Director: Douglas Sirk, USA 1959, 119 mins, 12

"Douglas Sirk’s melodrama holds a mirror to the hypocrisies of 1950s America" BFI

This timeless classic explores themes of race, identity and motherhood through the intertwined lives of two single mothers: Lora, a white aspiring actress; and Annie, her Black housekeeper. Lora's thirst for fame threatens her relationship with her daughter Suzie, while Annie is pushed aside by her light-skinned daughter, Sarah Jane, who chooses to pass as white. Staring Lana Turner and featuring a soul stirring cameo by Mahalia Jackson.

"Marketed as a glossy weepie but in fact an outstanding piece of social criticism that goes to the root of postwar American life" Observer

Further reading

1. Slant
2. Time Out
3. Empire
4. Time

Trailer