On Golden Pond – 1981
This was a sweet movie. It had some pretty big name actors, all of whom did a fantastic job creating likeable and realistic characters. It had a beautifully lush and gorgeous score and some pretty amazing cinematography. But on the flip side, it was very slow. It made no bones about taking its own sweet time. And the drama, while it was certainly present, was fairly shallow. All these things added up to produce a film that, while well made, was a little bland.
The two biggest names in the film were Katherine Hepburn and Henry Fonda. But not far behind them were Jane Fonda and Dabney Coleman. Joining them to round out the cast was a young 15 year old Doug McKeon. The movie revolved around the theme of getting old and dealing with the unfortunate side effects of old age like the loss of memory and health. But it also dealt with damaged relationships as well as sweet and loving ones.
Henry Fonda played Norman Thayer, a man who is turning 80 years old. He is crotchety and cantankerous, which is a cover for a sweet and loving husband and father. He seems to have a preoccupation with death which is growing ever closer. Hepburn plays his wife Ethel. She is nearly 10 years Norman’s junior and still has a zest for life. She is a devoted wife, but also a wonderful mother to their daughter Chelsea, played by Jane Fonda.
The movie starts out as the elderly couple are returning to their summer cottage in a remote New England community called Golden Pond. They are joined by Chelsea, her new boyfriend, Bill, played by Coleman, and his son, Billy Jr., played by McKeon. It quickly becomes clear that Chelsea doesn’t get along with, and maybe even hates her father, but we don’t learn why until later in the movie.
Chelsea and Bill leave on a month-long trip to Europe, asking Norman and Ethel to take care of the boy. They agree, and the main body of the movie follows the development of a strong bond between Norman and Billy Jr. And therein lies the crux of the bad relationship between Chelsea and her father. She thinks he has always been disappointed in her because she was born a girl and not a boy. In her mind, this is the main reason they never developed a strong bond. The fact that he is always crotchety with her doesn’t help either. As I watched, I kept thinking, “Get over it and notice that he treats everybody that way. Stop taking it personally.” And this is really supposed to be the movie’s big drama.
Anyway, the bond between Norman and Billy Jr. grows because they learn to share a certain pastime together: fishing. Fishing is an activity that requires a lot of time and patience. And while the film, thankfully, did not spend much time showing them sitting in the boat and staring at the water, it did give the movie a slow and patient feel. And this was intentional. It was supposed to reflect how a person really slows down in his or her old age. It is meant to show how the activities of the elderly are the peaceful ones that require time and patience.
And then, in the last 20 minutes or so of the film, three things happen. First, after Norman and the boy have become close friends, Chelsea returns and becomes jealous. Second, she has a little spat with her mother and makes an effort to reconcile with her father. And third, Norman has chest pains that make him collapse and Ethel becomes terrified of losing him.
Henry Fonda and Katherine Hepburn really out-did themselves and turned in some fantastic performances. They both won Oscars for Best Actor and Best Actress, and I think they were well-deserved, especially Fonda. He really created a wonderful character that was a perfect blend of a well-written script and a wonderful actor. In fact, it was the last film he was ever in, and many have said that it was one of the best roles of his career.
This movie seemed to be designed with the Academy Awards in mind. It seemed to have all the makings of a Best Picture winner. It had a bit of drama, a bit of romance, and a bit of light humor. It had some witty dialogue and some really great performances, and quite honestly, I’m surprised it didn’t take the top prize. I think it should have won, but instead, it lost to Chariots of Fire… another incredibly slow movie. I just hope this isn’t a trend.