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Julia
original film poster
Directed by	Fred Zinnemann
Produced by	Richard A. Roth
Written by	Alvin Sargent
Starring	Jane Fonda Vanessa Redgrave Jason Robards Hal Holbrook Rosemary Murphy and Maximilian Schell
Music by	Georges Delerue
Cinematography	Douglas Slocombe
Editing by	Marcel Durham Walter Murch
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date(s)	October 2, 1977 (USA)
Running time	118 min.
Language	English
IMDb profile

Julia is a 1977 film drama made by 20th Century Fox. It is based on Lillian Hellman's book Pentimento, a portion of which purports to tell the story of her relationship with her lifelong friend, "Julia," who worked as an anti-Nazi in the years prior to World War II. The film was directed by Fred Zinnemann and produced by Richard Roth, with Julien Derode as executive producer and Tom Pevsner as associate producer, from a screenplay adapted by Alvin Sargent.

The young Lillian and the young Julia, daughter of a wealthy Jewish family being raised by her grandparents in the U.S., enjoy a childhood together and an extremely close relationship in late adolescence. Later, while medical-student/physician Julia attends Oxford and the University of Vienna and studies with such luminaries as Sigmund Freud, Lillian suffers through revisions of her play with her mentor and sometime lover, Dashiell Hammett (Jason Robards, Jr.) at a New England beachhouse.

After becoming a celebrated playwright, Lillian is invited to a writers' conference in Russia. Julia, having taken on the battle against Nazism, enlists Lillian en route to smuggle money through Nazi Germany which will assist in the Anti-Nazi cause. It is a dangerous mission, especially for a Jewish intellectual on her way to Russia.

During a brief meeting with Julia on this trip, Lillian learns that her friend has a child named Lily, living with a baker in Alsace. Shortly after her return to the United States, Lillian is informed of Julia's murder. The details of her death are shrouded in secrecy. Lillian unsuccessfully looks for Julia's child in Alsace and also discovers that Julia's family wants nothing to do with the child, if she exists, probably for financial reasons.

Faye Dunaway turned down the role of Lillian Hellman.

The film was shot on location in England and France.

• Jane Fonda - Lillian Hellman
• Vanessa Redgrave - Julia
• Jason Robards - Dashiell Hammett
• Maximilian Schell - Johann
• Hal Holbrook - Alan Cambell
• Rosemary Murphy - Dorothy Parker
• Meryl Streep - Anne Marie
• John Glover - Sammy
• Lisa Pelikan - Julia (younger)

Julia features the first film performances of Meryl Streep and Lisa Pelikan.

Julia won Academy Awards for:

• Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Jason Robards);
• Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Vanessa Redgrave);
• Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium - (Alvin Sargent)

It was nominated for an Academy Award for:

• Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Maximilian Schell);
• Best Actress in a Leading Role (Jane Fonda);
• Best Cinematography;
• Best Costume Design;
• Best Director;
• Best Film Editing;
• Best Music, Original Score;
• Best Picture.

It also won the BAFTA Award for Best Film.

• Julia at the Internet Movie Database
• Julia at Rotten Tomatoes