Being Julia

source: Being Julia

"Being Julia" is like a period version of "All About Eve," such that it's a cross between "Stage Beauty" for gender and naturalism on and off the stage issues and "Bright Young Things" for time period. One problem, though, is that it's unclear how much sub-text is intentional or accidental, particularly to an American audience. Though the cast is a mixed Commonwealth crew, as indicated by wavering accents, are the men intentionally effete (other than a charismatic Michael Gambon as a remembered mentor) such that we're more surprised that the British upper classes replicated at all rather than that some play for the other team. Or is there a message about masculinity vs. femininity on stage vs. off. Is it to be intentionally satirical that Annette Bening's younger rival is frequently referred to as "the pretty one", but, well, Lucy Punch is certainly not conventionally pretty. Let alone that the young man they are competing over, Shaun Evans, is a bland Ken doll with zero sex appeal. I also assume it was W. Somerset Maugham's intention that the plays Bening's diva is starring in are lightweight Noel Coward imitations (accented by the use of a witty Coward song on the soundtrack) and that there's a character named "Roger" for some double entendre tittering. Which all leads up to my assumption that it's intentional that Bening looks so much more beautiful and lively when she's wearing hardly any noticeable make-up, especially in the transcendent closing shot, much as Juliette Binoche in "Jet Lag (Décalage horaire)" looked startlingly beautiful when she stopped trying to look younger. But all these weaknesses are forgotten as Bening and the film climax to the denouement, such that you can't help cheering her victory while humming the lovely soundtrack. The costumes are also wonderful.

The cast were the biggest draw into seeing 'Being Julia', hard to resist such great talent like Annette Bening, Jeremy Irons, Michael Gambon and Juliet Stevenson. W. Somerset Maugham was an interesting writer, some say that he is old-fashioned and his work hasn't aged well but to me he deserves being celebrated and love his insight, wit, sharp prose and charm, which deserves to be adapted more on film and the general solid standard of the adaptations seen of his proves this. 'Being Julia' does nothing to waste its talent and is well worth seeing, deserving of its generally favourable reviews here. As an adaptation of the book, it leaves a lot to be desired with much cut out and too many of the characters are underwritten due to their roles being reduced. On its own, as a standalone which has always been a fairer way to judge to me, 'Being Julia' is very good. It may not work for some viewers, some may find it over-the-top and affected while many others will find it entertaining and well made and played, count me in in the latter category. Absolutely agree with all that Annette Bening is the reason to see 'Being Julia'. She is nothing short of amazing and is the absolute embodiment of Julia. One mustn't overlook the rest of the cast, Michael Gambon is splendid and a clear standout. Jeremy Irons does a great and beautifully restrained job as the rather underwritten character of Michael, while Lucy Punch is radiant and Juliet Stevenson enjoys herself thoroughly. Likewise with Miriam Margoyles. Istvan Szabo gets a lot out of the cast and the chemistry throughout is natural, also balancing the material without being overly-theatrical or too stagy. It is a good looking film, those costumes of Julia's are to die for in particular. The music captures the period with great affection and fits without being obtrusive or being over-obvious, very beautiful and infectious. The script is sharp, amusing and thoughtful, like Maugham's writing, love the witticisms. The story entertains and moves, with a twist that leaves one floored and while the ending is over the top it does stay with one forever. Anybody wanting a likeable or rootable protagonist will be disappointed, but she isn't meant to be. Did think that two performances didn't work. Shaun Evans has improved significantly over-time, absolutely love him in 'Endeavour', but he is rather colourless in 'Being Julia' and it is not helped by Tom being very underdeveloped and cliffs-notes like. More problematic is Bruce Greenwood, of all my recently seen film viewings Greenwood is among the biggest miscasts and comes over as out-of-place (and it is not just that he is completely unconvincing as a Brit, everything about him was wrong). Some of the pace could have been tighter at times, towards the end it drags a bit. Overall though, found myself liking it very much. 8/10

Predictable story of an aging actress (Julia) who falls for a young admirer and carries on an affair behind her husband's back; after the young lover proves to be unfaithful, the actress devotes all her energies to a devious scheme to publicly humiliate his new girlfriend, and for this incredibly vindictive behavior she is warmly embraced anew by her husband and son. Preposterous psychologies lead to a totally unbelievable resolution (and some very bad acting). If we are to take these characters seriously, then Julia herself is a nasty piece of work, a shallow and hateful person. Any comparison with ALL ABOUT EVE is way off the mark; BECOMING JULIA is lumbering and leaden, without a shred of wit or insight. The message -- that getting even is better than being loved -- is pathetic and offensive.

The most annoying thing about this film is the way it packages up late Thirties Britain into a romantic chocolate box. Those West End theatres are uncomfortable with bad views: go to one and see. There was no design at that time, people lived in uncomfortable clothes and put up with discomfort at every turn. The class system stank, with grovelling and hypocrisy and gross inequality everywhere, the theatre symbolised it with all men in Evening Dress and ladies in gowns. In 1938, the time the film proclaims at the outset, a weak, drunken King in love with a Nazi-worshipping U.S. harridan had been forced to abdicate (against the will of Winston Churchill), and a drippy upper class Prime Minister was busy selling out to the biggest fascist pig ever seen on Earth. Everything was still The Empire this, The Empire that, although everything had been wrecked by the futile and appalling massacre of World War One and true power lay elsewhere, in Germany and the U.S.A. Above all, people still revered "manners" and one utterly unthinkable thing, that no man would ever do, even an American, would be to keep his fedora hat on indoors in the company of a woman, as Julia's young lover does in reel three. Pernicious nonsense, stay away.

I do not understand why AB didn't win an Academy Award for this film. Not because of her performance (in which she seemed to be channeling Dianne Wiest from Bullets Over Broadway...and doing a rather poor job of it), and certainly not because of the script itself (which contained a mind-boggling number of discontinuities in support of an implausible conclusion), but because it is one of those movies that provides a shameless attempt to deliver a star vehicle to a "deserving" actor or actress (and it seems to give support to the idea that true acting must involve being able to put on an English accent). Even Jeremy Irons' faxed-in performance seemed refreshingly unforced and natural compared to those given by Ms. Bening and the painful efforts of Shaun Evans and Michael Culkin. Avoid.

This is a well made movie. Such things are rare, and when they come around, we celebrate them. Many extend this celebration to Bening, who is similarly competent. But something is ajar. The project is based on a familiar device: we see a film (really a play) which has a character who is an actress. She conflates her life and the theater within. The reason this is done so often — in different variations — is because when the life and the play within become intertwined, so also do we with our world and the world of the play we see. In the business, this is called "folding." It is more popular than usual right now. The adapter and director clearly wanted to emphasize the collapsing of life and play. Its mentioned many times of course and the "ordinary" folding of her saying things in life she says on stage. But Maugham's original, rather weak vision is expanded. Even the theater has theater outside. Key additions are three "watchers;" Julia's son, her dresser (reflecting on "The Dresser"), and a disembodied mentor who enthusiastically encourages the fold. The dresser earned her folding stripes as one of three characters named Cissie Colpitts in the 100-folded masterpiece "Drowning by Numbers." But the master casting is Michael Gambon as the acting/life coach. He'll always be rooted in TeeVee's best project ever, "The Singing Detective," in which he plays a role very similar to here. So the setup is pretty thorough. The only problem is that no one told Annette. Or more likely, they told her, but she just couldn't do folded acting: creating a character that is both within and without the inner fantasy. An example is Depp in "Neverland." So while this little project still amuses, and Annette's skill shows, imagine what this would have been with one of our better redhead actresses. Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

Older women can create complex dramas, but this is not the case here. Even when BEING JULIA tackles issues such as a woman, an actress, who is playing roles meant for younger actresses, who is having "marital issues" and is embarking in an affair with a younger man, it seems as dated as the time it was written in. The 1930s were rife with dramas unfolding in a theatre setting, and this one is no exception. It's not a bad film. But it's not a memorable film, and where Annette Bening throws herself into the role, the film in itself seems like it belongs somewhere else: plus, it just seems like it's playing it safe most of the time. It's not saying anything special. Plus, it owes a little more than not to ALL ABOUT EVE when it introduces an Eve Harrington-like character played by Lucy Punch, and even then, all it is, is a colorless role that can't even compare to the restrained evilness Anne Baxter gave hers. Istvan Szabo has done better films based in or around a theatre. His most recent venture was the luminous 1991 film MEETING VENUS in which a director, purportedly based on Szabo himself, falls for opera diva Karin Andersson (played by Glenn Close) while on rehearsals for Tannhauser, and their affair which nearly ruined the production. In that film, there was a raw emotional drama that also involved a much larger cast and almost seemed Altman-esquire. Here, the stage seems... well... stagey, stilted, mannered, by-the-numbers. When the two actresses face off, it seems like it's been done before even if it does work -- to a degree. And this is how I feel about the movie in general: I liked it, to a degree. Good but not memorable. They've all (Bening, Gambon, Irons, Margolyes) done better.

Being Julia is a very entertaining picture aimed at the over 40 demographics, which is nice for a change since most of the films these days are aimed at the 25 and younger crowd. The story is great. I haven't read the book, so I don't know if the credit goes to the screenwriter or the author. Annette Bening's performance carries the film. The bad news is, it could have been better. My first complaint is the photography has a yellow/green cast to it, which makes the film visually dull. This is a shame since Annette Bening is so radiant. My second complaint is the directing is competent but not much more. It's pretty much what you would expect from a made for TV film but not an art house film. A visionary director could have made this film great rather than merely good. My third complaint is that it is similar to All About Eve, Sunset Boulevard, and 20th Century; but it is not at the same level of those classics, due to the reasons given above. This is a film about the theater and in my favorite scene her son tells her that she is always acting. Some people might be turned off by the style of the dialog, but it fits the context of the film. One of the devices of the film is that the ghost of her acting mentor is always watching over her like a guardian angel. The ending of the film couldn't have been better, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone. Overall, this is currently one of the top 3 films in the theater and if you are lucky enough to have it playing in your area, you should see it. 8/10

I approached this film strictly by way of word of mouth. Reviews and blurbs went over my head. I haven't read Maughm (sp?) in years and forgot what I may have read. I went into the theater with a clean slate. Ms.Benning displays an awesome range of technique, but that doesn't describe her or the film. She was able to draw me within her to sense her triumphs and doubts, and challenges, all of which appeared and felt quite real to me. In the hands of others this picture might easily have fallen into soap, surely with its "come-upance" finale, all quite expected and predictable, I thought. Still, having said that I was totally absorbed by Ms Benning and her surrounding players all of whom added to the vitality of her performance without negating or diluting their own. I am not an actor yet I felt I understood the lessons she was displaying and the courage to so open herself in such a revealing way. She is the film, with respect to the director and writer, and the film is her, not a great film, but one worth while seeing on its own, but more so for the opportunity of truly witnessing great craft and talent.