Customer Reviews

On Golden Pond

5 star:		(95)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This review refers to the VHS edition .....
Old age and all the problems that go with it, have turned Norman Thayer(Henry Fonda)into a curmudgeon.He is forgetful and thoughts of dieing are foremost in his mind. It doesn't seem to bother his wife Ethel much though(Katherine Hepburn).Always in high spirits and happy to be alive. Her biggest woe is worrying about him. The Thayers are spending their 48th year at their summer home On Golden Pond. It will be Norman's 80th birthday, and joining in the celebration will be their daughter Chelsea(Jane Fonda), who Norman has never been able to connect with emotionally.
Chelsea brings with her to the lake her fiance(Dabney Coleman) and his 13 year old son Billy(Doug McKeon)who has some emotional problems of his own. Billy is left to spend the summer with the older couple, which was not what the 13 year old had in mind for a fun vacation.Norman and Billy form an unusal bond over the summer as Ethel watches her husband's renewed zest for life.
The film is one of those that the expression "I laughed. I cried" really is true. The story is an emotional rollercoaster, that you'll want to watch over and over.Henry Fonda and Katherine Hepburn shine and both recieved best Acting awards in 1981 for their on screen magic. All I could see in the scenes with Henry and Jane together was love. Even when their characters were at odds they too loved each other, and managed to work through it.An incredible acting job by the young Doug McKeon, and Coleman excellent as he goes toe to toe with Henry Fonda.
The music and the scenery are as beautiful as the movie. The pond with the sun shining, the woodsy areas, the loons ever present, were a joy to watch. Directed by Mark Rydell, who seemed to find the beauty of life. Fonda's last film, he left us with one that we can treasure for years to come.
Kick back and enjoy.........Laurie

I've seen On Golden Pond at least thirty times since its release and never get tired of it. Henry Fonda is brilliant as the crabby Norman Thayer and he shines in his last screen performance. His interplay with Katharine Hepburn reminds one of the rare chemistry she enjoyed with Spencer Tracy in all the magical movies they made together. Everything Fonda says in this movie is real and believable, you'll never catch him overacting or playing one false note. It would be difficult to imagine anyone else in this role.

Fonda's scenes with daughter Jane are particularly moving considering their strained real life relationship. Their last embrace at the conclusion of the film will tug at your heart strings. It's a poignant and wistful look at growing old and facing death, two unpleasant but unavoidable subjects. Fonda and Hepburn are literally perfect in this film, which is also enhanced by a beautiful, haunting soundtrack. This is a film you can watch again and again and never weary of it.

On Golden Pond was Henry Fonda's last film, Katherine Hepburn's final starring film role and the only film with Henry and Jane Fonda. Just for this it's a must have DVD. Add to this Ernest Thompson's brilliant adaptation of his Broadway smash.

Norman and Ethel Thayer (Hank and Kate) are at the end of their lives (Great line: Ethel: "I met this nice middle age couple just like us." Norman: "Ethel we're not middle aged. Middle aged refers to the middle third of your life. You're old, I'm ancient."). They are spending their summer at their cabin. When their daughter Chelsea (Jane Fonda) arrives for a visit with her new boyfriend (Dabney Coleman), she springs a surprise on them. She wants Norman and Ethel to take care of Bill, jr. while she and Bill, sr. go to Europe.

At first, things don't go well but Norman bonds with Billy and Billy gives Norman a new focus on life. When Chelsea returns, it's time for her and Norman to mend fences.

This is a fine film that examines relationships at the end of life and mending the broken fences. Many say that Fonda won the Oscar for "Lifetime Achievement" but this is a brilliant performance. Hepburn was a perfect match for Fonda and after six decades, she proved why she is considered the greatest actress of all time. You can tell that this was a film of love for Jane as she absorbs every line and every scene.

This is one of the great films of the 80's.

DVD EXTRAS:
Reflections on Golden Pond - A 30 minute feature on the making of the film and principally on cinematographer Billy Williams. A very good documentary.

Katherine Hepburn Remembered - A 16 minute tribute to the great actress made shortly after her death for this DVD release.

Commentary Tract by Oscar winner Ernest Thompson

Archival Commentary Tract by Director Mark Rydell

ON GOLDEN POND may be twenty-five years old but the film is of such high quality that it has retained the luminous quality that garnered so many awards when released. It not only has a fine script adapted by the playwright Ernest Thompson from his own play, but it benefits from the sensitive direction by Mark Rydell and a cast of superb actors.

The story is rather simple: Ethel (Katherine Hepburn) and Norman (Henry Fonda) Thayer have returned to their summer home beside Golden Pond and while they are elderly, their lives are still significant. They receive a rare visit from their distant daughter Chelsea (Jane Fonda) who stops by with her current boyfriend Bill (Dabney Coleman) to drop off Bill's ruffian teenage son Billy (Doug McKeon) to reluctantly stay with them while Chelsea and Bill are off to Europe. It is a battle of age differences: Billy sees no future in starting a relationship with the old turkeys and Norman is resentful at the youth's attitude (Ethel is the wise mediator). Slowly but surely the three bond, age differences diminish as negatives and Billy sees Norman as a wise teacher he has never had. Chelsea returns at summer's end with her now husband Bill and faces confrontation with Norman for never being the father she needed: Chelsea knows Norman has spent his life rejecting her because she was not the 'son' he wanted! Finally the family reconciles past differences and Ethel and Thayer face their aging and its effects as they listen to the loons on the lake.

Hepburn, both Fondas, Coleman and McKeon give outstanding performances, but it is the knowledge that this was H. Fonda's last film and for all intents and purposes Hepburn's last film AND the only time the Fonda father/daughter team acted together on the screen that makes the film even more meaningful. The awards were many and well deserved, not only for the picture, but also for the actors and the production crew. It is a shining example of Hollywood films rising to the standards of Indy movies that makes it such a treat. Grady Harp, August 06

Makes you stop and think of getting old and being alone, This movie will make you smile and make you sad but it tells the truth of getting old, and being middle age now makes you wonder but everyone needs a chil like those two did to keep them alive and going I will be buying this tape It is a must for ones collection

I remember with fondness having been booked into a seat next to one of Jane Fonda's production assistants flying back to Boston from Los Angeles early in the 1980s. This was how I learned of the film shooting going on that summer up in rural New Hampshire at Great Squam Lake (the actual setting for the mythical Golden Pond). I really enjoyed having an animated conversation with the young lady, who was obviously very bright and very knowledgeable about various aspects of the movie production, and made sure I was in line to see the new film when it within the following year. Evidently it was rushed through both production and release due to Henry Fonda's failing health and the desire to try to set him up for would certainly be his final attempt to receive the Academy Award that had so long eluded him. After seeing the movie, there was doubt he deserved the award he eventually received for this role of a lifetime.

It was indeed a bravura performance, one that is as quintessentially American as apple pie or the fourth of July, and one that will long endure as both a popular and critical favorite. Fonda played Norman Thayer, last of the great American curmudgeons, to perfection, and did so with such convincing energy and verve as to remove any and all doubt he knew from personal experience of what he spoke. Moreover, Everything about the production is first rate, from the splendid adaptation of the Broadway play to a screenplay to the wonderfully bucolic and even idyllic setting of one of New Hampshire's more scenic and pristine lake areas. The cast is also superb, and I was quite surprised that Katharine Hepburn did not receive an Oscar for her stellar performance as Ethel Thayer, the long suffering but devoted wife to Norman.

Also quite good is young Doug McKeon, playing the young and challenging son of the Thayer's wayward daughter's boyfriend, dumped on the elderly Thayers for the summer so the boyfriend and daughter can escape to France for a much-needed romantic escape. It is the developing relationship between Fonda's character and the young boy that ignites Thayer's compassion and warmth to show the warm and vibrant man lurking underneath that crusty exterior. In this sense, the son becomes the catalyst for Thayer's reconciliation with his daughter, which has been Ethel's most fervent hope for the summer. The movie is, for me at least, sheer magic, and I marvel at the banter and repartee written so intelligently into the script, for such wit and warmth is quite rare in today's films, which so often seem to be constructed around demographic appeal surveys rather than meaningful story lines. This one is a keeper, folks, and one you will want to see again and again. Needless to say, I highly recommend it. Enjoy!

Our family viewed the original VHS version and purchased same. The film is without a doubt awe inspiring. I was 56 years of age at the time, and Henry Fonda has the look of my father at that age. I received the Special Edition DVD as a Christmas gift. I shall treasure it to the end of my days. The SE edition is far superior in sound and photography to the VHS print. Dave Grusin couldn't have done a better job with the musical score. I didn't know of the existance of Dave Grusin until my children made me aware of his talent.
The casting is brilliant. Even Jane, despite her detractors.
This play/movie is unique. If you can't relate to some part of "On Golden Pond," you are intellectually or emotionally bankrupt.
If this movie is part of your collection, the DVD SE edition is a must.
Some of the lines have become part of our family lexicon. i.e. "It's me you old poop." "You made a hell of a mess."

This a great classic movie. Unfortunately in the world of HD and DVDs, it's too bad that is has not yet been digitally remastered. You could tell it was an aged piece but it's still a GREAT movie demonstrates a heartfelt, realistic view on aging gracefully and romantically. The scenery(New Hampshire)is be beautiful too....

My parents are in their 80's and asked for a copy of this. They're both facing life threatening illnesses, and they loved seeing a movie about people who had been together as long as they had. It's a wonderful portrayal of love and the ravages of age.

This is one fantastic movie. Henry Fonda provided his best in his final movie. The story centers around Norman Thayer's estranged daughter (Played by real life daughter Jane Fonda) who visits her parents at their summer home on Golden Pond. She brings along her Fiance' and his son. The daughter and the boys father leave for Europe, leaving the boy with the older couple. The freinship that developes between the boy and Norman Thayer is teriffic. In an age where movies treat elderly people with contempt, it is good to see that older people can be treated with dignity and respect. Older people tell some fantastic stories (some of them are even true). The friendship developes over Norman and the boy's attempt to catch the fiendish catfish known as Walter. When there is an accident Norman is thrown from the boat. He then clings to a rock calling for his daughter. This especially sd because if you see this movie their relationship is not exactly close. Of course, the boy and Norman are rescued. The daughter and the boys father return from Europe married. At the very end of the movie norman and his daughter begin to patch up their relationship.

This movie is a possitive exzmple of frienship and trust. The boy was rejected by his mother and has to live with his father (Who does love the boy). But because of his mother's rejection he has a lot of anger and resentment. It takes him a while to trust Norman. The entire cast gave a stellar performance. Even the loons deserve an Oscar!