Imitation of life 1934 drama romance a struggling widow and her daughter take in a black housekeeper and her fairskinned daughter. The lives of a widow and her housekeeper are united first in mutual need, then success and ultimately, in heartache in this academy awardnominated best picture. The presentation of both versions, provided myself with a richer nourishing experience of the fannie hurst story. Rent imitation of life 1959 on dvd and bluray dvd netflix. Douglas sirks final hollywood film is a masterpiece of melodrama, for which juanita moore became the fifth africanamerican. Imitation of life 2007 cast and crew lora meredith lana turner, a white single mother who dreams of being on broadway, has a chance encounter with annie johnson juanita moore, a black widow.
Danny finds himself in a low rent motel with nothing left to live for, that is until he crosses paths with the mysterious angie. This movie touches on time of racism, segregation, how a little girl didnt want to be seen as having a black mother. Movie info the first of two film version of fannie hursts novel, 1934s imitation of life chronicles the friendship between two womenone white claudette colbert, one black louise beavers. While imitation of life centers around the business created by two women, one black and one white, it also take a hard look at the struggles minorities face something very rarely seen on. From the elegant title sequence couldve been for an early bond or an audrey hepburn vehicle to the glorious funeral procession at the end which was remarkably grand given that annie was just a maid. As she wished, annie is given a lavish funeral in a large church, complete with a gospel choir, followed by an elaborate traditional funeral procession. Its a valiant, heartbreaking moment, but if you dig beneath the scenes giddy surface sheen, you may see that sirk is asking for an instant moratorium on films that further subjugate the role of. Imitation of life 1934 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. I hardly ever watch movies repeatedly, but this one is an exception. Watch your purchase on movies anywhere supported devices.
Released january 22nd, 2007, imitation of life stars lana turner, john gavin, sandra dee, dan oherlihy the movie has a runtime of about 2 hr 5 min, and received a score of out of 100 on. Once you select rent youll have 14 days to start watching the movie and 48 hours to finish it. Its themes of motherdaughter love and abandonment, shame, and racial injustice provoked in many viewers at the time an endless flow of tears and can still bring on the waterworks today. Imitation of life movie 1959 lana turner, john gavin, sandra dee. Imitation of life 1959 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. Stahl, with claudette colbert, warren william, rochelle hudson, at turner classic movies. Danny finds himself in a low rent motel with nothing left to live for, that. The screenplay by william hurlbut, based on fannie hursts 1933 novel of the same name, was augmented by eight additional uncredited writers, including preston sturges and finley peter dunne. Troy donahue and susan kohner in imitation of life 1959 susan kohner and. Washingtons dusky gorgeousness in imitation of life must have scared hollywood bosses even as it tempted them. Review imitation of life is another of those douglas sirk melodramas that no critic had a good word to say about at the time of their release but are now widely considered movie masterpieces. Lora meredith lana turner, a white single mother who dreams of being on broadway, has a chance encounter with annie johnson juanita moore, a black widow.
The 1934 version of imitation of life is definitely less glossy and doesnt have the same distraction of pretty clothes and the staractress glamour. Delilah irritated tf outta me throughout this whole movie. Watch online or on your favorite connected device with the vudu app. The legendary lana turner stars in this 1959 version of.
Watch the full length movie of imitation of life 1934 online or on the fios mobile app. Rent, buy, and watch movies and tv shows with vudu. Imitation of life is a 1959 american drama film directed by douglas sirk, produced by ross. Just log on to your verizon account and watch the latest shows online. Imitation of life 1934 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. Imitation of life, the 1934 version, reflected the attitude in the country toward blacks.
Claudette colbert and louise beavers are superb as bea and delilah, two women with young daughters who build a life and a fortune together selling delilahs pancake recipe. Stream free imitation of life full movie online on marvel. She disclaims her mother to camouflage her ancestry and eventually takes a decision with extremely drastic effect imitation of life was an. Full scene the circus, 1928 by charlie chaplin official. Rent imitation of life 1959 starring lana turner and john gavin on dvd and bluray. Imitation of life trailer directed by douglas sirk and starring lana turner, john gavin, sandra dee, susan kohner, robert alda. Imitation of life is the second film adaptation of fannie hurst s novel of the same name. Lana turner stars in douglas sirks classic melodrama about an aspiring actress and her black housekeeper who retain a solid friendship despite problems with. Watch imitation of life 1959 full movie online free on.
With wade thalberg, katelin stack, wes worthing, david baker. Living a lie is a poor substitute for living the truth sometimes it tak. Feb 27, 20 living a lie is a poor substitute for living the truth sometimes it takes the harsh realties of life to help us discover who we truly are. The funeral from imitation of life 1934 complete blu ray cut. She got fourth billing in a 1937 fox film, one mile from heaven, but that was it. I have much enjoyed imitation of life, the 59 lana turner version by douglas sirk. Jan 24, 2012 imitation of life stars lana turner, sandra dee, john gavin, juanita moore, susan kohner, troy donahue and a cameo by mahalia jacksonthis is a tribute to juanita who passed on january 1. Sorry to say this is not the full movie, parts are missing. Imitation grabs you by the heart and doesnt let up until the ending. Imitation of life the 1934 movie, trailers, videos and more at yidio. Imitation of life is a 1959 american drama film directed by douglas sirk, produced by ross hunter and released by universal international. Douglas sirks final hollywood film is a masterpiece of melodrama, combining themes of class race and gender with the directors infamous penchant for sly subversion. Imitation of life where to stream and watch decider.
Its been years, but i recall thinking that the 1934 version and pinky1949 told the tragic mulatta story in a more complex and interesting way than the 1959 film. This is probably one of the first films that dealt with race relations in this country. If you know little about turings accomplishments and life, this movie is a thoughtprovoking and helpful introduction to further reading. Imitation of life is a 1959 american film and is the second film adaptation of the novel by the same name written by fannie hurst. Jul 03, 2003 imitation of life ends with moores annie johnson being dramatically hoisted into a hearse as an entire black community mourns her passing. Artistic license, and it suits the splendor of the movie. Watch imitation of life 1934 online verizon fios tv. Imitation of life 1959 full movie 123movies free watch online with english subtitles. Living a lie is a poor substitute for living the truth sometimes it takes the harsh realties of life to help us discover who we truly are. Plus, watch over 4,500 free movies on vudu movies on us. The funeral from imitation of life 1934 complete blu ray. This glamorized remake of the 1934 film imitation of life bears only a passing resemblance to its source. Michael boughen, producer of the tv series, tomorrow when the war began 1 the subject here is imitation of life, but its important to be clear about one point from the start. She disclaims her mother to camouflage her ancestry and eventually takes a decision with extremely drastic effect imitation of life was an ideal tearjerkersoap opera for the major talents of juanita moore and susan kohner.
Imitation of life movie tv listings and schedule tv guide. The films topbilled stars are lana turner and john gavin, and the cast also features sandra dee, dan oherlihy, susan kohner, robert alda. Video of imitation of life full movie for fans of classic movies. Imitation of life movie trailer and videos tv guide. If you are a fan of old movies, imitation of life delivers the main course. Watch imitation of life starring lana turner in this drama on directv. The second adaptation of fannie hursts novel after john m. Todd haynes far from heaven 2002 is an homage to sirks work, in particular all that heaven allows 1955 and imitation of life. Imitation of life is a 1934 american drama film directed by john m. This glamorized remake of the 1934 film imitation of life bears only a passing resemblance to its source, the bestselling novel by fannie hurst. Douglas sirk enriches this lush remake of imitation of life with racial commentary and a. Stahls 1934 film, it tells the story of a struggling actress lana. Read the full synopsis of imitation of life, 1934, directed by john m.
Imitation of life 2007 stream and watch online moviefone. Imitation of life full movie classic movies video fanpop. Imitation of life 1959 trailer turner classic movies. Imitation of life full movie watch online, stream or download chili. Find out when and where you can watch imitation of life on tv with the full listings schedule at. Imitation of life 2007 lora meredith lana turner, a white single mother who dreams of being on broadway, has a chance encounter with annie johnson juanita moore, a black widow. The first of two film version of fannie hursts novel, 1934s imitation of life chronicles the friendship between two womenone white claudette colbert, one black louise beavers. This movie wouldnt have had a chance of being made in the present climate of political correctness. Feb 04, 2008 according to robesons son, she had a longrunning affair with the actorsinger. An actresss lana turner tie to her daughter sandra dee parallels her housekeepers tie to hers. Dec 08, 2015 imitation of life is a 1934 american drama film directed by john m. Imitation of life became a staple of both the american movie classics and turner classic movies cable television networks. Watch imitation of life online stream full movie directv.
It is largely hollywood drama, but in the amazon version, some of the inaccurate hollywood elements are noted and explained in comments in the margin of the screen. Imitation of life ends with moores annie johnson being dramatically hoisted into a hearse as an entire black community mourns her passing. Imitation of life is a long film, full of faithful detail, but often slow and often dull. Imitation of life movie trailer 1959 plot synopsis. Incidentally, i saw a movie version of five and ten 1931 based on the novel by fannie hurst. Imitation of life 1959 movie clip title song, credits by peter pan. Imitation of life trouble of the world by black in the day tv. Imitation of life is without question one of my alltime favorite movies. Imitation of life 1959 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. According to robesons son, she had a longrunning affair with the actorsinger. This heart touching story will move you that is if you have a heart. This emotionally charged hollywood classic drama follows the. Moore shined as the selfsacrificing mother so loving, honest.
Watch imitation of life movie trailers, exclusive videos, interviews from the cast, movie clips and more at. With storylines tackling racism, romance, family, success and tragedy, imitation of life is a powerful story that still resonates with audiences today. An aspiring actress befriends a black widow, but trouble arises when the latter is rejected by. Sirk closed the 1950s and his featurefilmmaking career with imitation of life 1959, his most commercially successful movie. Purchase imitation of life 1959 on digital and stream instantly or download offline. Department of afroamerican research arts culture 512,561 views. She told me it is one of the best movies she has ever seen. Find out where imitation of life is streaming, if imitation of life is on netflix, and get news and updates, on decider. This movie shows how hollywood dealt with the racial issues back in those years.
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