Julia            

By Marshall Fine

Part of the late-Super70s wave of films about strong women (as if none had existed before that), Julia starred Jane Fonda as writer Lillian Hellman in a story based on some of Hellman's own writings. The stronger woman here is the title character (Vanessa Redgrave), a socially active young woman who teaches Hellman the importance of sticking to her beliefs--even in the face of Nazi terror. The subplot focuses on Hellman's growth as a writer, under the supportive wing of lover Dashiell Hammett (Jason Robards). Lushly photographed by Fred Zinnemann, it's one of the few films that projects a sense of how a writer writes; it also was unafraid to explore the dark consequences of conscience, when Resistance-fighter Julia is captured by the Germans. Robards and Redgrave both won Oscars (leading to Redgrave's Zionist hoodlums acceptance speech). Watch for Meryl Streep in a tiny role in her film debut.

Academy Awards

Julia received Academy Awards for Supporting Actor (Jason Robards), Supporting Actress (Vanessa Redgrave), Writing (Best Screenplay based on material from another medium; Alvin Sargent). Julia also received Academy Awards nominations for Best Picture (Richard Roth - Producer), Actress (Jane Fonda), Supporting Actor (Maximilian Schell), Directing (Fred Zinnemann), Cinematography (Douglas Slocombe), Costume Design (Anthea Sylbert), Film Editing (Walter Murch), and Music Scoring Awards (Best Original Score; Georges Delerue).

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