The 1970s were a decade that shook up the world. In politics, we witnessed the Watergate scandal in the United States, the Dismissal of the Whitlam Government in Australia, and the conclusion of the Vietnam War, which ended in an embarrassing withdrawal for the USA. In the world of the fine arts, Postmodernism rose in stature and became mainstream art, challenging established institutions as it focused on social, political, and environmental issues. Punk Rock emerged during the 1970s, also challenging established institutions, political systems, and social norms. The world of fashion evolved from rigid, formal dress codes to a focus on comfort and individualism. Feminism challenged the patriarchal stranglehold on society, and women rose to express in one united voice that they could do anything, including in the literary world, as female writers established themselves as a major literary force driven by the emergence of the second wave of feminism. And so too did the world of motion pictures undergo a radical transformation during the 1970s, shifting away from traditional studio-controlled narratives to actively challenge established institutions, authority figures, and social norms. Often referred to as the “New Hollywood” era or the “Last Golden Age” of cinema, this period saw directors granted unprecedented creative freedom to address the intense social and political disillusionment of the time. One of the films that shook the world of motion pictures was Julia, starring two women, Vanessa Redgrave and Jane Fonda, in the lead roles, both born into British or American families considered acting ‘royalty’.

Julia is a 1977 political drama film that was directed by Fred Zinnemann and written by Alvin Sargent. It is based on a chapter from Lillian Hellman’s 1973 book Pentimento about the author’s relationship with a lifelong friend, Julia, who fought against the Nazis in the years before World War II. The film predominantly received favourable reviews from critics (is there ever a time when a critic does not dislike an art form, expressing their criticism from a middling intellect?) and grossed substantially more at the box office than it cost to make. It received a leading 11 nominations at the 50th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won three awards: Best Supporting Actor (for Jason Robards), Best Supporting Actress (for Vanessa Redgrave) and Best Adapted Screenplay. The plot, which I have done my best to describe below, is an epic spanning time and continents, which complements the subliminal skills of the director, crew, and, most importantly, the cast.

The plot of Julia traces the lives of young Lillian Hellman and her friend, Julia. Lillian, whose family are Jewish, and Julia enjoy a childhood together and a very close friendship in late adolescence. Later, while medical student Julia attends the University of Oxford and the University of Vienna and studies with such luminaries as Sigmund Freud, Lillian, a struggling writer, suffers through revisions of her play with her mentor and lover, famed author Dashiell Hammett, at a beach house. Nazis overrun Julia’s university in Vienna, and she is severely injured trying to protect others. Lillian receives word of Julia’s condition and promptly travels to Vienna to be with her. However, Julia is taken away for ‘treatment’, and Lillian is unable to find her again because the hospital denies any knowledge of her being treated there. She remains in Europe, continuing her unsuccessful search for Julia. Subsequently, during the Nazi era, Lillian became a celebrated playwright and was invited to a writers’ conference in the Soviet Union. Julia, dedicated to battling Nazism, enlists Lillian en route to the Soviet Union to smuggle money into Germany to assist the anti-Nazi cause. It is a dangerous mission, especially for a Jewish intellectual on her way to Russia. Lillian departs on her mission, and Julia’s colleagues carefully guide her movements and the placement of her possessions through border crossings and inspections. In Berlin, Lillian is told to go to a cafe, where she finds Julia. They speak only briefly. Julia divulges that the “treatment” she received in the hospital in Vienna was the amputation of her leg. Julia tells her that the money she has brought will save 500 to 1,000 people, many of them Jews. Lillian also learns that Julia has a daughter, Lilly, who is living with a baker in Alsace. In Moscow, Lillian is informed that Julia is dead. Returning to London, she is told that Julia has been killed in Frankfurt by Nazi agents. Lillian unsuccessfully searches for Julia’s daughter in Alsace. She returns to the United States, haunted by Julia’s memories and distraught at not finding Julia’s toddler. She is shocked that Julia’s family pretends not to remember Lillian as Julia’s friend. The film ends with an image of Lillian Hellman, many years later, seated alone in a boat, fishing.

As previously referenced herein, Julia predominantly received favourable reviews, with the summary of the critiques opining that “Julia is a handsomely crafted and stirringly performed meditation on friendship and political activism. However, its tasteful formalism often undercuts the multifaceted passion of these historical figures.” You already know my opinion about critics, and as a 12-year-old, watching the film on television with my late mother and late aunt, I found it engaging, with the two lead actresses, Jane Fonda and Vanessa Redgrave, carrying the plot through their intense portrayals of their respective characters. However, perhaps the film will also be remembered for Vanessa Redgrave’s controversial speech accepting her Oscar at the 1977 Academy Awards, during which she expressed her opinion about the plight of the Palestinian people, and her concern about the rise of Zionism, a speech which she subsequently explained during an interview not long after the controversy. Both the speech and the interview are set out in the links below, for you to form your own opinions about the media storm that erupted at that time:

Notwithstanding the unnecessary media uproar that erupted after Vanessa Redgrave’s Oscar speech, the movie Julia is a powerful work of art from the ‘Last Golden Age’ of filmmaking. It was a time when motion pictures were made for the sake of four-dimensional art, rather than the modern-day two-dimensional tendency to regurgitate remakes of old films, or, even worse, the never-ending churn of comic-book character films. Julia was produced at a time when filmmakers were not afraid to experiment with this form of performing art, to test the boundaries of societal norms, and to challenge our intellects. It was a golden time for everyone: the filmmaker, the actors, and most importantly, for the audience. Will the art form ever revisit a time like this? I believe so, and I hope I’m alive to experience it.