Not only did they not have editorial control, but actually they never asked to see nor did we show them cuts of the film until it was completed. The family played no editorial role in the film beyond giving us access to the material. And I know that multiple family members were producers on this film as well, right? Like, I'm curious, how do you think that influenced the shaping of this story about Julia Child, to have the family of your subjects so deeply involved?ĬOHEN: The grandnephew of Julia gets an executive producer credit in our film.
You know, so much of the building blocks of your documentary were provided by this archive that you're talking about. I mean, this was a very romantic and sensual relationship.ĬHANG: It really was. And then there's an amazing photograph of Julia, kind of a nude photograph of her silhouetted in a window. She's - there's Julia with her legs splayed out, you know, lounging. And you can tell from the pictures he took of Julia when they spent, you know, about 15 years in Europe, he was taking photographs of Julia that just are exuding love. The other thing in the archives that we didn't expect to find were Paul's photographs. And there, you find letters that Julia wrote to friends talking about Paul, bragging about what an intellectual he was, what a great thinker he was and also Paul writing back to his family about just the joy that Julia was bringing into his life. WEST: Yeah, I mean, we were very lucky to have access to Julia's archive. I don't think any of my own love stories have ever been so well-documented. You know, it is so neat that they both sat down in writing so many of their thoughts. Oh, my God, that just, like - my heart was just bursting with so much joy listening to that. He was introducing her to art and to culture and to food.ĬHANG: And the reason, or at least a large reason, we know about these sentiments that they felt towards each other is because of all the letters and diary entries, you know, that Paul and Julia left behind, including like that sonnet he wrote for her. Part of it was Paul, who was 10 years older, was introducing Julia to the world. And that's where they really became first friends and then their romance grew. But then they were both posted to China, again, for the war. WEST: Her giggle was a little annoying to him, and she didn't really like his mustache and his long nose. Paul thought that Julia was a little too loud, a little hysterical and she. I mean, when they first met, as we show, they didn't exactly hit it off. Can one of you describe the kind of love that they had for each other? Thank you.ĬHANG: So much of this film, yeah, it's focused on the cooking, but it's even more so focused on the love story between Julia and her husband, Paul, which was this - I didn't realize - such a moving, sweet relationship. WEST: Well, so fantastic to be here, Ailsa.
Her life and work are now depicted in Betsy West and Julie Cohen's new documentary, "Julia." Julie Cohen, welcome back to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.ĬHANG: And, Betsy West, you and I already know each other since you were one of my professors in journalism school. You're the complete boss of it at every inch of the way.ĬHANG: Child had actually prepared herself in college for what she called, quote, "a leisurely butterfly life." But she ended up spending the next several decades reshaping American cuisine through her bestselling cookbook, "The Art Of French Cooking," and her iconic television shows. JULIA CHILD: See, that's the beauty of this souffle. That was, like, a regular meal.īETSY WEST: Yeah, well, we had a lot of tuna fish casserole with mushroom soup.ĬHANG: Then in walks culinary icon Julia Child, who helped reconnect Americans with the joy of making delicious food and savoring it. JULIE COHEN: My mom liked to cook spaghetti with ketchup as a sauce. Well, filmmakers Julie Cohen and Betsy West remember that time pretty clearly. There was a time in this country when what counted as cooking was stuff like vegetables encased in Jell-O molds or spam sliced and topped with pineapple.