Product: Julia (1971)
Rating: 5.0
"Beads On a Hot Dancer . . ."
When I recently purchased the DVD of "Julia," I recalled these words uttered by Lilly and her friend Julia in their adolescent memory game; the image, from Hellman's book "Pentimento"--repeated in the film--is as vivid and unforgettable as is this splendid film, which has not dimmed with the passage of time. If anything, "Julia" has improved over the years, time having rendered the former controversies over the politics of Fonda and Redgrave and the truth or falsity of Hellman's narrative irrelevant.Every character in this film is finely delineated: Jane Fonda as the insecure chain-smoking author, Lillian; Vanessa Redgrave as her best friend in the title role [and the word "luminous," with which several reviewers characterize Redgrave's performance, does not constitute hyperbole]; Jason Robards as Lilly's gruff but tender mentor and lover; Maximilian Schell as Julia's impoverished anti-fascist go-between; and the two actresses who play Lilly and Julia as young girls. All are superb."Julia" is arguably one of the best espionage films ever produced in Hollywood. The image of a transcontinental train hurtling through the snow-blown night, just as the world is hurtling headlong into war, evokes danger and guarantees entertainment of the highest calibre. Many Oscar-winning films nowadays are well acted but so depressing that one might not want to view them a second time. "Julia" is a keeper, especially at Amazon's ridiculously low price.