28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Maybe John Gavin Shot His Puppy, April 6, 2009
This review is from: Born to Be Hurt: The Untold Story of Imitation of Life (Hardcover)
Sam Staggs has created a franchise telling the stories of the making of classic motion pictures. Behind the Movie - complete with tragedy, triumph, sex-capades and substance abuse. I greatly enjoyed Stagg's first three offerings (on All About Eve, Sunset Boulevard and A Streetcar Named Desire) in part because he treated these fine movies as classics without becoming too precious or too snobby about the whole thing. He writes as an intelligent movie fan for other intelligent fans who aren't above sharing a juicy bit of gossip.
This latest outing - the story of the 1959 version of Imitation of Life - finds Mr Staggs having misplaced his sense of humor. Early on Staggs makes it clear that Imitation is a movie that changed his life and his analysis proceeds from there. Like his two earlier books Staggs provides plenty of backstage gossip about the stars and fascinating details about the making of the movie itself. When Staggs sticks to the story behind the story and writes like a fan telling another fan about their favorite movie of all time this is an entertaining book. But this outing just isn't as much fun for several reasons.
First, Staggs takes this movie way too seriously. I'm all for reclaiming popular art as art. I'm also not in the least snobby about the emotional impact even the lowest of art can have on the viewer. But making a case for Imitation as one of the best movies ever made? There you're on your own, Sam. Especially when he has to go through such contortions to explain away the "blonde half" of the movie starring Lana Turner and Sandra Dee. This would be the part of the movie so beloved by fans of camp - until you've seen Lana "acting" like someone "acting" you just haven't lived - and it's entertaining in its way. It is, however, melodrama, no matter how much Staggs dislikes the word. Melodrama is all about heightened emotions, and what's wrong with that? But whenever Stagg tries to convince the reader that Douglas Sirk was achieving something brilliant by having a weak actress playing another weak actress he lost me. No, Sirk was doing the best he could with the actress he had. This wasn't all part of some cunning plan.
Second, Staggs can't seem to keep his mind on the topic at hand. If Staggs goes easy on Lana, not that I mind, he's downright vicious to John Gavin. I'm not a big fan of John Gavin, I wouldn't even call him an actor if I could think of another word for someone who appears in movies and recites his lines accurately but he's far from the worst thing ever to hit the cinema. Staggs' enmity for Gavin goes beyond his limited thespian skills and seems to have something to do with the fact that Gavin didn't like to do shirtless scenes. Staggs attributes this reluctance to Gavin's political beliefs instead of the more believable idea that Gavin was insecure about his acting and didn't want to be sold as a slab of beefcake. Despite the fact that several interviewees declare John Gavin to be a nice man Staggs isn't having any of it. You'd think Staggs would have a little fun with the man who nearly replaced Sean Connery in Diamonds are Forever (the first American James Bond!) but, no.
The only things that piss Staggs off more than John Gavin are the Catholic Church, Condeleeza Rice and George W. Bush. Again, I have no quarrel with this beyond the fact that these three have nothing to do with the movie in question. I do not know the Catholic Church official opinion on Imitation of Life. Nor do I know whether Condie or George have ever seen this movie, whether they like it or not, or where they stand on who stabbed Johnny Stompanato. And since Staggs doesn't see fit to share any of this with the reader I don't know why any of them make appearances. He also doesn't bother to place the movie in the political context of its own time so these current asides are doubly weird. These venomous drive-by remarks only serve to jar the reader out of the narrative and, ultimately, to date this book.
Third, Staggs is so partisan that he fails to see the virtues of the 1934 film version of the 1959 version. In the earlier film, the main characters are business partners; in the remake, Annie Johnson doesn't help create a business, she's the maid to a self-absorbed actress. In 1934, an African-American actress plays a young woman who "passes for white." In the 1959 version, a white actresses passes for white. Which sounds more ground breaking to you?
Finally, Staggs is so convinced of the greatness of the 1959 version and Douglas Sirk in general that he doesn't bother to make a convincing case for either. They're both great, and if you don't get it Staggs doesn't want to know you. That and the endless, pointless axe grinding (what does he have against poor Celeste Holm and Claudette Colbert?) makes this a disappointment.
Kindle version: no photographs and some glitches in the linked Table of Contents.
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13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
'Imitation' is the sincerest form of movie worship!, March 4, 2009
This review is from: Born to Be Hurt: The Untold Story of Imitation of Life (Hardcover)
'Imitation of Life' is a movie beloved by a large contingent of classic film fans including African-American women and gay men. The wonderful artifice of the Lora-and-Susie side of the story dovetails beautifully with the more poignant and meaningful Annie-and-Sarah-Jane side. You'll learn everything you've ever wondered about the movie in this book, including all about the marvelous Juanita Moore and Susan Kohner, who give the performances of their lives as Annie and Sarah Jane. Once again, Sam Staggs delivers the goods. Although some readers complain about minutiae or too much information, these are the very things I look for in a good behind-the-scene story of a classic film. Insights from the ghostwriter of Lana Turner's autobiography are revealing and have never been mentioned before, as well as in-depth analysis of the racial aspects of the movie (truly a rarity in mainstream Hollywood film of the late '50s).
A previous reviewer complains that Staggs neglected to mention the "Imitation of Life"-inspired storyline featuring actress Ellen Holly on the daytime soap "One Life to Life," when in fact, Staggs mentions this on page 289.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating but upsetting, January 23, 2011
This book is unusual in that the author seems to have uncovered every tidbit, good or bad, interesting or pointless, about the 1959 film version of "Imitation of Life." Sam Staggs was apparently born to write this type of book by virtue of the staggering minutiae that he has gathered. Yes, it is fact-filled (mostly) and fascinating, but it is also catty and hateful, all at the same time. He has nothing but love for both Juanita Moore (who played faithful maid, Annie Moore) and Susan Kohner (who played her daughter, Sarah Jane), as he was able to interview both of them and get a unique window on this Douglas Sirk-directed tearfest--and about everyone involved in it. It is perhaps because these two lovely women were willing to give him all the information he wanted that he praised them to the heavens in the book. But others were not treated so kindly. Staggs was particularly cruel to John Gavin and goes into the man's politics and other pointless odds and ends that have nothing to do with his relatively solid acting career in Hollywood, despite what Staggs thinks of his talent.
At times the book feels like it is taking you on a second-by-second journey of the film, covering the dialogue, what was going on in the stars' lives, all the backstage drama, all the creative choices, and more. But after a while, it got tiring. There were simply too many tiny details and unnecessary quotes for readers to care. But perhaps more importantly, Staggs seemed to have a vendetta against Republicans and apparently anyone else who does not think or feel or believe as he does about certain issues. None of that had a place in this book. He could have easily stripped the text of about 50-75 pages of unnecessary banter and ranting and raving and embellishing and just gotten on with it.
There is no question that "Imitation of Life" is a unique film and its impact at the time, and since, cannot be underrated. It's great that someone has taken the time to unearth interesting tidbits about everything associated with this movie, but it is doubtful as to whether every single one of them should have been included in this book.
If the author would focus more on his subject and keep himself and his political commentary and judgment calls to himself, his books would be that much more pleasurable to read. Until he does, I can only suggest this as an oddity that may appeal to hardcore of fans of this film or of Lana Turner.
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