Julia (1977)

A 1970s "new" women's film starring two of the period's more outspoken activist actresses, Julia (1977) wistfully examines the power of female bonding as depicted in one of playwright Lillian Hellman's memoirs. Bookended by shots of Jane Fonda's aged Lillian meditating on her life, Julia unfolds in a series of occasionally over-gauzy flashbacks portraying the impact of two key figures on Hellman's existence. Even as Jason Robards' mentor/lover Dashiell Hammett is crucial to Lillian's 1930s success, it is Vanessa Redgrave's Resistance fighter Julia who proves to be the more powerful presence, whether as a memory or in the ethereal flesh. Regardless of the story's status as one of Hellman's infamous, ahem, embellishments of reality, Julia remains a compelling story of female friendship, particularly in Fonda's and Redgrave's intense hands. Director Fred Zinnemann surrounds the pair with a high-class period production that perfectly captures both Lillian's American salon society and Julia's war-torn Europe; Robards and Maximilian Schell make the most of their supporting roles. Julia's expert craft garnered 11 Oscar nominations including Best Picture, and won three, allowing passionately left-wing, pro-PLO winner Redgrave to take her politics to the podium and make herself persona non grata at the Oscars. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide