On Golden Pond Movie Review 1981

Henry Fonda won his first--and long overdue--Oscar for his role as the curmudgeonly patriarch of the Thayer family. He and his wife have grudgingly agreed to look after a young boy while at their summer home in Maine. Through his gradually affectionate relationship with the boy, Fonda learns to allay his fears of mortality. He also gains an understanding of his semi-estranged daughter. Jane Fonda plays his daughter and Hepburn is his loving wife in this often funny adaptation of Ernest Thompson's 1978 play. Predictable but deeply moving. Henry Fonda's final screen appearance.

Distribution

CBS/Fox Video, 1330 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019, Phone: (212)373-4800, Toll-free: 800-800-4369, Fax: (212)373-4803, Remarks: Does not handle retail queries from consumers; contact your local video distributor.

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 109 minutes.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Birthdays, Family Reunions, Growing Older, Parenthood, Adapted from a Play, Marriage, Go Fish, Top Grossing Films of 1981, Family Reunions

Screenplay

Ernest Thompson

Cast

Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda, Katharine Hepburn, Dabney Coleman, Doug McKeon, William Lanteau

Cinematography

Billy Williams

Director

Mark Rydell

Music

Dave Grusin

Producer

ITC Entertainment Group, IPC Films

Awards

Oscars 1981: Actor (Fonda), Actress (Hepburn), Adapt. Screenplay; British Acad. 1982: Actress (Hepburn); Golden Globes 1982: Actor--Drama (Fonda), Film--Drama, Screenplay; Natl. Bd. of Review 1981: Actor (Fonda); Writers Guild 1981: Adapt. Screenplay.