“We can only do today what we can do today.” Lillian Hellman’s short story Pentimento chronicles her adolescent friendship with the wealthy, privileged Julia, and the latter’s subsequent political awakening, her embrace of socialism, leading to a pivotal decision to spend her inheritance to get as many Jews and political prisoners out of Nazi Germany as she can. In this pursuit, she turns to her old friend and admirer for help.
It’s an inspiring, sad story, and tailor-made for actor-activists Jane Fonda (Lillian) and Vanessa Redgrave (Julia). Jason Robards costars as Hellman’s lover and mentor Dashiell Hammett, and the film also marks Meryl Streep’s film debut. Regrave, Robards and screenwriter Alvin Sargent all won Academy Awards. Redgrave famously used the occasion to denounce “Zionist hoodlums” in the continuing fight against fascism and anti-Semitism.
Fred Zinnemann
Jane Fonda, Vanessa Redgrave, Jason Robards, Maximilian Schell, Hal Holbrook, Meryl Streep
USA
1977
English
Academy Awards, Supporting Actress (Vanessa Redgrave); Supporting Actor (Jason Robards)
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Credits
Screenwriter
Alvin Sargent
Cinematography
Douglas Slocombe
Editor
Marcel Durham, Walter Murch
Original Music
Georges Delerue
Production Design
Gene Callahan, Carmen Dillon, Willy Holt
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