Julia
JULIA (PG)
D: Fred Zinnemann
20th Century Fox (Richard Roth)
US 1977
117 mins
Biopic
W: Alvin Sargent [based on the book
"Pentimento" by Lillian Hellman]
DP: Douglas Slocombe
Ed: Walter Murch
Mus: Georges Delerue
PD: Carmen Dillon, Gene Callahan & Willy
Holt
Cos: Anthea Sylbert
Jane Fonda (Lillian Hellman), Vanessa
Redgrave(Julia), Jason Robards (Dashiell Hammett), Maximilian Schell (Johann), Hal Holbrook (Alan Campbell), Meryl Streep (Anne Marie), Rosemary Murphy (Dorothy
Parker)
Vanessa Redgrave plays the Julia of the title but is relegated
to a supporting character in this biopic based on Lillian Hellman's real-life memoirs, reflecting on her friendship with Julia, who fought for the anti-fascist movement in Europe leading up to
the World War II and was eventually killed by Nazis.
This elegant drama of life in the thirties provides its fine
cast the opportunity to deliver fantastic performances, but it would have been a much more interesting film if the title character was the primary interest, rather than through reveals told via
flashback.
7/10
