At the behest of an old and dear friend, playwright Lillian Hellman undertakes a dangerous mission to smuggle funds into Nazi Germany.
Acting
Redgrave's Julia: 15 minutes of screen time, lifetime of mystery.
Cinematography
Douglas Slocombe's shadow-drenched Europe feels like a fever dream.
Writing
Alvin Sargent's adaptation trusts silence over exposition.
Director
Fred Zinnemann
Jane Fonda
Lillian Hellman
Vanessa Redgrave
Julia
Jason Robards
Dashiell Hammett
Maximilian Schell
Johann
Hal Holbrook
Alan
Rosemary Murphy
Dorothy Parker
Meryl Streep
Anne Marie
Dora Doll
Woman Passenger
Elisabeth Mortensen
Girl Passenger
John Glover
Sammy
Lisa Pelikan
Young Julia
Cathleen Nesbitt
Julia's Grandmother
Maurice Denham
Undertaker
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Vanessa Redgrave won Best Supporting Actress despite only 20 minutes of screen time—and used her speech to defend Palestinian rights, causing a Hollywood scandal.
Lillian Hellman's memoir 'Pentimento' later faced accusations that she fabricated Julia entirely; the film exists in fascinating tension with this controversy.
US
