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Imitation of Life (1959)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
30 April 1959 (USA)
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Plot:
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. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars.
Another 3 wins
&
3 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(4 articles)
IESB Interviews The Cast And Crew Of 'New Moon'
(From TwilightersAnonymous. 9 November 2009, 12:48 PM, PST)
New Moon Chris Weitz Interview
(From MoviesOnline. 8 November 2009, 8:00 PM, PST)
(From TwilightersAnonymous. 9 November 2009, 12:48 PM, PST)
New Moon Chris Weitz Interview
(From MoviesOnline. 8 November 2009, 8:00 PM, PST)
User Comments:
Beauty! Romance! Betrayal!
more (106 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Lana Turner | ... | Lora Meredith | |
| John Gavin | ... | Steve Archer | |
| Sandra Dee | ... | Susie, age 16 | |
| Susan Kohner | ... | Sarah Jane, age 18 | |
| Robert Alda | ... | Allen Loomis | |
| Dan O'Herlihy | ... | David Edwards | |
| Juanita Moore | ... | Annie Johnson | |
| Karin Dicker | ... | Sarah Jane, age 8 | |
| Terry Burnham | ... | Susie, age 6 | |
| John Vivyan | ... | Young man | |
| Lee Goodman | ... | Photographer | |
| Ann Robinson | ... | Showgirl | |
| Troy Donahue | ... | Frankie | |
| Sandra Gould | ... | Annette | |
| David Tomack | ... | Mr. McKenney |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
125 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Certification:
UK:12 (video rating) (uncut) (2005) |
UK:U (original rating) (cut) |
South Korea:12 (1999) |
Finland:S |
USA:Approved (PCA #19184) |
West Germany:12
Filming Locations:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Douglas Sirk's last Hollywood film before he retired back to his native Germany.
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Goofs:
Anachronisms: When Lora is posing for the flea powder ad in 1947, several New York City Transit Authority R16 subway cars built in 1954 can be seen passing outside.
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Quotes:
Lora Meredith:
Well, I'm going up and up and up - and nobody's going to pull me down!
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in Die, Mommie, Die! (2003)
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Soundtrack:
Empty Arms
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FAQ
What is the arrangement between Lora and Annie?How does the movie end?
How closely does the movie follow the novel?
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more (106 total)
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This Five Hanky Weeper is a classic Lana Turner vehicle. She never looked better.
This is a remake of a 1934 Claudette Colbert movie of the same name from a popular Fannie Hurst novel.
The 1934 version is more true to the original story but it is difficult to find and is seldom shown on television.
The story has been rewritten to take full advantage of Ms. Turner's luminescent beauty. Now, instead of a restaurant owner she is a glamorous star of stage and film.
But the underlying pathos is the same -- two women, each with a daughter that does not appreciate the sacrifices their mothers have made.
Before I saw this film I had no idea who Susan Kohner was. She turns out quite a performance and I wonder why she didn't do more films.
Sandra Dee as Ms. Turner's daughter is Sandra Dee playing a daughter -- you've seen it before.
In the final scences when Susan Kohner's character does her "That's my momma..." piece you can hear sobs coming from the people in the audience...
Do not be surprised if some of them are yours.