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Julia Child: The inspiration behind Julie and Julia

Julia Child: The inspiration behind Julie and Julia

By NDTV Correspondent | Updated: 15 August 2012 18:13 IST

Julia Child is the inspiration behind today's Google doodle in most of the world. Not just the doodle, Julia Child was also the inspiration behind award winning movie titled Julie and Julia.

Julia Child was not just a top class chef, but also an author and a television personality who demystified French cooking for the Americans. Her popular book titled Mastering the Art of French Cooking published in 1961 culminated into a television series called The French Chef.

Julia's death in 2004, inspired director Nora Ephron to bring back the extraordinary woman's journey on the big screen in the form of Meryl Streep in a 2009 film titled Julie and Julia. The story revolved around a bored diplomat's wife who enrols herself in Le Cordon Bleu cookery school during post-war Paris.

The film's second timeline set in the present follows the life of Julie Powell portrayed by Amy Adams. Adams, a young writer with a rather mundane job at a call centre in lower Manhattan, also possesses a deep desire for cooking. To rekindle her passion, she decides to take on the challenge of cooking all the 524 recipes from Julia Child's, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. She also decides to blog about challenge on a daily basis suggested by her husband Eric (Chris Messina).

Julia's husband played by Stanley Tucci, completely supports her all the way. She meets Paul Cushing Child while working for the Office of Strategic Services during the Second World War. Paul was not just another OSS employee but also an artist, poet, photographer and gourmet.

For Julie however, what initially starts as a light-hearted challenge turns into an obsession and briefly sours her relationship with Eric. She then decides to take a time-out from cooking and patch up with her husband.

Meanwhile, Julia is in the midst of writing her renowned book on French cooking with the aid of two French colleagues, whom she befriends while at Le Cordon Bleu. Volume 1 of the book takes 10 years to complete. Houghton Miffin rejects her book, but Alfred A. Knopf agrees to publish it. Julie's blog acquires much popularity to draw the attention of The New York Times, other journalists, publishers and criticism from Julia Child herself.

The movie's concluding scene shows Julie and her husband visiting Child's kitchen at the Smithsonian Institution. The scene morphs to also show Julia celebrating with her husband in her kitchen upon receiving the first print of her cookbook.

The film received positive reviews from critics and audiences alike. Meryl Streep won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and was nominated for Best Actress in the Academy Awards and BAFTA Awards as well. Her role as Julia child won her many awards in the Best Actress category.

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