I was surprised by Miss Julie's rawness and by the power of its performances. In general terms, the movie's by no means remarkable: the plot is simple enough (it deals with an impossible love between two persons of different social classes) and there are only three main characters. What makes Miss Julie (both as a play and as a motion picture) a really good piece of entertainment is the way it handles the development of its characters, as well as the manner in which they are portrayed. Mike Figgis' expert direction helps of course, and Helen Cooper's screenplay, which doesn't deviate too much from August Strindberg's script for the original play, provides with tons of drama, memorable lines and believable situations. Miss Julie works because it's a compelling dramatic picture that manages to transmit interesting ideas through its characters - in the end, even though a lot happens during the film, virtually nothing is changed in the lives of two of the three characters - and that features some really powerful moments thanks to Figgis' competent work.
I saw this movie with my English class after reading the original play, and I was surprised by its faithfulness towards the source material. Granted, I know the play is relatively short, but there are film adaptations that would've changed a lot of things. (If it had been a Hollywood flick, I'm pretty sure that the ending, for example, would've been changed.) This faithfulness means that many of the original lines from the play have been retained, and that characterization remains pretty much the same, which is good, considering it's one of Strindberg's work's strongest assets. Figgis and Cooper only change a couple of things, like the place in which the sex takes place, for example, and the fact that the act itself isn't shown in the play. The movie adaptation also contains more profanity, although I don't know how this affects the overall quality of the plot. I guess they could've done without it.
Performances are what manage to prevent the film from becoming an over-bloated and cheesy melodrama. Saffron Burrows (Troy) as Miss Julie is, simply put, amazing. His performance is quiet and solemn, and manages to make the character of Miss Julie a believable and well-rounded figure. All of this scenes with Jean are amazing, containing lots of power and a perfect delivery of lines, and although I don't agree with most of what she does during the course of the movie, it's difficult not to admire her work. Peter Mullan as Jean is also really great. Although his character is not the most sympathetic one ever, he manages to make him likable and believable enough for the audience; many of the lines he has to recite are excellently witty and smart, and both his delivery and dramatic performance are top-notch. You gotta love his Scottish accent!
Mike Figgis' direction, while not perfect, is also really good. I don't know if the movie had an actual low budget, but direction makes it look like one, albeit not in a negative way. He makes use of hand-held cameras and lots of unbroken shots, and makes the film look as if it had been filmed by someone who was actually there with the characters. There's very little background music during the whole movie, but what's there is amazing. The music during the first scene - in which the servants are preparing everything inside the kitchen - is arresting, and helps make the scene a beautiful and suspenseful beginning to the movie. (It's remarkable that Figgis himself composed the score for the movie.) The film contains many of these arresting types of scenes - the raw sex scene between Jean and Julie is really powerful, for example. I was left with my mouth open during the whole sequence, and although the film is a little too slow-paced and the direction might put off some of the most impatient viewers, it's these kinds of the scenes that make it really worth watching.
While not perfect, Miss Julie is a really great movie, the kind of film that requires patient viewers in order to be enjoyed. I like the themes it touches - the struggle between social classes, the fact that the characters finally couldn't change anything and that the ending starts with a new day full of the routine that characterized the beginning, as if the circle of daily life had been closed - and the performances it provides with, as well the screenplay and the direction. Maybe it's a little too slow paced for some viewers, and maybe it's a little too melodramatic and bleak for others - I definitely found it a little too dark for my taste -, but for those who appreciate this kind of art house movie, there's a lot of enjoyment to be had. I'd recommend you to read the play first - it's not hard and it's not long - and then watch the film adaptation. Miss Julie is a really powerful and arresting motion picture, and it's a pity it's not more well-known. Given the amazing performances by Burrows and Mullan, it could have catapulted them to stardom or, at least, made them more well-known to art house viewers and movie buffs.
I saw this movie with my English class after reading the original play, and I was surprised by its faithfulness towards the source material. Granted, I know the play is relatively short, but there are film adaptations that would've changed a lot of things. (If it had been a Hollywood flick, I'm pretty sure that the ending, for example, would've been changed.) This faithfulness means that many of the original lines from the play have been retained, and that characterization remains pretty much the same, which is good, considering it's one of Strindberg's work's strongest assets. Figgis and Cooper only change a couple of things, like the place in which the sex takes place, for example, and the fact that the act itself isn't shown in the play. The movie adaptation also contains more profanity, although I don't know how this affects the overall quality of the plot. I guess they could've done without it.
Performances are what manage to prevent the film from becoming an over-bloated and cheesy melodrama. Saffron Burrows (Troy) as Miss Julie is, simply put, amazing. His performance is quiet and solemn, and manages to make the character of Miss Julie a believable and well-rounded figure. All of this scenes with Jean are amazing, containing lots of power and a perfect delivery of lines, and although I don't agree with most of what she does during the course of the movie, it's difficult not to admire her work. Peter Mullan as Jean is also really great. Although his character is not the most sympathetic one ever, he manages to make him likable and believable enough for the audience; many of the lines he has to recite are excellently witty and smart, and both his delivery and dramatic performance are top-notch. You gotta love his Scottish accent!
Mike Figgis' direction, while not perfect, is also really good. I don't know if the movie had an actual low budget, but direction makes it look like one, albeit not in a negative way. He makes use of hand-held cameras and lots of unbroken shots, and makes the film look as if it had been filmed by someone who was actually there with the characters. There's very little background music during the whole movie, but what's there is amazing. The music during the first scene - in which the servants are preparing everything inside the kitchen - is arresting, and helps make the scene a beautiful and suspenseful beginning to the movie. (It's remarkable that Figgis himself composed the score for the movie.) The film contains many of these arresting types of scenes - the raw sex scene between Jean and Julie is really powerful, for example. I was left with my mouth open during the whole sequence, and although the film is a little too slow-paced and the direction might put off some of the most impatient viewers, it's these kinds of the scenes that make it really worth watching.
While not perfect, Miss Julie is a really great movie, the kind of film that requires patient viewers in order to be enjoyed. I like the themes it touches - the struggle between social classes, the fact that the characters finally couldn't change anything and that the ending starts with a new day full of the routine that characterized the beginning, as if the circle of daily life had been closed - and the performances it provides with, as well the screenplay and the direction. Maybe it's a little too slow paced for some viewers, and maybe it's a little too melodramatic and bleak for others - I definitely found it a little too dark for my taste -, but for those who appreciate this kind of art house movie, there's a lot of enjoyment to be had. I'd recommend you to read the play first - it's not hard and it's not long - and then watch the film adaptation. Miss Julie is a really powerful and arresting motion picture, and it's a pity it's not more well-known. Given the amazing performances by Burrows and Mullan, it could have catapulted them to stardom or, at least, made them more well-known to art house viewers and movie buffs.