Julia

Based on Lillian Hellman's autobiographical memoir, "Pentimento", Fred Zinnemann's Julia is a meticulously made film.  It's superbly written, acted and directed. Hellman, a successful American dramatist, is played by Jane Fonda. Throughout the film, by means of a flashback process, we observe details of her life. The picture is chiefly pre-occupied with the eponymous Julia (Vanessa Redgrave), a long-standing friend of Hellman. She is a highly attractive, prosperous intellectual who has dedicated herself to the underground, anti-fascist cause in 30's Europe. The core of the film concerns the life-endangering attempt by Hellman to smuggle a much needed $50,000 by train to Julia in Berlin.

Julia is a moving film which most definitely has its heart in the right place. The drama is penetrated throughout by warm romanticism. Fonda and Redgrave are outstanding and Jason Robards does an inspired turn as writer and lover of HelIman, Dashiell Rammett. The supporting cast (including Meryl Streep in her movie debut) is also admirable.

Review by Stephen Townsend
Taken from EUFS Programme 1993-94