This is my entry into CaptainD's "The Good Movies Write-off" found here: http://www.epinions.com/content_5110997124. And yes, "CaptainD is the greatest", and he didn't have to pay me to say that. :-)


When I think of a movie that has touched me, one that has made me think and feel, I always come back to the same film, On Golden Pond, directed by Mark Rydell, and written by Ernest Thompson. I should love this movie because it’s a good lesson on life and love; but if I’m truthful with myself, it’s also because this movie will always hold a special place in my heart. It happens to be the very first movie that my future husband and I saw together when we were still in high school on our very first “real” date.

Golden Pond is truly a lovely and peaceful place, a pond that shimmers in a golden light where loons sing in the distance. It’s obvious that this seasonal cottage that is nestled by the lake has been a place where the family has come every summer for years to vacation and be together.

Norman Thayer (Henry Fonda) is about to turn 80 years old and he and his wife, Ethel, (Katharine Hepburn) are visited by their adult daughter, Chelsea, (Jane Fonda) and her boyfriend, Billy Ray (Dabney Coleman), and his teenaged son, Billy (Doug McKeon) to Golden Pond to celebrate this “happy” occasion. However, their hidden agenda is to leave the son with the grandparents as Chelsea and her boyfriend take off for a few weeks to Europe. It’s noticeable that no one is happy with this arrangement.

Norman is grouchy, bad-tempered, and he loves to zing people with his own brand of insults, mainly because he is so afraid of growing old and I’m sure it’s his way of keeping people at arm’s length. He also has a forgetfulness about him that is alarming, and potentially dangerous, at times. Ethel has learned over the years that Norman can’t fool her – she sees right through his grumpy nature and, with a kind of softer ‘tough love’, she zings him with her own kind of justice: “Oh, Norman! You old poop!” It’s obvious, when you look under the surface, that this long-time married couple still adore each other – in their own special ways.

The relationship between Norman and Chelsea is edgy; to me, it was difficult and sad to watch. It was palpable how much friction and distance was between them in their roles, but what made it more realistic was learning that the real relationship between Henry and Jane Fonda, real-life father and daughter, was also very strained in real life at that time. This is what makes the movie take on a life of its own, in my mind.

The teenager, Billy, has a huge chip on his shoulder. He doesn’t want to be there and he’s very disrespectful of the older generation. Norman doesn’t understand the bratty kid, and the bratty kid doesn’t understand the old man. It’s a stubbornness on both of their parts that has the viewer frustrated, but at the same time, you can just feel some cracks in the armors occurring. Quite a few events happen to break the ice between the characters, one of them being a fishing trip to catch “Walter”, a legend fish of Golden Pond. This entire scene makes me smile and yet something happens that will make you sit up and take notice. This is a big turning point between the teenager and the old man.

Katharine Hepburn as Ethel is beautifully cast. She brings strength and a vulnerability to Ethel’s character that is so well done. Truly, I can’t see any other actress who could have pulled this character off and been more realistic. She brings warmth, humor, strength and plenty of tears and I think that she played this part brilliantly. There is a scene between Ethel and Norman on the cottage porch that is breathtaking, and beautifully sad. You can truly feel that these two have been together for a lifetime and it’s at this point that the obvious love and adoration they have for each other comes out, with the fear of loss haunting them like a shadow. Ethel says to Norman, “You're my knight in shining armor and your gonna get back up on that horse and go, go, go..." This poignant moment is burned into my mind and it’s one where you hope that as you get older with the one you love, that you’ll have this kind of commitment and deep-seated love.

Final Thoughts…
This beautifully filmed movie, On Golden Pond, is one that will make you think and feel. It’s one that will have you laughing one minute and crying the next, and it will help you to realize how closely you have to guard your loved ones because one day, we’ll all have to admit that we’re getting older and we need to cherish our time together.

If you haven’t yet seen this film, please do so. Have your Kleenexes at hand and be prepared to laugh as much as you cry.

It’s definitely one of my favorite movies of all time. A masterpiece, indeed.

Favorite line:
Norman to Ethel: “Hello there. Do you want to dance, or do you wanna just suck face?"


Runtime: 109 minutes
Directed by Mark Rydell
Written by Ernest Thompson


Thank you for reading!


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good Date Movie
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older