Plot
The film traces the lifelong relationship between playwright Lillian Hellman and Julia, a wealthy girl who turns her back on her upbringing to follow her ideals. In the 1930s, while the adult Hellman (Jane Fonda) struggles to establish herself as a playwright with the help of her lover, Dashiell Hammett (Jason Robards), Julia (Vanessa Redgrave) battles the exigencies of the Nazi regime. Visiting Julia in Germany, Lillian realizes how much her friend's idealism has cost her, both physically and financially. Lillian is asked by Julia's friend Johann (Maximilian Schell) to smuggle a large sum of money from Paris to Germany, the better to combat the Nazis from within. Nominated for 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and four acting awards, Julia won for Alvin Sargent's screenplay and Robards' and Redgrave's performances, leading to Redgrave's infamous "Zionist hoodlums" acceptance speech. ~ Hal Erickson, RoviReview
A 1970s "new" women's film starring two of the period's more outspoken activist actresses, Julia (1977) wistfully examines the power of female bonding as depicted in one of playwright Lillian Hellman's memoirs. Bookended by shots of Jane Fonda's aged Lillian meditating on her life, Julia unfolds in a series of occasionally over-gauzy flashbacks portraying the impact of two key figures on Hellman's existence. Even as Jason Robards' mentor/lover Dashiell Hammett is crucial to Lillian's 1930s success, it is Vanessa Redgrave's Resistance fighter Julia who proves to be the more powerful presence, whether as a memory or in the ethereal flesh. Regardless of the story's status as one of Hellman's infamous, ahem, embellishments of reality, Julia remains a compelling story of female friendship, particularly in Fonda's and Redgrave's intense hands. Director Fred Zinnemann surrounds the pair with a high-class period production that perfectly captures both Lillian's American salon society and Julia's war-torn Europe; Robards and Maximilian Schell make the most of their supporting roles. Julia's expert craft garnered 11 Oscar nominations including Best Picture, and won three, allowing passionately left-wing, pro-PLO winner Redgrave to take her politics to the podium and make herself persona non grata at the Oscars. ~ Lucia Bozzola, RoviCast
- Jane Fonda - Lillian Hellman
- Vanessa Redgrave - Julia
- Jason Robards, Jr. - Dashiell Hammett
- Maximilian Schell - Johann
- Hal Holbrook - Alan Campbell
Credit
Margot Capelier - Casting, Juliet Taylor - Casting, Joan Bridge - Costume Designer, Anthea Sylbert - Costume Designer, Colette Baudot - Costume Designer, Anthony Waye - First Assistant Director, Alain Bonnot - First Assistant Director, Fred Zinnemann - Director, Walter Murch - Editor, Marcel Durham - Editor, Julien Derode - Executive Producer, Georges Delerue - Composer (Music Score), Bernadine M. Anderson - Makeup, George Frost - Makeup, Paddy Carey - Camera Operator, Chic Waterson - Camera Operator, Gene Callahan - Production Designer, Carmen Dillon - Production Designer, Willy Holt - Production Designer, Douglas Slocombe - Cinematographer, Colette Baudot - Cinematographer, Richard Roth - Producer, Tessa Davies - Set Designer, Pierre Charron - Set Designer, Derek Ball - Sound/Sound Designer, Bill Rowe - Sound/Sound Designer, Lillian Hellman - Screen Story, Alvin Sargent - Screenwriter| Jules of the Strong Heart (1918 Film), Jules and Jim (1962 Film) | |
| Julia (2008 Film), Julia Child! America's Favorite Chef (2004 Film) |
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