Imitation of Life (1959)

Cast

Lana Turner
as Lora Meredith
Sandra Dee
as Susie - 16
Elinor Donahue
as Lora's Friend
Jack Weston
as Tom

Get more information about Imitation of Life (1959) on IMDb

Genres & Description

Action Drama Romance

7.9 / 10

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.

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Comments on this trailer
Comments may include spoiler!

Dave Eastwood

Richard Pryor led me here, He did time because of this movie. I remember watching it as a kid saddest thing I saw - @Thursday, November 8, 2018 4:42 PM

Paula Harris Baca

Actually the main thing I wanted to point out was that John Gavin was also passing...he was Mexican-American and I am pretty sure was also gay, and he is or was a Senator in some Southwestern state...(he might be dead now) - @Sunday, November 4, 2018 11:05 PM

COGLIONE DEL RE

Mi hanno detto che é un film molto bello vorrei vederlo - @Sunday, July 29, 2018 11:51 PM

Sharon Davis

I love this movie .... I cried like a baby ! - @Saturday, July 21, 2018 2:07 AM

Komi Christopher

Mahalia with that determined church face you just know she bout to shake your soul with her next note 1:19 - @Wednesday, June 6, 2018 1:12 AM

Komi Christopher

Best part is 1:40 hilarious - @Wednesday, June 6, 2018 1:11 AM

sunja mumfree

The clip alone brought me to tears. The best movie & saddest movie ever, - @Sunday, February 25, 2018 12:12 PM

Marija Dipset

How can she have a black mother and be white ? - @Saturday, February 3, 2018 8:27 PM

ragrago

This is not Lana tURNER - @Monday, July 17, 2017 5:54 AM

Angel H

came after Lunell on Vladtv - @Saturday, December 31, 2016 10:51 AM

Victoria Reece

To Tina Turner Neil Diamond and London UK - @Thursday, August 11, 2016 11:15 PM

María del Prado Zabaco

Por favor si no la traducen al español, poner subtitulos. Gracias - @Saturday, May 28, 2016 1:27 PM

Igor Hawkingz

Thumbs u if you came here from that worldstar video where the light skin chick was suing her black mother for $600 just to see if it was a rip off of this movie, because you knew it had to be fake :D - @Friday, May 27, 2016 10:59 AM

Eric Jones

https://www.facebook.com/742561292438095/videos/1288812184479667/?autoplay_reason=all_page_organic_allowed&video_container_type=0&video_creator_product_type=2&app_id=121876164619130 - @Wednesday, May 25, 2016 1:05 PM

TheHotlittleminx

I saw this movie once at my grandma house and there is a scene where she goes to a club with her friend and the concierge asked her (Lana Turner's character) if she was black or white..LOL She looked at him and I think she said she was both .But I was like, are you serious?????!!!!! I mean what a stupid question. He let her in the club tho. - @Saturday, May 21, 2016 12:06 PM

DJRED ALERT

I Recommend The Original One Imitation Of Life 1934 It's Way Ahead Of It's Time Tackling Racial Issues - @Monday, May 9, 2016 12:14 PM

Avarielle A.

my nana's favorite movie , it teaches you so much . - @Thursday, April 7, 2016 12:35 AM

Carolyn Anderson

I love this movie - @Monday, March 14, 2016 7:11 PM

Carolyn Anderson

I love this movie - @Monday, March 14, 2016 7:11 PM

loveinspired7

I've never seen this before... I think I'm gonna check it out... the trailer intrigued me. - @Friday, March 4, 2016 9:51 PM

IRIDESCENT PRINCESS

Definitely a MUST -SEE FILM, especially for those of us which come from a biracial/multiracial background (which in reality, is pretty much EVERYONE)! - @Tuesday, February 9, 2016 4:05 AM

Laura Parks

one of my favorite all time movies! - @Saturday, February 6, 2016 7:39 AM

Samuel Antão

GREAT MOVIE! - @Thursday, December 17, 2015 1:33 AM

Alexandros Deligiorgis

The best melodrama in the history of cinema. - @Tuesday, November 10, 2015 11:38 PM

Joseph Page

I'm a Black man, who tears every time I watch this Amazing movie. This movie & stars is what Talent truly is - @Monday, October 5, 2015 7:01 PM

Dana Murray

#racheldolezal - @Friday, August 21, 2015 6:44 AM

Ms. Paddington

One of the BEST movies I've seen in my life, i was bawling by the end of it! - @Sunday, May 17, 2015 10:56 PM

kelyoph

There is a movie called "Rosas Blancas Para Mi Hermana Negra" that reminds me of this one; it also tackles the race issue from a mexican/Latin American stand point. I highly recommend it. - @Saturday, February 21, 2015 4:01 AM

Deniece King

I loved this movie so much! It can be very intense at times but shows a true friendship that last over many years. - @Monday, January 12, 2015 6:51 PM

J.R. M

What a lot of people don't realize is that director Douglas Sirk originally wanted a light skin/fair African American women to play the adult Sarah Jane. Fredi Washington was considered for the role but do to some statements she made about her personal ethics, on refusing to pretend to be White (in real life) to receive better roles in Hollywood, unwanted controversy developed. In steps Susan Kohner, who is in fact biracial, Kohner is Mexican & Austrian-Hungarian decent. - @Wednesday, December 31, 2014 6:06 AM

playboyquan

My grandmother and friend was saying how sad this movie is .... She said it made her cry when she and her husband went to go see it. - @Sunday, December 21, 2014 1:40 AM

Yvonne Juju

First the characters that Susan Kohner plays IS NOT biracial she is black. When the two ladies met for the first time Juanita Moore's characters says HER FATHER LOOKS WHITE. Which means HE was a very fair skin black man. NO where is it suggested her father was white. I have watched the more what feels like a million times and I love it. both this later version and the first one in 1934 - @Wednesday, November 19, 2014 4:43 PM

Ricky Heng

5 star picture!!!!!!!!!!!! - @Sunday, September 14, 2014 2:08 AM

Planet Tyro

GREAT MOVIE - We actually reviewed both versions of the movie on our channel! - These really need more awareness! - @Thursday, August 21, 2014 3:05 AM

Kerstin Dahlqvist

In the 1934 film a light skinned black actress, Fredi Washington played Sarah Jane. It is ironical that when Hollywood makes films about racism/bigotry they choose white actresses to play blacks/biracial. E.g In Show Boat Ava Gardner plays biracial Julie Laverne. - @Thursday, July 3, 2014 12:36 AM

Gary Bacchetti

This movie a a 3 box of Kleenex. I saw this back in the 1960's and just stumbled across it yesterday. Awesome! - @Tuesday, July 1, 2014 10:49 AM

Adychan

JUST finished watching this movie! Such good preformances, the ending was so sad i hated sarah jane she was so mean to her mama - @Tuesday, April 29, 2014 5:04 AM

Maxim Dewinter

this is a very good movie. i've watched it already. thus movie makes me cry. - @Sunday, April 27, 2014 9:44 AM

bootsamou

Melodrama, yes, but it was very brave of Hollywood to even try to tackle the race issue back in 1959. A truly remarkable film. And the wonderful Oscar-nominated Juanita. Bless her. - @Friday, January 3, 2014 12:13 PM

MsRandomnotes1

Rest in Peace Juanita Moore, you make me cry every time I watch your performance... - @Thursday, January 2, 2014 6:49 AM

Jane Doe

I remember this movie back in the 50's and still today, it make me cry. It's true a person can die from a broken heart...Sarah Jane didn't know "God" but her mother did. If people of color was that bad, why are they tanning and getting cancer from the sun, to get that beautiful color? It doesn't make sense to me...love the movie though. - @Thursday, November 28, 2013 1:18 AM

Linda Harrison

I think you meant to write saddest :) - @Saturday, October 5, 2013 12:41 AM

Linda Harrison

Is there anywhere where the movie is uploaded in full? - @Saturday, October 5, 2013 12:41 AM

thelovelykayla208

I meant Sarah Jane, not Mary Jane lol - @Monday, September 30, 2013 3:06 PM

thelovelykayla208

Even if Mary Jane embraced her entire self, she wouldn't be completely accepted in the black community because she would appear white and they would assume she thinks she is "better" because she is "white" and of course, once the white people found out about her, they will kick her to the curb like her boyfriend did. Those times were disgusting... - @Monday, September 30, 2013 2:56 PM

Geeky Nerdy

Sadist movie I've seen, alongside with Marly and me - @Monday, September 2, 2013 3:21 AM

tiffany butler

My favorite movie <3 - @Thursday, July 11, 2013 10:43 AM

duncan3417

Society was cruel and cold. Like Sarah said she did not want to live her life coming through back doors. Also , if Sarah wanted to live as black , because of her light skin she would have been hated by many in the community. This is an old policy when slave owners valued light skin over dark and created a hatred with in the race. It was a bad time for blacks and people of mixed back grounds. America was not a kind place for it's own black citizens who fought for this country . Shameful ! - @Monday, July 1, 2013 7:48 PM

duncan3417

Vince, believe me I don't care about preserving the old sickening racial policies of the past. I don't care if the whites lost all of their status and wealth. Mixed couples could not just live where ever they wanted to. There were no nice terms as biracial. The children would have been considered black , no matter who white they looked and the would have not had it easy. Even if he knew the truth about Sarah, and went along with it, she could still have a dark child and all black features - @Monday, July 1, 2013 7:30 PM

Vince Burden

well, first off their children wouldn't have been born "black" they would have born birracial...and sorry but spare me the woes of whites being so distraught over having to lose their ties and wealth from a system they themselves created...the only victims during the time were blacks...amazing how they got through it. - @Sunday, June 30, 2013 9:07 PM