Justine

20th Century-Fox. Director George Cukor; Producer Pandro S. Berman; Screenplay Lawrence B. Marcus; Camera Leon Shamroy; Editor Rita Roland; Music Jerry Goldsmith; Art Director Jack Martin Smith, William Creber, Fred Harpman

Anouk Aimee
Dirk Bogarde
John Vernon
Anna Karina
Philippe Noiret
Michael York

Difficulties and hazards involved in compressing four novels into a single film are self-revelatory. Based upon Lawrence Durrell's novel, Justine and three other volumes comprising author's Alexandria Quartet, the plottage is particularly difficult to follow.

While the story rivets on Anouk Aimee as the Egyptian Jewess, a prostitute wed to one of her country's most powerful financiers, there are such a multiplicity of elements and forms of love as to prove overly-burdensome for the screen.

As a further hurdle to easy comprehension, Aimee, a French actress, frequently cannot be understood.

Aimee is arresting in her delineation and frequently gives an exciting performance. Michael York, as the Englishman, shares male honors with Dirk Bogarde, playing a British diplomat, and John Vernon, the husband, who heads the Coptics' plans to save their own necks in Egypt.

(Color) Widescreen. Available on VHS. Extract of a review from 1969. Running time: 117 MIN.

Variety is striving to present the most thorough review database. To report inaccuracies in review credits, please click here. We do not currently list below-the-line credits, although we hope to include them in the future. Please note we may not respond to every suggestion. Your assistance is appreciated.