living room after she becomes famous. See more »

Quotes

Lora Meredith: Now, just a moment, young lady! It's only because of my ambition that you've had the best of everything. And that's a solid achievement that any mother can be proud of!
Susie, age 16: [tearfully] And how about a mother's love?
Lora Meredith: LOVE? But you've always had that!
Susie, age 16: Yes, by telephone, by postcard, by magazine interviews... you've given me everything... but yourself!
See more »

Crazy Credits

Juanita Moore, who plays Annie, is billed with the credit "And Presenting
Juanita Moore as Annie Johnson", even though she had already appeared in
many films. See more »

Connections

Featured in The Universal Story (1995) See more »

Soundtracks

"Trouble of the World"
Words and music by Unknown
Performed by Mahalia Jackson See more »