Being Julia (2004)

Set in 1930s London, this movie involves stage actors and actresses and their experiences with love and revenge.

Director:

István Szabó

Writers:

W. Somerset Maugham (novel), Ronald Harwood (screenplay)

Stars:

Annette Bening, Michael Gambon, Maury Chaykin

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 9 wins & 18 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Gambon	...	Jimmie Langton
Annette Bening	...	Julia Lambert
Leigh Lawson	...	Archie Dexter
Shaun Evans	...	Tom Fennel
Mari Kiss	...	Mr. Gosselyn's Secretary
Jeremy Irons	...	Michael Gosselyn
Ronald Markham	...	Butler
Terry Sach	...	Chauffeur
Catherine Charlton	...	Miss Philips
Juliet Stevenson	...	Evie
Miriam Margolyes	...	Dolly de Vries
Max Irons	...	Curtain Call Boy
Andrew Paton Story Busher	...	Male Singer
George Lang	...	Antoine the Maitre D
Michael Culkin	...	Rupert

Storyline

1938. Julia Lambert (Annette Bening) and Michael Gosselyn (Jeremy Irons) are the royal couple of the London theater scene, Julia, an actress, and Michael, a former actor, who took over running the theater and its troupe after the death of their mentor, Jimmy Langton (Sir Michael Gambon). Jimmy is still constantly with Julia in spirit as she navigates through life. Besides their work, Julia and Michael lead largely separate lives, they, long ago having stopped a sexual relationship. Julia of late has been feeling disenchanted with her life, she not wanting to admit it's because she is approaching middle age. Her disenchantments manifests itself in wanting Michael to close their current production early so that she can recharge her juices, something he is reluctant to do if only for not wanting to let the theater sit empty. What Julia ends up doing instead is embarking on an affair with Tom Fennel (Shaun Evans), an adoring young American who is young enough to be her son. As Julia and ...

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Plot Keywords:

open marriage | infidelity | unfaithfulness | adultery | older woman younger man sex | 

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Taglines:

Passion. Obsession. Revenge. Prepare for the performance of a lifetime.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

Theatrical movie debut of Max Irons (Curtain Call Boy).

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Goofs

Michael hands Julia a beer bottle that he opened by twisting off the cap; this innovation wasn't introduced until the mid-1960s.

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Quotes

Julia Lambert: Michael and I live separate lives. That's why we're so happy... more or less.

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Connections

Version of Bezaubernde Julia (1960)

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Soundtracks

Mad about the Boy
Written by Noël Coward
(c) Chappell & Co. on behalf of Chappell & Co. Music Ltd.
Performed by Denzel Sinclaire (as Denzal Sinclaire)

User Reviews

A most excellent movie

This movie is a great bit of fun: over the top in all the right places, and with many laugh out loud moments. It is bright, emotional, engaging, and witty, just like the title character, acted to perfection by Annette Bening.

It's brilliantly acted from top to bottom, with wonderful performances from even relative newcomers, Lucy Punch and Shaun Evans. I especially loved how the many layers of the original work are brought across: how real can be the fantasy world of theatre, and how fantastic the real world may seem in opposition to it. In theatre, they say timing is everything. That's very true about the bulk of the situations in this movie. I would definitely see this movie again.

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures Classics [United States]

Country:

Canada USA Hungary UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 February 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Being Julia

Filming Locations:

Budapest, Hungary

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$122,214, 17 October 2004

Gross USA:

$7,739,049

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$14,339,171

Company Credits

Production Co:

Serendipity Point Films, First Choice Films, Hogarth Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1