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Being Julia - Annette Bening, Jeremy Irons, Shaun Evans, Michael Gambon, István Szabó

Threat advisory: High - High risk of entertaining activities

Movie propaganda

Love. Lust. Revenge. Get ready for the performance of a lifetime.

In London in 1938, beautiful and beguiling Julia Lambert (Annette Bening) is at her peak, physically and professionally. But her successful theatrical career and her marriage to handsome impresario Michael Gosselyn (Jeremy Irons) have become stale and unfulfilling. She longs for novelty, excitement, sparks. Enter Tom Fennell (Shaun Evans), a younger man who claims to be Julia's greatest fan. Finding his ardour irresistible, she decides that romance is the best antidote to a mid-life crisis and embarks on a passionate affair. Life becomes more daring and exciting, until Julia's young lover callously tries to relegate her to a supporting role. Summoning all of her considerable powers, Julia masterminds a brilliant revenge that places her exactly where she belongs, centre stage and in the spotlight.

Persons of interest

Annette Bening .... Julia Lambert
Catherine Charlton .... Miss Phillips
Jeremy Irons .... Michael Gosselyn
Michael Gambon .... Jimmy Langton
Shaun Evans .... Tom Fennell
Bruce Greenwood .... Lord Charles
Juliet Stevenson .... Evie
Rosemary Harris .... Mrs Lambert
Miriam Margolyes .... Dolly de Vries
Lucy Punch .... Avice Crichton
Tom Sturridge .... Roger Gosselyn
Sheila McCarthy .... Grace Dexter
Maury Chaykin .... Walter Gibbs
W Somerset Maugham .... Author: Theatre
Ronald Harwood .... Screenwriter
István Szabó .... Director

Cinematic intelligence sources

Being Julia official movie site
Being Julia production notes
Being Julia QuickTime movie trailers

Awards and film festivals:

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS - Oscars) 2005: Nominated: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Annette Bening)
Bangkok International Film Festival 2005: Won: Golden Kinnaree Award: Best Actress (Annette Bening)
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards 2004: 2nd place: Best Actress (Annette Bening)
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards 2005: Nominated: Best Actress (Annette Bening)
Cinematic Intelligence Agency Trenchcoat Awards 2005: Nominated: Best actor - Female (Annette Bening as Julia Lambert), Funniest film
European Film Awards 2004: Nominated: Best Cinematographer (Lajos Koltai)
Goya Awards 2005: Nominated: Best European Film (István Szabó)
Hollywood Foreign Press Association (Golden Globes) 2004: Won: Best Performance By An Actress - Musical Or Comedy (Annette Bening)
International Press Academy Golden Satellite Awards 2004: Won: Actress In A Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical (Annette Bening); Nominated: Actor In A Supporting Role - Comedy Or Musical (Jeremy Irons)
National Board of Review, USA 2004: Won: Best Actress (Annette Bening)
San Sebastián International Film Festival 2004: Out of Competition
Screen Actors Guild Awards 2005: Nominated: Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role (Annette Bening)
South-eastern Film Critics Association Awards 2004: Won: Best Actress (Annette Bening)

See also Stage beauty
Studios and distributors:

Sony Pictures Releasing

Intelligence analyst

Special Agent Matti

Theatrical report

Being Julia is about being a queen bitch, one in a long line of theatrical queen bitches who do what they want and get what they want. It's also about the grand traditions of the theatre itself, a home for bitches and queens since theatre began. And, it's about the whirl of society that we enjoyed in Bright Young Things, one which hasn't changed despite the unseemly interruption of the odd World War.

Annette Bening is clearly the star of Being Julia, almost overwhelming the silver screen itself. She absolutely deserved all those awards and nominations that she received. Glorious is a good adjective. Stupendous is another. Julia Lambert really is a tour de force (and I've never used that cliché before).

If you have any fondness for theatre, satire, comedy or drama then you simply must see Being Julia.