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Julia film image; two women in yellow rain jackets sitting in a boat

“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.

Director

Fred Zinnemann

Cast

Jane Fonda, Vanessa Redgrave, Jason Robards, Maximilian Schell, Hal Holbrook, Meryl Streep

Credits
Country of Origin

USA

Year

1977

Language

English

Awards

Academy Awards, Supporting Actress (Vanessa Redgrave); Supporting Actor (Jason Robards)

19+
118 min

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Sunday July 27

1:00 pm
Hearing Assistance
VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema
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Wednesday July 30

4:30 pm
Hearing Assistance
VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema
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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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