Imitation of Life

Rating:
Summary: Cultural Contribution of Immitation of Life
Review: Imitation of Life, a 1959 Film by director Douglas Sirk, is a commentary on the relationship between African Americans and Caucasians, as well as the role of women in society.
Lana Turner is a single white mother of Susie who is attempting to establish herself as an actress and agrees to house Annie, a single black mother, and her daughter Sarah Jane.
The intersection of race, class and gender are deceptively obvious in the film. Lana, white and Annie, black serve as focal characters in Sirk's social commentary. The white female Lana betrays her role as mother by acquiring a career, and although this outwardly seems progressive, her career is as an actress. This commodifies Lana, making her the object of vision for consumption. Thus Lana remains in a role acceptable to the patriarchal society. Annie, the black female, is created to be the stereotypical motherly homemaker. Not only does she accede to the racism that keeps her in an "appropriate" role (subversive to Lana as her maid), she encourages her daughter Sarah Jane, who is able to "pass" for white, to embrace her African heritage and all of the racism she will experience for it. This encourages the audience to sympathize with Annie, who has to deal with a rebellious daughter, and further conforms to the demands of white patriarchy by portraying the person attempting to break free from the chains that limit her as the villian. Annie, like Lana is acceptable to the patriarchy because she stays at home and cares for the house and children. Lana eventually becomes a rich, successful actress and while her daughter Susie is applying to colleges, Annie's daughter Sarah Jane is a dancer in a burlesque show. This has the apparent underlying message that only whites can overcome low-class situations and blacks are doomed to lower-class stature and were it not popularly known that Sirk's film is a parody, one might come to the conclusion that Sirk was aiding and abetting the racist undertones of American culture. However, over-the-top acting aides in shocking a critical analysis out of the viewer. Steve, the white male courting Lana, is the voice of "reason" in the movie and thus the patriarchy's representative. Whenever a problem arises, Steve is there to solve it, whether or not the means are plausible or realistic. Although Lana is out of the home and making a living, she needs Steve for support, as do the other females in the film. In the end of the film, after the reunion of Sarah Jane with Lana and Susie, Steve is there to look upon the scene and approve of it.
These features of the film are meant to allow the viewer to realize and expose the underlying messages that they consume on film and television daily.