Being Julia

Being Julia is a 2004 comedy-drama film directed by István Szabó and starring Annette Bening and Jeremy Irons. The screenplay by Ronald Harwood is based on the novel Theatre (1937) by W. Somerset Maugham. The original film score was composed by Mychael Danna. Plot In 1938 London, the highly successful and popular theater actress Julia Lambert is growing disillusioned with her career as she approaches middle age, prompting her to ask her husband, stage director Michael Gosselyn, and his financial backer Dolly de Vries to close her current production to allow her time to travel abroad. They persuade her to remain with the play throughout the summer. Always hovering in the background and offering counsel is the spirit of her mentor, Jimmie Langton, the theatrical manager who gave Julia her start and made her a star. Julia confesses to Evie, her personal maid, dresser and confidante, that she would love to let herself go and retire so she can stop eating salad and drink as much beer as she likes. Michael introduces her to Tom Fennel, an enterprising American, who confesses his deep appreciation of her work. Though she loves her husband, Julia misses the passion they once had, and is anxious to fill the void left by her former lover, Lord Charles, who has recently broken off their relationship. Julia embarks on a passionate affair with the young man and begins to support him so he may enjoy the glamorous lifestyle to which she has introduced him. Their relationship revives her, sparking a distinct change in her personality.