Her character maybe dying, suffering from multiple sclerosis and confined to a wheelchair all of a sudden, but that doesn't stop her from being a real nasty piece of work sometimes, instantly regretting it, especially after telling her husband Alan Bates off that he's nothing getting an emotional slap in the face when he tells her that she'll be dead and he'll still be alive. And that's on a Mountaintop overlooking a cliff where he may be tempted to jump and she won't be doing any twirling and breaking into song. Julie is Stephanie Anderson, a world renowned violinist who's world is shattered by her medical diagnosis, something she finds out before the film begins. She goes to see analyst Max von Sydow and tells him about her health situation, then finds out that her husband is having an affair with his assistant. What does Julie do? She turns to junk man Liam Neeson for sexual comfort.
To add to her not so nice moments is her telling solo violinist protege Rupert Everett that is he leaves her to take a position elsewhere, he can count on her never agreeing to see him again. With tantrums like this, it's easy to not really like her very much even though it's easy to sympathize with her character for the medical issues she's going through and the psychiatric issues she's facing because of all the drama in her life. When she slapped Bates' assistant Cathryn Harrison across the face out of the blue, that's seemingly after she's come to accept the fact that he's having an affair with her, and later on, she says it's her in her bedroom to gently apologize. So she's a woman of many conflicts, and after a while, it's very difficult for all the people around her to be near her.
This film, based on a successful two character play from both the West End and Broadway, is expanded to include all these other characters, would probably have ended up as a cable TV movie if made later or with a lesser leading star. Andrews is certainly a commanding even if her character is rather demanding, and I can see why she got a Golden Globe nomination. It's all so admirable to see why she wanted to stretch her acting muscles and play a less noble character. She dealt with a similar plot line in the same year's "That's Life!", but her character was not as abrasive even as she wasn't the happiest woman in the world. Bates and von Sydow really don't get to play well developed characters, but the minor characters played by Neeson, Everett and Harrison are surprisingly drawn out. Worth it to see Julie to see Julie in a different type of role, but not one that most audiences will want to revisit.
To add to her not so nice moments is her telling solo violinist protege Rupert Everett that is he leaves her to take a position elsewhere, he can count on her never agreeing to see him again. With tantrums like this, it's easy to not really like her very much even though it's easy to sympathize with her character for the medical issues she's going through and the psychiatric issues she's facing because of all the drama in her life. When she slapped Bates' assistant Cathryn Harrison across the face out of the blue, that's seemingly after she's come to accept the fact that he's having an affair with her, and later on, she says it's her in her bedroom to gently apologize. So she's a woman of many conflicts, and after a while, it's very difficult for all the people around her to be near her.
This film, based on a successful two character play from both the West End and Broadway, is expanded to include all these other characters, would probably have ended up as a cable TV movie if made later or with a lesser leading star. Andrews is certainly a commanding even if her character is rather demanding, and I can see why she got a Golden Globe nomination. It's all so admirable to see why she wanted to stretch her acting muscles and play a less noble character. She dealt with a similar plot line in the same year's "That's Life!", but her character was not as abrasive even as she wasn't the happiest woman in the world. Bates and von Sydow really don't get to play well developed characters, but the minor characters played by Neeson, Everett and Harrison are surprisingly drawn out. Worth it to see Julie to see Julie in a different type of role, but not one that most audiences will want to revisit.