You are here:

Justine

Name: Justine
Director: George Cukor
Released: 1969
Duration: 116 min

Representation Score

5.5/10

Fair

1969

Director

George Cukor

Runtime

116 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

George Cukor’s direction centers on a woman navigating high-stakes geopolitical tensions in colonial Egypt. The film avoids passive female archetypes by giving Justine significant control over the political conspiracy. The setting provides a rich tapestry of ethnic and religious identities, including Coptic and Jewish characters. This adds layers of complexity beyond typical mid-century period dramas. However, the film remains limited by its time period, lacking LGBTQ+ representation and specific details about the ability to act of its non-Western characters.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does Justine have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film does not explicitly confirm any LGBTQ+ characters or non-straight relationships. The central romantic tensions seem to follow traditional heterosexual norms involving the British consular circle.

How does Justine portray gender?

Good

Justine plays a significant role in driving the political plot rather than being a secondary figure. Her involvement in an underground movement shows strong intellectual and political independence.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Justine?

Good

Set in 1938 Alexandria, the film features a Coptic banker and Jewish characters involved in an underground movement. This creates a multi-ethnic backdrop that goes beyond a purely Anglo-centric perspective.

How does Justine represent religion and culture?

Fair

The story explores the tension between imperial structures and local control. By focusing on a plot against British interests, the film critiques Western institutional power.

Does Justine include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no evidence of characters with visible or invisible disabilities in the narrative.

Present on Screen

The female protagonist has significant political influence and intellectual independence.
The setting offers a diverse, multi-ethnic backdrop with Coptic and Jewish identities.
The narrative critiques colonial authority through themes of political rebellion.

Limited or Absent

The film lacks explicit LGBTQ+ representation or queer subtext.
The extent of ability to act for non-Western characters remains unclear.
There is no visible representation of characters with disabilities.

Official Synopsis

In Alexandria, in 1938, Darley, a young British schoolmaster and poet, makes friends through Pursewarden, the British consular officer, with Justine, the beautiful and mysterious wife of a Coptic banker. He observes the affairs of her heart and incidentally discovers that she is involved in a plot against the British, meant to arm the Jewish underground in Palestine. The plot finally fails, Justine is sent to jail and Darley decides to return to England.

How are these scores produced? →