Product: Julia (1971)
Rating: 5.0
MESMERIZING
Fact or fiction, or a combination of both, taken on its own terms as a movie, Julia is astonishing and effective. The attention to detail in costumes, set decorations, props, locations dazzle you and place you squarely in another time and place. The performances, particularly the intimate friendship between Fonda as Hellman and Redgrave as Julia, blow you away. Redgrave embodies this brilliant character with knowing subtlety; you get the feeling she is Julia to some degree, and probably is. The exploration of adult friendship in a time of peril finds its center in a well-crafted suspense story that only ever hints at real danger, yet it is the slow and deliberate revelations regarding Julia's fate that provide tension and heartbreak. This is a purposely artful film, with its share of indulgence, but each one works as a part of a lovely whole. And the world Helman created in her story -- with its rich characters, both real and imagined -- is created here with an evocative freshness. Like a memory you love to call upon, this movie works best in total silence, except perhaps rain falling outside. Let it take you away.