Imitation of Life (Sirk, 1958): Phoenix Cinema, 2pm FREE
Perhaps Douglas Sirk's finest work and a clever piece of programming for Mother's Day. The bargain, and most certainly, the highlight of the week with an ending that will break your heart.
Chicago Reader review:
'Douglas Sirk's 1959 film was the biggest grosser in Universal's history until the release of Airport, yet it's also one of the most intellectually demanding films ever made in Hollywood. The secret of Sirk's double appeal is a broadly melodramatic plotline, played with perfect conviction yet constantly criticized and challenged by the film's mise-en-scene, which adds levels of irony and analysis through a purely visual inflection. Lana Turner stars as a young widow and mother who will do anything to realize her dreams of Broadway stardom; her story is intertwined with that of Susan Kohner, the light-skinned daughter of Turner's black maid, who is tempted to pass for white. By emphasizing brilliant surfaces, bold colors, and the spatial complexities of 50s moderne architecture, Sirk creates a world of illusion, entrapment, and emotional desperation' Dave Kehr
You can find the trailer here and these are the wonderful opening credits.
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