Imitation of Life (1959 film)

Imitation of Life is a 1959 American romantic drama film directed by Douglas Sirk, produced by Ross Hunter and released by Universal International, starring Lana Turner and John Gavin. It was Sirks final Hollywood film and dealt with issues of race, class and gender.

In 1947, widow Lora Meredith Lana Turner dreams of becoming a famous Broadway actress. Losing track of her young daughter Susie at the beach portrayed as a child by Terry Burnham, she asks a stranger named Steve Archer John Gavin to help her find the girl. Susie is found and looked after by Annie Johnson Juanita Moore, a black single mother who also has a daughter, Sarah Jane portrayed as a child by Karin Dicker, who is about Susies age. Sarah Jane inherited her fathers fair skin and can pass for white. She does this with fierce zeal and fervor, taking advantage of her European heritage and features. In return for Annies kindness, Lora temporarily takes in Annie and her daughter. Annie persuades Lora to let her stay and look after the household, so that the widow can pursue an acting career.With struggles along the way, Lora becomes a star of stage comedies, with Alan Loomis Robert Alda as her agent and David Edwards Dan OHerlihy as her chief playwright. Although Lora had begun a relationship with Steve Archer, the stranger she met at the beach, their courtship falls apart because he does not want her to be a star. Loras concentration on her career prevents her from spending time with her daughter, who sees more of Annie. Annie and Sarah Jane have their own problems, as Sarah Jane is struggling with her AfricanAmerican identity and wants to pass for white because of its privileges in American society. ........

Source: Wikipedia