Analysis Of The Film Imitation Of Life

In the past, skin and gender were always an issue. If you’re colored (black), people look down at you. If you’re a female, you’re seen as a “living thing” whose purpose is to serve men. Set in New York in the 1950’s, Imitation of Life a drama directed by Douglas Skirk will not only play with your feelings and emotions, your tears will also betray you. The acting of Lana Turner, Susan Kohner, Sandra Dee, Juanita Moore, and John Gavin will surely give you mixed emotions. This marvelous film will also make you question your morals when having thoughts such as wishing bad things would happen to some of the characters, or feeling good after seeing a character miserable but in the end you’ll question yourself, does it have to end that way?
Aspiring

The script of the film was well written despite it being too formal and unrealistic, the way it was delivered still gave me chills. Today, if you watch a film with characters acting so graceful and saying lines such as “Oh, Steve, you don’t know me at all!” or saying normal lines but in a dramatic way? It will probably flop, but if Imitation of Life knew how to handle it. I also loved it when a dramatic scene is happening, the lightning changes and makes the scene even more dramatic. The way how the camera is zoomed to the character’s face to focus on their emotions paired with the melody of the background music adds up to make the scene feel intense when Lora and Steve were just confessing their love for each other. The entire film itself focuses in one or maybe two emotions: sad and gloomy. Each scene would always be paired with a background music that is sad or gloomy, the lines are also too dramatic and doesn’t seem realistic, however it works. I still cried even if I told myself not to cry when Annie and Sarah Jane argued. I still got mad whenever Sarah Jane is pushing her mother away, in the most graceful way with the most graceful words. It also rages me whenever Annie and Sarah Jane are put into a box because of their color, for an instance, when Sara Jane’s boyfriend found out that she’s half black, he