the audience applauded

Sick Product of a Sick System

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

To rediscover Julia in 2017 is an absolute thrill. It was thrilling the first time round but, as it happens, nine times out of ten, thrills don't travel well. Here is the exception. Time, through Jane Fonda and Vanessa Redgrave has added an extra coat of guts and truth. They were magnificent then and they are magnificent now. As actresses, as women. The friendship of Lilli and Julia is a landmark of historical, artistic and human proportions. Fred Zinnemann, the director, clearly knew what he was dealing with, brilliantly. Julia also counts with the extraordinary Jason Robards as Dashiel Hammett and, my goodness, Meryl Streep! in a small but memorable part, making her film debut. I believe this is one of those rare films that will be relevant for ever.

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

Jane Fonda is playwright Lillian Hellman. Jason Robards is writer Dashiell Hammett, famous for "The Maltese Falcon" and is her lover. But, Vanessa Redgrave is "Julia." Julia has always felt a strong conviction to stand for what's right, to fight for justice, to not sit back and watch while her world is filled with fascism. Evan at a young age, she was sensitive to those in need. Lilly and Julia grew up as best friends. When Julia needs Lillian's help, Lillian intercedes in some wartime espionage, by smuggling money to those who need it, to those who can be fed, clothed, nurtured. Both Jason Robards and Vanessa Redgrave are excellent in their roles, both earning Oscars. (This may be the only time in Oscar history that an actress won the Best Supporting Actress award for the title character.) But I was in awe of the whole production, as the time and place was real, so very real for the viewer. We are there. We are there. Jane Fonda is good, but I did feel as though, we were watching Jane Fonda. I think Geraldine Chaplin could have knocked this out of the park as Lillian Hellman. But, despite that, this is not to be missed, as it is movie-making at its best, with Robards and Redgrave at the top of their craft. This is really about "Julia," because you think of her even when she's not on the screen and her selflessness is inspiring to us all.

Although the movie was nominated for 11 Oscars and ended up winning 3, there is not much mentioning of it nowadays, it is seldom on TV etc. My guess is due to the script and topic approach - since 1990ies, there have been so many strong movies about Nazi Germany, resistance to it, fate of Jews, etc, that Julia has became timeworn. The really catchy part of the movie is the smuggling train trip from Paris to Russia via Germany, the rest is so-so, often too trivial and/or insipid. At least to me as man, as the movie had strong focus on women's issues and comprehensions.Jane Fonda as Lilian Hellman is really great, it was strange that she did not receive an Oscar for such a big and strong role; Vanessa Redgrave as Julia and Jason Robards as Dashiell Hammett (who received this award for supporting roles) were good as well, but they spent rather limited time on screen.All in all, a good watch, but not among the greatest Oscar winners.