Julia

"The story of two women whose friendship suddenly became a matter of life and death."

1977 1h 57m EN

😐

6.5

MID

🍅

73%

FRESH

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

7.1

IMDB

★6.5TMDB · 174🍅73%Rotten Tomatoes●58Metacritic★7.1IMDB · 10,661

DramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

At the behest of an old and dear friend, playwright Lillian Hellman undertakes a dangerous mission to smuggle funds into Nazi Germany.

“The story of two women whose friendship suddenly became a matter of life and death.”

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Cast

Jane Fonda
Lillian Hellman
Vanessa Redgrave
Julia
Jason Robards
Dashiell Hammett
Maximilian Schell
Johann
Hal Holbrook
Alan
Rosemary Murphy
Dorothy Parker
Meryl Streep
Anne Marie
Dora Doll
Woman Passenger

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Fred Zinnemann
Writers: Alvin Sargent
Languages: Russian, German, French, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

49 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: Russian, German, French, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Fred Zinnemann, shot by Douglas Slocombe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Georges Delerue. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Walter Murch shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jane Fonda and Vanessa Redgrave and Jason Robards carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The story of two women whose friendship suddenly became a matter of life and death.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0076245 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Fred Zinnemann directs. Douglas Slocombe behind the camera. Georges Delerue scores. Walter Murch cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Russian, German, French, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

149 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 4 languages: Russian, German, French, English.
3Directed by Fred Zinnemann, shot by Douglas Slocombe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Georges Delerue. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Walter Murch shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Jane Fonda and Vanessa Redgrave and Jason Robards carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The story of two women whose friendship suddenly became a matter of life and death.".
8IMDB entry: tt0076245 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Douglas Slocombe
Original score: Georges Delerue
Editing: Walter Murch
Production design: Gene Callahan
Costume design: Anthea Sylbert
Makeup / hair: Ramon Gow
Runtime: 117 min · 1h 57m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $7,840,000
Box office: $20,700,000
Return: 264% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Julia (1977)
Rotten Tomatoes: 73% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 58/100
IMDB rating: 7.1/10 · 10,661 votes
MPAA: PG

Awards

Won 3 Oscars. 21 wins & 26 nominations total

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay
BAFTA Award for Best Film
BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actress
Academy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Fred Zinnemann

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-03-28
★ 7/10
"Julia" and "Lillian" have been best friends since childhood. Even as time has passed, the two have stayed in touch and remained affectionate. The former (Vanessa Redgrave) has found herself in Germany in the 1930s and is determined to do what she can to thwart the rise of the Nazis - or, at least, to help those in their sights to flee. To that end, she contacts her playwright buddy (Lillian Hellman, who wrote the screenplay based on her own book and played here by Jane Fonda) asking her if she could help move a rather large sum of money into the country for her to fund her ever more dangerous activities. What now ensues has Fred Zinnemann direct a train journey that has just about everyone - especially Miss Fonda - on the edge of their seats. Passport checks, customs checks - we know where the money is, but can she make it through? It's this stage of the film that offers us the most jeopardy and is really quite enthralling. Thereafter, it falls a little into melodrama and the intensity diminishes somewhat. That said, though, this sees a convincing effort from Jane Fonda and an engaging supporting one from her neighbour and confidante "Hammett" (Jason Robards). Redgrave actually features quite sparingly - but her scenes do go some way to reminding us of just how brutal and ruthless the regime was - and of how safety was definitely at a premium for any detractors. Georges Delerue has written a score that complements the story well - one which has a powerful degree of authenticity to it at times. The film looks good, there is plenty of attention to the detail of the production design and though it peters out a little at the end, is certainly a truth worth watching.
tmdb766221952023-09-28
★ 10/10
The great filmmaker Fred Zinnemann, in the twilight of his career, proved he could still direct with the best of them. Jane Fonda plays writer Lillian Hellman. Hellman is living a quiet life with her lover, Dashiell Hammett (Jason Robards), as she tries to pound out a play. The duo are a perfect match- hard drinking, hard smoking; Hammett is Hellman's mentor and support. Through Hellman's memories, we see a different side. Hellman was once friends with Julia (Vanessa Redgrave), a passionate and lonely girl who was admired by Hellman. The two have physically lost touch over the years, but still remain close through letters. Finally, Lillian tries to contact Julia. Julia leads Lillian into some pre-World War II anti-Nazi intrigue which tests the bounds of their friendship. The most interesting aspect of the film is Fonda's portrayal of Lillian Hellman. She does an excellent job of being bold and confident around Hammett, but turns into an almost child-like, stuttering woman around Julia, and when involved with Julia's plan to smuggle money into Berlin to help out the Jews. Fonda does not seem a likely choice, physically, but she does well. Redgrave won the Oscar deservedly, especially when her character is not onscreen much of the time, or lying in bed bandaged and unable to speak. Robards is good, as is Maximilian Schell in a tiny role as one of Julia's co-conspirators. The supporting cast also includes familiar faces like Hal Holbrook, John Glover- who was also in "Annie Hall," that year's Best Picture Oscar winner, and Meryl Streep. Alvin Sargent's screenplay jumps back and forth in time, and Zinnemann keeps the viewer grounded. Every shot he makes is beautiful, the film looks very expensive, but there is a grittiness to the look that tells you Hellman's life was not all roses. "Julia" is a hard film to explain in one or two sentences. It concerns friendship, loss, sorrow, war, and chain smoking. It is one of the most underrated films of the 1970's, and my pick for the second best film of 1977 right after "Star Wars".