Imitation of Life: Satire at its best
Directed by Douglas Sirk
“How do you tell a child that she was born to be hurt?”
Annie
Imitation of Life produces a mimicry of race relations and their function in society. With aggrandizing characters from the satirical novel released in 1933 by Fannie Hurst, this film is the second film of its kind with the original book-to-film adaptation released in 1934. Though unaware of the nature of the novel, I went into the viewing blindsided. I was filled with disbelief at the nature of the characters and the absurdity of it all. I had full intention to lambast the film because of these massively stereotyped characters until further research. Suddenly, the theme is crystallized. This production is meant to function as satire and manufacture a strange message about life. Its aim is to express discomfort through an unrealistic nature that upon viewing, it would be difficult for the audience to connect to or rationalize these polarizing behaviors. Evidently, the sappy, melodramatic and overdone acting is visually depressing and for good reason. It is meant to be that way as each character criticizes itself by producing overexaggerated versions of themselves as seen in American Society.
We experience this in the way Lora’s altruism toward Annie was based on her devotion to subservience and how Annie was solely relegated to a “mammy” who is meant to care for a white family. Then there is Sarah Jean, the mixed child of Annie, who is immediately purported as a sexually promiscuous young girl. Meanwhile, Susie carries with her an air of innocence surrounding notions of love. In stark contrast to the vibrant colors, inventive shots, and neat soundtrack; there is an ugliness to the veracity of the message. The spirit of the film symbolizes the way in which society views each individual, and this is all based on skin color. It also presents commentary on how the freedom of a white woman seeking to achieve her dreams were dependent on the mentally enslaved black woman who was responsible for managing all her affairs including raising her daughter. Even the way Annie was presented as one that is always agreeable, always wise, and motherly to the point that she requires no effort in appearance or deserving of a love-interest whereas Lora is constantly given outward love and affection despite her inward ugliness toward everyone in her life.
The selfishness of Lora is manifested manifold throughout the film. Despite opportunities to learn a bit of self-awareness, Lora’s selfishness is so pervasive because she remains unchanged. The focus is on her hopes and dreams regardless of whether she side-steps her child, Annie, or even her love interest Steve. She remains self-absorbed and only viewed Annie in relation to what she can do for her. This behavior leads the audience to question Miss Lora’s affection for Annie. A scene that truly defines the relationship between them is when Annie is dreadfully ill, Lora offers to step in and take care of her for a change. As she tends to her, Annie is obviously in distress from her debilitating sickness, yet Lora has burning questions to ask Annie. Yet, even in sickness, Annie is still loyal to her friend though I am not sure Ms. Lora considered her as such. She often subtly reminded Annie of her place as the help. It appeared to be more transactional than genuine.
Lora is played by Lana Turner whose performance is akin to an Old Hollywood star clothed in glamour and shallowness. Juanita Moore’s performance is the most provoking and sensible as Annie. Oftentimes, a little too agreeable, she is evidently the antithesis of Lora. John Gavin portrays Steve as a wooden yet sometimes wise love-interest that is steamrolled by a selfish Lora. Susan Kohner as Sarah Jane is as vile as she is written to be, making questionable decisions, and harboring unbounded vitriol fueled by her identity crisis. Sandra Dee plays Susie as required with innocence and emerging motherly issues. An appearance by Mahalia Jackson, a prominent gospel singer and Civil Rights activist, tied in the racially charged message.
This film is not meant to simply address the pervasively ill treatment of black people; it meant to paint it in a way that seems unrealistic yet remains entirely true. One that produces a knee-jerk reaction from the viewer as they ogle at a crashing train. After careful re-evaluation, Imitation of Life is not a film to be taken at face value. It is not just a product of overexaggerated stereotypes; instead, it shines a light on the uncomfortable truth about American society in a subtle yet subversive way.
The Island Cinephile 
