Julia Child and Simone Beck would collaborate on a second volume of "Mastering" in 1970; by that time Louisette Bertholle had remarried and was working on her own cookbooks. There was some discussion of a third volume of "Mastering" but Child and Beck would part ways professionally; Beck insisted on sticking to traditional techniques and equipment, and Child was enthusiastically embracing new techniques and finding ways of applying modern equipment to traditional recipes. While Child became an American TV personality, Beck continued to teach in France and published some of her own cookbooks. They were never to collaborate again but did remain friends for the rest of their lives.
Louisette Bertholle is depicted here as a lazy shirker who doesn't carry her weight on the cookbook project. After the film was released, people who knew her came forward to declare that she was dedicated to the project and tested a huge number of recipes in her home. Eventually, she did have to scale back her participation in the project, but for personal reasons, as she was dealing with a bankruptcy (resulting from a failed investment) and a painful and ugly divorce. She eventually remarried happily and became a successful cookbook author on her own.
In the last scene of the movie when Julia receives the published book in the mail, it is supposed to be her first book, but the book that she unwraps is the second volume.
When Julia Child and Simca enter Louisette's apartment to meet Irma Rombauer, there is a bowl of strawberries on a side table. In the next shot, Louisette is shown carrying the bowl of strawberries in from the other room.
Julie & Julia is actually based on two books. One is My Life In France (2006), a memoir by Julia Child [1912-2004], the American chef famed for her French cooking. The other is based on American author Julie Powell's 2005 book, Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen. Powell's book documents her attempts to cook each of the 524 recipes in Child's two-volume Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1961, 1970).
Q
What is the song featured in the trailer?
A
The song is called, "It's Amazing" by Jem. The other song is called "Merry Happy" by Kate Nash.
Q
A Note Regarding Spoilers
A
The following FAQ entries may contain spoilers. Only the biggest ones (if any) will be covered with spoiler tags. Spoiler tags have been used sparingly in order to make the page more readable.