Starring:
Distributor: Sony Pictures
Runtime: 95 mins. Reviewed in Nov 2021
Reviewer: Fr Peter Malone msc
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From the 1960s, Julia Child was a household name. For decades, audiences watched her cooking programs on public television. She was a pioneer of television chefs. And she had a distinctive presence and voice and a manner which engaged millions.
There have been a number of famous people in recent history called Julia. However, the contention of this documentary is that for many Americans, as well as for cooking fans throughout the world, simply naming Julia meant that the reference was to Julia Child. For those who have no idea who Julia Child is, whose realm is not that of the kitchen and cooking, here is an opportunity to get to know her.
For filmgoers, there was the opportunity in 2009 for a cinema introduction to Julia Child where she was played, so strikingly of course, by Meryl Streep in Julie and Julia (even to the impersonation of Julia Child’s idiosyncratic voice).
While there is some background about Julia Child’s earlier life, her presence in and love for France, her marriage to Paul Child, a long and devoted marriage, this film takes as its starting point Julia’s love for French cooking. She was enraptured by it, wrote about it, and worked with a range of French cooks and experts (many of them interviewed in the film).
Julia Child was a television personality, one of the original, perhaps the original, chef on television. She did not look like an immediate television candidate – she was in her 50s, a tall, biggish woman, she had a strangely high-pitched voice and accompanying delivery, with no previous experience. However, in the 1960s, with the emergence of public television, she found and consolidated a niche, making friends of her audience by directly addressing and confiding in them as if they were standing on the other side of the kitchen table. There were no re-takes, so if something did not turn out well, it was simply a whoops situation, pick up the mess, carry on.
For those who enjoyed seen Julia Child on television, seeing her at work, admiring her, learning from her, being inspired by her, there is an abundance of clips throughout the film.
She is seen being interviewed by the hosts of the TV night shows, Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Dick Cavitt, Jay Leno, and remarkably continued on appearing on Good Morning, America in the 1970s, and continuing in the same vein, into the ’80s and ’90s. In fact, she died in 2004, aged 91.
Two other aspects emerge from this documentary, her relationship with her husband. A number of those interviewed found Paul Child too enigmatic for their taste and friendship. However, with footage from the past, with many photos, we realise that Paul Child was devoted to Julia, helping her in practical ways, management, encouragement, and stepping back from the limelight. There are some sad moments towards the end with his stroke, debilitated health and dementia.
The other aspect is the role of Julia Child played in the feminism awareness of the second half of the 20th century. She became involved in some social issues, especially Planned Parenthood (she and Paul were unable to have children themselves), and became targeted at times by Pro-Life campaigners. The other area that the film highlights is that of sexual orientation, Julia being a person of her times and discovering so many gay men in the cooking world, perhaps a bit flippant at first, but with the emergence of AIDS, discovering more compassion, campaigning, cooking festivals in support, stating that preparing food is a wonderful expression of love.
For audiences who, perhaps, prefer to shun the kitchen and cooking, the film is an introduction to quite a character. For those who love cooking programs and chefs, of course…
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