Dalbert Pringle When it comes to the likes of "Chick Flicks" - I'd confidently say that 1977's "Julia" rates as one from that particular genre that even men can enjoy. This well-crafted movie certainly does deliver some fine moments of storytelling.This film's story faithfully traces the life-long relationship between real-life playwright Lillian Hellman (played by Jane Fonda) and her dear friend Julia, the spoiled daughter of a wealthy Jewish businessman who, in her twenties, turns her back on her privileged upbringing to staunchly follow her somewhat radical political ideals.Set in the mid-1930s - Julia and her loyal comrades battle the fierce exigencies of a Nazi regime in war-torn Germany. Wishing desperately to help her friend, Hellman arrives in Germany from the USA and soon finds herself inadvertently drawn into Julia's extreme resistance movement, which immediately poses grave danger to all involved."Julia" was adapted for the screen from excerpts of Lillian Hellman's memoirs titled Pentimento. Screenwriter, Alvin Sargent, and actors, Jason Robards and Venessa Redgrave each won an Oscar for their contribution to the success of Julia. This film would feature Meryl Streep in her screen debut.

Scott-344 "Julia" holds a special place in my heart. It was one of the first times I read a screenplay before seeing the film and was completely enthralled -- in suspense and moved to tears. Notice how characterization drives the slowly building suspense culminating in a fantastic third act devoid of pyrotechnics or gimmicks. (Never mind that the story is almost 100% fiction; this is adaptation at its finest.)A well-deserved Oscar-winner for Alvin Sargent, the script belongs on any screen writing student's bookshelf alongside "Chinatown" and "Ordinary People" two other Oscar-winners from the era. Confession - by "era" I mean from my USC screen writing class, where I also read terrific scripts like "Marathon Man" (the Hoffman-Devane-Keller lunch scene a textbook example of "reversal" writing), "Breaking Away" and "Cutter's Way."

evanston_dad The fact that "Julia" received 11 Academy Award nominations back in 1977 should give you some indication of what kind of movie it is. Movies don't get nominated for that many Oscars unless they are fairly palatable, tasteful, and adhere to a certain sheen of prestige. "Julia" is all of these things, but don't hold that too much against it. It also happens to be a handsome and well-made drama about a female friendship during troubled times.Apparently the film, though about real-life characters like Lillian Hellman and Dashiell Hammett, has little of truth in it and according to many is an outright fabrication. I don't really care, because I don't watch movies for their veracity; I watch them for how well they craft narratives in the language of cinema, and "Julia" does this very well. A large middle section, depicting Hellman's journey by train into Berlin during the rise of the Nazi party in order to smuggle money into the country for use by the anti-fascist underground, is one long sustained nail biter, and showcases director Fred Zinneman's ability to understate to tremendous effect. The film takes a while to get going, and an irrelevant denouement makes the film longer than it needs to be and causes it to end rather abruptly, but overall it's a very good movie.I took a while to warm to Jane Fonda's performance as Hellman. She's mannered and inauthentic in her early scenes, but her performance grew on me as the film progressed, and I came to think she earned the Oscar nomination she received. Vanessa Redgrave, who won that year's Best Supporting Actress award, is astonishing in what amounts to really only one real scene, set in a cafe after her character, the Julia of the title, is reunited with Hellman after a long separation. Both women are fascinating to watch in this scene, but Redgrave especially is mesmerizing. With very little screen time, she is able to make the presence of her character pervade virtually every single frame; even when she's not on screen, which is most of the time, you find yourself thinking about her.In addition to the nominations already mentioned, the film was nominated for Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actor (Jason Robards, who won for the second consecutive year, the only person in Oscar history to win back-to-back supporting awards), Supporting Actor (Maximilian Schell, in a puzzler of a nomination given he's barely in the film and has not much to do when he is), Adapted Screenplay (which it won), Cinematography, Costume Design, Film Editing, and Original Score.Grade: A

Aamir Malik "Julia" is a great picture indeed. Performance of Vanessa Redgrave and Jane Fonda are amazing. Ladies rule the Picture. Vanessa Redgrave's performance is superb especially in the scene of her meeting in the restaurant with Jane Fonda; the looks of her eyes, control of expressions, and commitment to her cause ...were all visible from her eyes. I think this is one of the best performances I have ever seen from an actress. Do not mind but I think that Jason Robards, though he is a great actor, but this time was lucky to win an Oscar for his performance just like winning of Oscar by Morgan Freeman in Million Dollar Baby! One of the most noticeable thing is the performance of young Julia played by Lisa Pelikan. She is just amazing; no doubts.