“The Great Lillian Hall” operates somewhere between the cinematic styles of John Cassavetes’ “Opening Night” and Billy Wilder’s “Sunset Boulevard.” It follows an aging theatre actress and shows her many shades that become apparent as she slowly starts losing grip on her reality. Even though it uses a theatrical approach, it makes the underlying dread feel utterly palpable. It lets the theatre feel like an extension of its protagonist. As a result, much of the film and its drama seems filtered through her eyes.
The protagonist, Lillian Hall (Jessica Lange), is a Broadway actress who has had a long and illustrious career. She is revered by her peers and the connoisseurs. Besides, she has a devoted fan club who can recall lines from her past plays verbatim. Lillian can still perform those scenes with just the same intensity. Her confidence makes it seem like she will never reach the dusk of her career. But eventually, her age starts catching up to her. After she forgets a line during the rehearsal of her upcoming play, she gains a scathing realization of her mortality.
Playwright David Flemming (Jesse Williams) is so passionate about Lillian playing this specific part that he is also ready to argue with the producer about it. To him, as to many others, Lilian’s self-assurance doesn’t seem arrogant but feels inspiring. After all, Lillian holds her ground and doesn’t let others belittle her. Nevertheless, some things in life are inescapable, even to the best of us. She contends with this truth after realizing that she is in the early stages of dementia.
Lilian begins to realize the gravity of her situation. It makes her painfully aware of her mortality. She grapples with the loss of control over her craft, routine, and ability to perform, which she will experience thereafter. Lillian’s assistant and her close friend, Edith Wilson (Kathy Bates), support her in those stages as faithfully as she had for years. Meanwhile, Lilian’s same-age neighbour, Ty Maynard (Pierce Brosnan) offers company to share their mutual sentiments.
While devoting her life to the theatre, Lillian stayed distant from her home quite often. It left a rift between her and her daughter, Margaret Tanner (Lily Rabe), that may never be filled. Nevertheless, Elisabeth Seldes Annacone’s screenplay never sees Lilian through the cliché lens of motherly guilt. It paints Lilian as formidable but never pitiable and portrays her as a larger-than-life figure who realizes her life has limits like any other being. The script aptly explores Lilian’s conflicting mental state as she tries to hide her crippling anxieties about her fate to maintain her usual decorum. Despite digging into her vulnerabilities, the writing never lets her appear frail.
Through his direction, Michael Cristofer tries to blur the lines between reality and theatrical fiction. The characters express themselves passionately and with an overbearing sense of burden. While the score is largely operatic, the dialogues seem like they are cut from a page of a play. Yet, this approach works for a film that is essentially about an artist trying to find a footing for her emotions in reality. With a genius interplay of varying intensities of performances, he turns his drama into a visceral experience.
As mentioned above, the performances are loud and emphatic, which could have easily seemed needlessly overt in the hands of a novice. However, thanks to the film’s astute cast of actors, the loudness doesn’t mask the underlying complex emotions. So, the performances always feel detailed and nuanced. As a result, this type of presentation doesn’t become a limitation but feels like a mere stylistic choice. While Jessica Lange’s performance is the highlight, Lily Rabe’s performance is an absolute revelation. Jesse Williams and Kathy Bates are reliable, whereas Lange’s recurring friendly banter with Pierce Brosnan’s character gives the film bittersweet moments of necessary relief.
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