Product: Julia (1971)
Rating: 5.0
Julia still delivers.
Director Fred Zinnemann's final film, "Julia", is an ageless classic that looks and feels every bit as good today as when first released in 1977. Based on Lillian Hellman's short and reportedly autobiographical story, "Pentimento", "Julia" explores the dynamic boundaries of love and friendship against the backdrop of the growing political and social diaster called Nazism. The exquisitely lovely Jane Fonda stars as struggling playwright Lillian Hellman who finds herself drawn into a little known pre World War II resistance movement by her enigmatic friend Julia, portrayed by Vanessa Redgrave in an Academy Award winning performance. "Julia" also stars Jason Robards in his oscar winning performance as the famed detective/mystry writer, Dashiell Hammett, along with Maximilian Schell, Hal Holbrook, Cathleen Nesbitt and in her screen debut, Meryl Streep. The DVD transfer is first class and shows this beautifully crafted film to its best advantage.