Fanny Hurst's story, inspiring this movie, was hugely impactful, a story that I continued to think about days after watching the film and a piece that made me feel very emotional and reflective.
This was a beautiful picture with impressive sets, costumes and music, but I think what made it so memorable and such an important film is that it addresses topics that needed to be addressed at the time and continue to be relevant in modern society. It openly confronts history without hiding, it does not dodge the suffering off women at the time, the struggles of motherhood, and the devastating issues around race that society overlooked in the 1950s. These topics continue to be hugely relevant today with sexism and racism still being worldwide issues making this picture not only important because it shows history in a brutally honest light, which many films at the time struggled to do, but because these topics sadly continue to need to be confronted even over 60 years later.
Douglas Sirk's directing alongside a cast of brilliant actors brought emotion and soul to this piece. I felt invested in the characters with moments even bringing me to tears immediately highlighting just how impactful and engaging this film is. Juanita Moore's portrayal of Annie was really impressive with her ability to portray both heart-warming emotions as well as gut wrenching moments.
An imitation of Life was one of the most memorable pictures I have reviewed with it being engrossing and emotional, honest and moving.
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