Julia (1977)

At the behest of an old and dear friend, playwright Lillian Hellman undertakes a dangerous mission to smuggle funds into Nazi Germany.

Director:

Fred Zinnemann

Writers:

Lillian Hellman (based upon the story by), Alvin Sargent (screenplay)

Stars:

Jane Fonda, Vanessa Redgrave, Jason Robards

Won 3 Oscars. Another 21 wins & 21 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jane Fonda	...	Lillian
Vanessa Redgrave	...	Julia
Jason Robards	...	Hammett
Maximilian Schell	...	Johann
Hal Holbrook	...	Alan
Rosemary Murphy	...	Dottie
Meryl Streep	...	Anne Marie
Dora Doll	...	Woman Passenger
Elisabeth Mortensen	...	Girl Passenger
John Glover	...	Sammy
Lisa Pelikan	...	Young Julia
Susan Jones	...	Young Lillian
Cathleen Nesbitt	...	Grandmother
Maurice Denham	...	Undertaker
Mark Metcalf	...	Pratt

Storyline

From "Pentimento," the memoirs of late playwright Lillian Hellman, JULIA covers those years in the 1930s when Lillian attained fame with the production of her first play "The Childrens' Hour" on Broadway. Not surprisingly, it centers on Lillian's relationship with her lifelong friend, Julia. It is a relationship that goes beyond mere acquaintance and one for which the word "love" seems appropriate. While Julia attends the University in Vienna, studying with such luminaries as Sigmund Freud and Albert Einstein, Lillian suffers through revisions of her play with her mentor and sometimes lover Dashiel Hammett at a New England beachhouse. After becoming a celebrated playwright, Lillian is invited to a writers conference in Russia. Julia, having taken up the battle against fascism, enlists Lillian en route to smuggle money through Nazi Germany which will assist in the Anti-Fascist cause. It is a dangerous mission especially for a Jewish intellectual on her way to communist Russia. During a...

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Plot Keywords:

nazi | writer | 1930s | hat | berlin germany | 

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Taglines:

The story of two women whose friendship suddenly became a matter of life and death.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French German Russian

Release Date:

October 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

Júlia

Filming Locations:

Central Station, Strasbourg, Bas-Rhin, France

Box Office

Gross:

SEK 4,101,519 (Sweden)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the first film that Meryl Streep has appeared in that has the name "Julia" in the title. The second is Julie & Julia in 2009.

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Goofs

June 1934 began on a Friday, not a Monday.

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Quotes

Dashiell Hammett: [after reading Lillian's play] You better tear this up. It's not that it's bad, it's just not good enough, not for you.

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Christopher Lee/Meat Loaf (1978)

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Soundtracks

"Night and Day"
(1932) (uncredited)
Written by Cole Porter
Played by a band aboard ship

User Reviews

It can't get much better than this.

The film "Julia" is one of the most powerful films I have ever seen. Vanessa Redgrave is not often given the credit she deserves for this film. I believe that it is her finest performance on film. Jane Fonda, Jason Robards, and Maximilian Schell also give stunning performances. Something that amazes me about this film is Lisa Pelikan's portrayal of a younger Julia. Her voice, her mannerisms and her all around screen presence is truly reminiscent of Redgrave. Normally younger counterparts in film seem nothing at all like the older version. The entire film just blows me away.