UMVD of Douglas Sirk's "Imitation of Life"

directed by Douglas Sirk
USA 1959

Captivating and heart-warming social mediation by Douglas Sirk. Although heavy-handed in comparison to his masterpiece "All That Heaven Allows", it still shows elements of greatness contrasting with rather abrupt and unsubtle societal commentary. Melodramatically acted by most of the cast, I never really had a feeling of bonding with the Lana Turner character of Lora Meredith. This was none-the-less an enjoyable film experience with powerful and witty undercurrents if you choose to observe them. In one scene, Sarah Jane is beaten by her boyfriend for not disclosing her mother is negro and in the next scene we see her mother on her knees subserviently massaging her white employers feet. Important for its era the social injustices portrayed have there place in evoking powerful emotions even in a modern context. Probably the films big failing is in the timeframe. 11 years of seemingly non-consequential living passes by in the blink of an eye (1948-59) simply showing glimpses of some stage shows that Lora has appeared in. None of the characters emotionally mature in this time frame but I suppose that is a lot like real life, hence the title of the film. out of

Gary W. Tooze

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DVD Review: UMVD - Region 1 - NTSC

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from: NOTE: Purchases through DVDBeaver's links to Amazon help keep us afloat and advertisement free!
Distribution	UMVD Region 1 - NTSC Region 1 ( North America only )
Runtime	2:04:20
Video	1.85:1.00 Letterboxed WideScreen / anamorphic Average Bitrate: 6.62 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: UMVD
Audio	English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
Subtitles	Spanish, French, Close Captioned (English), None
Features	Release Information: Studio: UMVD Theatrical Release Date: April 30, 1959 Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 Edition Details: • 4:3 Non-anamorphic picture-boxed Trailer - 2:29 • Recommendations: Trailer for 'Fried Green Tomatoes', 'One True Thing', 'Mask' • Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen	Cast overview, first billed only: Lana Turner .... Lora Meredith John Gavin .... Steve Archer Sandra Dee .... Susie, age 16 Robert Alda .... Allen Loomis Susan Kohner .... Sarah Jane, age 18 Dan O'Herlihy .... David Edwards Juanita Moore .... Annie Johnson Karin Dicker .... Sarah Jane, age 8 Terry Burnham .... Susie, age 6
Comments:	An un-detailed often hazy print showing excessive film grain that makes this less than the perfect picture quality DVD. The anamorphic 1.85 image has its failings, but I was not put-off by its overall presentation. The sound was acceptable with minor hiss and crackling in spots. There were no extras to speak of and a commentary would have definitely enhanced the appreciation of this film for many. It could have been a lot better in the hands of Criterion, but I don't think the film really warrants the monetary expenditure that would be required. I give this DVD out of Gary W. Tooze
	DVD Release Date: February 24, 2003 Keep Case Chapters: 20