By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.25 cats
Director: István Szabó
Starring: Annette Bening | Bruce Greenwood | Jeremy Irons | Michael Gambon | Miriam Margoyles | Shaun Evans
Country: canada, hungary, united_kingdom, united_states
Year: 2004
Running time: 105
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0340012/combined
Hilary says: “Annette Bening moves to the top of my growing Best Actress nominations list playing Julia Lambert, a stage actress of a certain age, in 1930s London. It is refreshing to see a woman over 30 who both acts and looks her age. She is positively radiant with a head of auburn curls and a succession of gorgeous vintage ensembles.
“The story follows Julia as she embarks on an ill-fated affair with a younger man and eventually exacts revenge on her paramour and his new, much younger love, an aspiring actress. Revenge moves on a deliberately slow pace, and when the comeuppance is
achieved, Julia’s satisfaction is positively palpable.
“The supporting cast, headed by Jeremy Irons as Julia’s husband, and Miriam Margolyes as a partner in Julia’s theatre company, is wonderful, and the film is just great fun. 4 1/2 cats”
Michael says: “** SLIGHT SPOILERS **
“Thanks to Hilary’s recommendation, I now have another strong contender for the BEST ACTRESS nomination. Annette Bening is superb in this delightful film about the theatre world during 1930’s Britain. István Szabó is a Hungarian director who is best known for his films SUNSHINE and MEETING VENUS. In BEING JULIA he tackles the fears and vanities of an aging actress.
“Bening plays Julia Lambert, reigning diva of the London stage, as she nears the half a century mark in age. While still at the top of her game with the audiences, her performances are growing erratic, dependent on her state of mind. As the film beings, Julia is exhausted. She wants nothing more than to end the successful run of her current play and take an extended holiday. Her husband/director and owner of the theatre, Michael (Jeremy Irons) is concerned for the business, but manages to find a profitable way out. In the meanwhile, Julia begins an affair with a much younger man, T-O-M from America, and her energy and enthusiasm for performing returns with a vengeance. But Tom and Julia’s romance takes a turn, and Julia finds herself embarking on a delightfully wicked adventure that not only reinforces her position in the theatre world, it also brings her peace of mind and the wisdom of adulthood.
“BEING JULIA is a comedy, and filled with laughter, much of it spontaneously bubbling out of Bening’s throat. Her deep, throaty, commanding voice artfully trips and dances to surprisingly girlish heights in the throes of her revitalizing romance. Yet there’s real heart and emotion here as well, and Bening convincingly navigates around sentiment and melodramatics with the skill of… well, a Best Actress nominee. It’s great to see her in a leading role four years after her last nomination for AMERICAN BEAUTY.
“BEING JULIA is partially a Canadian production, with familiar Canadia faces sprinkled among the terrific supporting cast. Bruce Greenwood (ARARAT), Sheila McCarthy (I’VE HEARD THE MERMAIDS SINGING), and Maury Chaykin (OWNING MAHOWNY, PAST PERFECT) are all wonderful in small roles. Another actress who always makes the most of her parts is Juliet Stevenson (TRULY, MADLY, DEEPLY). Stevenson shines in her supporting role and may end up with a supporting nod from me.
“BEING JULIA is playing at the Capitol Theatre in Arlington, the West Newton Cinema, and Hollywood Hits in Danvers. For a delightfully fun film, with some wonderful performances, I highly recommend it. 4 ½ cats”
Jane says: “While I agree that the performances of Annette Bening and many of the supporting actors were wonderful, I felt that the role of Tom was miscast. I was not convinced that Julia would fall for such a boy and found myself distracted while viewing the film, trying to think of who might have been right for such a tricky role. Shaun Evans was unable to envelope the complexities of the part in my opinion, and he did not seem physically right, either.
“In terms of technical aspects, the film was a joy to watch. The set and costume designs were gorgeous. I certainly appreciated the theme and couldn’t get enough of the behind-the-scenes look at theatre, especially the psychological games each player and mover and shaker employed to reach what they considered was success.
“I give it 3.5 cats….knocking it down 1 cat because I felt Ms. Bening deserved a much better and well-suited counterpart.”
Michael responds: “I see your point, Jane, and I agree, although it didn’t take too much away from the film for me. It almost didn’t matter who Tom was… I felt he represented Julia’s yearning for her youth. Still, in chatting with Beth, we thought the actor playing Julia’s son (had he been a couple years older) could have traded places with Shaun Evans and there would have been a more convincing chemistry between the too.”
Thom responds: “I saw BEING JULIA on Christmas Eve & I thought Shaun Evans did a fine job. I’m wondering just what his complexities might have been. To me his character was vapid, insincere, and a star-fucker, hardly a tricky role to play, moreover we never got to see what his physical qualifications were, so I’m assuming he had what it took. All that being said, I thought the film was a trifle silly, although the last 20 minutes were divine. 3.5 cats!”
Bruce says: “BEING JULIA is a film some will adore and others will bash, dismissing it as silly and trite. I happen to be in the former camp, finding BEING JULIA to be a perfectly delightful confection, a film where director István Szabó meticulously focuses on his subject and embellishes it with sumptuous detail while never straying from the core.
“The film rightfully belongs to Annette Bening who perfectly plays Julia, an aging actress who is the reigning star of the 1938 London stage. Fame, marriage and motherhood have not managed to satisfy Julia. She claims that having to constantly carry every play, sweating it out night after night under the hot lights, has brought her close to the breaking point. The fact is, she’s bored. Those closest to her question her ability to separate her stage persona from her private life. Her maid (Juliet Stevenson) mocks her insincerity. She is titillated by the affection bestowed by Lord Charles (Bruce Greenwood) who wines and dines her after performances while her husband (Jeremy Irons) finds his affections outside their marriage.
“Suddenly Tom Fennel (Shaun Evans), a brash young American appears on the scene, brazenly invites her to tea and quickly beds her. Overnight Julia is rejuvenated; hardly unexpected considering she is having an affair with a contemporary of her own son, Roger (Tom Sturridge). An ill-fated weekend at their country home kicks off the primary action in the film. Avice, a young actress (deliciously played by Lucy Punch) catches Tom’s eye as Julia jealously looks on. Within hours Julia has become what she promised never to be – possessive and needy – when Tom returns after he and Roger have been out all night carousing with ‘two actresses.’ To make matters worse, after her row with Tom, Roger sneaks into her room to confess that he finally had sex and that ‘it’s not that great really – I don’t know what the fuss is all about.’
“Julia and Tom ultimately go their separate ways but Tom has the nerve to ask Julia to give Avice a part in her next West End play. Have young American chaps never heard of a woman scorned? Knowing that revenge is a dish best served cold, Julia quickly agrees. How she achieves her revenge is revealed in the delectable climax of the film.
“BEING JULIA is a fictionalized, cinematic cousin to TOPSY-TURVY. Both films involve the theatre and the lavish spectacle of those who frequently infuse their personal lives with theatrics that would be best left for the stage. Szabó certainly knows what he is doing with his script, camera and actors. He is a master, unfortunately one of the most overlooked directors of our time. 5 cats”