| | Being Julia DVD (3 Customer Reviews)
| Category | Dramas DVDs, England Movies, Actors Videos, 1930s, Actresses, Directors | | Starring | Annette Bening, Jeremy Irons, Bruce Greenwood, Michael Gambon, Maury Chaykin, Miriam Margolyes, Juliet Stevenson, Shaun Evans, Lucy Punch | | Director | Istvan Szabó | | Composer | Mychael Danna | | Director of Photography | Lajos Koltai | | Producer | Robert Lantos | | Screenwriter | Ronald Harwood | | Source Writer | W. Somerset Maugham |
Closed Captioned; Soundtrack English; Dolby Digital 5.1 Re As she enters her early 40s, London theater actress Julia Lambert (Annette Bening) starts having a nervous breakdown. She still rules the West End, but is growing too old for ingenue parts. When Tom Fennell (Shaun Evans), an adoring lad half her age, comes into her life, a clandestine affair begins. Though she's happy for a while, Julia eventually winds up in a face-off with a Tom's other, much younger lover (Lucy Punch). Luckily, the spirit of Julia's cantankerous old acting coach (London theater legend Michael Gambon) follows Julia around offering some tough-love encouragement.
Set in the late 1930s, this is a fine costume comedy-drama about the sorrows and joys of art. The eternal question of "when am I acting and when am I myself?" has seldom been addressed as intelligently as it is here; Bening seems to be not only tangling with her own status as an aging beauty, but also with the limits of her own acting abilities, and it's a pleasure to see her transcend both with such triumphant exuberance. Bravo, Miss Bening, and kudos to director Szabó (MEPHISTO) for rendering his obvious love of theater, cinema, and actors with such contagious warmth. Other fine performances include Jeremy Irons as Julia's manager/husband and Juliet Stevens as her jaded maid. THEATRICAL RELEASE: OCTOBER 15, 2004
Being Julia Reviews: "Ms. Bening shows both fragility and dignity, managing a hectic plot with glamour and aplomb."-- A. O. Scott, New York Times "Bening and a lustrous ensemble cast have brought to vivid life W. Somerset Maugham's 1937 novella THEATRE....They have done so with such verve and panache that this film can never be described as merely a romp or a star vehicle."-- Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times "[I]t has enough surprises to keep you guessing, and for Annette Bening it's the liveliest of comebacks."
-- Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly "It is an expert performance from Bening, combining coquetry, lust, anger, sarcasm, vulnerability and hauteur..."
-- Geoffrey Macnab, Sight and Sound "BEING JULIA finds old-fashioned fun in a 1937 W. Somerset Maugham novella..."
-- Stephen Farber, Movieline's Hollywood Life Being Julia | List Price | $14.94 (You save $5.15) | | Studio | Sony Pictures Home Entertainment | | Orig Year | 2004 | | All Time Sales Rank |  21463  | | CD Universe Part number | 6827035 | | Catalog number | 09174 | | Discs | 1 | | Release Date | Mar 22, 2005 | | Rating | R (MPAA) | | Rating Reason | some sexuality | | Running Time | 104 Minutes | | Additional Info | Widescreen | | Movie Details | Color; Digitally Processed; Widescreen |
Being Julia Movie Review Average Rating: (3.7 out of 5 stars)   A Triumph for Annette Bening
Debra from Napa Valley couldn't be more wrong about this film. Ms Bening is a true star, and this film is as satisfying as it is (and it is VERY satisfying)because of her performance. She lights up the screen and conveys with every word and gesture the star quality her character embodies. She can ACT.
Submitted by Bill - wm011f4171 (Edinburgh - Scotland)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No
 Bening ovrreaches in star vehicle
What a disappointment. An "All About Eve"-type story, this movie convinced me that Annette Bening should stick to character roles. Like Alec Baldwin, she looks so good in smaller parts, but cannot carry a picture. She must be a very well-liked woman in Hollywood, judging by the gah-gah reviews she garnered for this film, but I found her performance distractingly hammy, and just not believable. Jeremy Irons is excellent, as are other members of the under-used supporting cast. But there's really not room for anyone else in this vanity vehicle.
Submitted by Debra (Napa, CA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No
Bening ovrreaches in star vehicle
What a disappointment. An "All About Eve"-type story, this movie convinced me that Annette Bening should stick to character roles. Like Alec Baldwin, she looks so good in smaller parts, but cannot carry a picture. She must be a very well-liked woman in Hollywood, judging by the gah-gah reviews she garnered for this film, but I found her performance distractly hammy, and just not believable. Jeremy Irons is excellent, as are other members of the under-used supporting cast. But there's really not room for anyone else in this vanity vehicle.
Submitted by Debra (Napa, CA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No | Have you seen this movie? |  |
Being Julia DVD Region [unknown]
Keep Case
Anamorphic Widescreen -
1.85
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Subtitles - English - Closed Captioning
Additional Release Material:
Deleted Scenes
Behind the Scenes: Featurette
Audio Commentary: István Szabó - Director, Annette Bening, Jeremy Irons - Stars
Trailers: Sony Pictures Previews
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