Film Review
This likeable low key drama was to be the swansong for one of
Hollywood's best-loved actors, Henry Fonda. Aged 76 when he made
the film, the actor died the following year, and many would argue that
On Golden Pond is his finest
hour. Here, Fonda is partnered with another living legend,
Katherine Hepburn, the first time they worked together. Another
first is Fonda appearing along side his daughter, Jane. The
latter was keen to make a film with her father and bought the rights to
Ernest Thompson's stage play specifically for that purpose.
The fraught father-daughter relationship depicted in this film closely
mirrors the real-life rift between Henry and Jane Fonda.
With its minimal cast, constrained setting and unhurried pace,
On Golden Pond is not a
conventional Hollywood drama but rather a modest chamber piece, of the
kind that Ingmar Bergman specialised in. Whilst the film does
occasionally stray a little too far into Schmaltzville, it is a
poignant and well-observed piece of drama, well-acted, well-scripted
and beautifully photographed. The scenes that have the greatest
impact are those with Fonda and Hepburn alone - these capture the
trauma of growing old and facing death with a degree of honesty and
emotional realism that is hard to find in an American film of this
era. Less successful is the film's portrayal of
inter-generational conflict - this feels somewhat more contrived and
requires far more space than is given to it.
Although critical reaction to the film was very mixed,
On Golden Pond was a major
commercial success. Grossing over 100 million dollars, it was the
second most successful film of the year, surpassed only by the
cinematic Behemoth that was
Raiders
of the Lost Ark. The film was nominated for ten Oscars and
achieved wins in three categories: Best Actor (Henry Fonda, his first
and only Oscar), Best Actress (Katharine Hepburn) and Best Adapted
Screenplay.
On Golden Pond is a moving,
well-crafted minimalist drama, although its impact is diminished by
some needless injections of cold-blooded sentimentality, such as the insertion of
numerous shots which appear to have been lifted from a Disney-sponsored wildlife
documentary. Equally intrusive is the jarring eighties-style
music which not only dates the film but brings a touch of tacky
mawkishness which it could well do without. In spite of this,
thanks mainly to the sterling contributions of its lead performers,
On Golden Pond is still a beguiling
little film, one that tackles some painful subjects with an appealing
mixture of realism, humour and pathos.
© James Travers 2009
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Film Synopsis
Norman Thayer is a retired college professor who been happily married
to Ethel for almost five decades. As they have done for the past
48 years, the couple return to their summer cottage on Golden Pond,
this time to celebrate Norman's eightieth birthday. Ethel has
invited Norman's estranged daughter, Chelsea, and she turns up with her
new boyfriend, Bill, and his thirteen-year-old son, Billy. It is
an uncomfortable reunion. Norman is preoccupied with his advanced
age and the fact that he is not long for this world. Chelsea is
unable to forgive her father for the way he neglected her when she was
a child. Ethel's attempts to smooth troubled waters have
limited success, and whilst Chelsea and Bill fly off for a month-long
holiday in Europe, Billy is foisted on the elderly Thayers. At
first, Norman and Billy fail to hit it off, but when they go fishing
together on the lake, a bond is forged between them and they become
close, as though they were father and son. This is not what Chelsea had
wanted to see when she returns...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.