Being Julia
"Being Julia" is a tale of amorous folly and revenge set in the world of the London stage in the late 1930's. Based on the novel Theatre by W. Somerset Maugham, it is the story of reigning diva Julia Lambert whose success and fame grow suddenly wearisome. She falls head over heels for a young American, Tom, and begins a passionate May - December affair. When she realizes that Tom is just a young social climber whose real passion is ambitious young starlet Avice Crichton, Julia begins to plot a delightful revenge.
Member Reviews
Reasonable adaptation - BarbinBC
Having just read the book thaty this movie is based on, W. Somerset Maugham's "Theatre", I was most curious to see what Hollywood's version would be. Not a bad adaptation: Tom Fennel is made into an American which was a bit startling at first but turned out fairly well, many scenes are condensed but still retain the gist of the original story, and the ending is much more dramatic...the movie Julia literally chews the scenery while in the book her revenge is much more restrained while still emotionally satisfying.
Lovely costumes & set designs. I agree with everyone else in that Annette Bening totally carries this film. Lovely actress, great to see how she portrayed the aging Julia so gracefully. A very light little film, but most enjoyable, some very good moments.Diva defined - Baboonvideo
ZIP-WORTHY IF: You enjoy larger-than-life performances and are sick of all these wannabes calling themselves divas.
REVIEW: These days, the term “diva” is handed out as often as political pamphlets, so it is refreshing to see Annette Bening’s spectacular performance in Being Julia as a definitive theatre diva, one so obsessed with appearances and being a larger-than-life character that even when she isn’t acting on stage, she is clearly performing.
Bening plays Julia Lambert, a reigning star of London’s West End in the 1930s and a woman so demanding that her husband (Jeremy Irons) actually encourages Julia’s flirtations with an aristocrat (Bruce Greenwood) and, most dramatically, a penniless young American (Shaun Evans) who becomes Julia’s object of lust and love. Throughout Being Julia, it is clear that the focus of our attention is Bening, who bites into this juicy Oscar-baiting role – marked by great theatricality and playfulness – with real gusto. Bening, like Julia, is a Star and her performance alone is enough to draw laughs and pain from Julia’s over-the-edge approach to life.
What this also means, though, is that the rest of the film can’t quite keep up the pace, with some of the more dramatic elements of the story – based on the novel Theatre by W. Somerset Maugham – being pushed too far to the side of the screen in exchange for more diva action.The title of the movie swayed me away, my mistake. - Basil
Sometimes the title of a movie can really make one's mind up as to whether or not they should see a movie. In this film's case, I declined. I just didn't understand why I'd want to know about Julia.
Well, finally this film came in the mail and I couldn't take my eyes off the tv screen. It was unusual, interesting, and had such a twist at the end that only a mature and clever woman could dream up when deceit and manipulation have been revealed. A woman scorned but very tastefully done. Some couples are meant to be and there is no doubt, that although unusual, this couple is indeed meant to be.
Member Reviews
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Reasonable adaptation - BarbinBC
Having just read the book thaty this movie is based on, W. Somerset Maugham's "Theatre", I was most curious to see what Hollywood's version would be. Not a bad adaptation: Tom Fennel is made into an American which was a bit startling at first but turned out ...Diva defined - Baboonvideo
ZIP-WORTHY IF: You enjoy larger-than-life performances and are sick of all these wannabes calling themselves divas.
REVIEW: These days, the term “diva” is handed out as often as political pamphlets, so it is refreshing to see Annette Bening’s spectacular ...The title of the movie swayed me away, my mistake. - Basil
Sometimes the title of a movie can really make one's mind up as to whether or not they should see a movie. In this film's case, I declined. I just didn't understand why I'd want to know about Julia.
Well, finally this film came in the mail and I couldn't ...