A few things struck me while I was watching "On Golden Pond". The obvious thing was the co-starring of two generations of Fondas. I understand that Henry Fonda and Jane Fonda hadn't been on the best terms due to her political activism in the '60s, and so this movie was a sort of reconciliation for both of them.As for the plot, the movie comes across as a "nice movie" that you can take the kids to see. Katharine Hepburn's "knight in shining armor" quote pretty much sums up the movie's feeling. I'm not saying that it's a bad movie, just a little too fluffy. It's a surprise seeing Jane Fonda and Dabney Coleman play wife and husband, since they had just played enemies in "9 to 5".Basically, it's a watchable movie, but not any sort of masterpiece. Probably worth seeing once. So strange to think that Henry Fonda won an Academy Award for the role and died a few months later.

On Golden Pond is famous for many reasons, and if you haven't seen it yet, you're missing out on some of the most memorable moments of semi-modern, semi-classic film history.Katharine Hepburn and Henry Fonda play an old married couple who return to their lake cottage to celebrate Henry's 80th birthday. He's a crotchety old man who's grumpy all the time and doesn't like getting older. Katharine supplies the warmth in the family, including their relationship with their daughter, Jane Fonda. Jane and Henry don't get along, mirroring their real-life relationship, and when she comes to the lake house to mend their old wounds, it's an uphill battle.Dabney Coleman costars as Jane's fiancé, and Doug McKeon plays Dabney's teenage son who bonds with Henry. Both Katharine and Henry received Oscars for their performance, as did Ernest Thompson for his adapted screenplay. It's hard to choose one famous moment from the film, since there are so many: Katharine's "go go go" speech, Jane's backflip, Henry and Jane's hug, Jane's tearful "I want to be your friend" line, and Henry's pronunciation of his wife's name. It's definitely worth watching, especially if you're a fan of anyone in the cast, or if you have issues with your father.

Who would think that the story of an elderly couple spending what is possibly their last summer together on their New England lake-front cottage and resolving old issues could end up being the surprise hit of the 1981 Christmas movie season? When those two elderly people are the legendary Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn, the curiosity is definitely a factor in attracting audiences, but quick great reviews and excellent word of mouth made this pack audiences in. Even the young film audiences in a year filled with "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "Clash of the Titans" and "Arthur" flocked to see this, and now they are passing their discovery onto their own children.Norman Thayer is the epitome of the grouchy octogenarian who has been estranged from his daughter Chelsea (Jane Fonda) for many years. She has remained close to her mother Ethel ("Thounds like I'm listhsping", Norman says in a more lighthearted moment as he reveals that her impending married name almost kept him from meeting her down the church aisle) but the rebellious teenaged years and not so understanding, strict father kept her from establishing a close bond with him as an adult. Now she's engaged to dentist Bill Ray (Dabney Coleman in a role a far cry from his lecherous boss in "Nine to Five", also with Jane) and soon to be stepmother to his son Billy Ray (Doug McKeon) whom she wants Norman and Ethel to take care of while she goes on a trip to Europe with Coleman. Much to Ethel's delight, Norman and Billy begin to bond, and when Chelsea returns, she finds herself envious over the new friendship which she has pined for but never pursued.Many of us can identify with the cold relationship between Norman and Chelsea, as well as Norman's bonding with the young boy who doesn't seem to fear him as Chelsea obviously did. The entire cast gives bravo performances, but it is the Oscar Winning Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn (her fourth!) who dominate here. At times, you do want to slap Jane like Cher did to Nicolas Cage in "Moonstruck" and yell, "Snap out of it!", but as she discloses, even a successful businesswoman can find her old insecurities rising when confronted with a past she hasn't been able to get over. Katharine is wise and understanding, but even she isn't above disciplining her embittered daughter. "That son of a bitch is my husband!", she reminds Jane. To see father and daughter working together after so much history of differences in their own lives and really bonding is touching, as it is to see Henry and Kate together in their first and only film. Then, there's seeing the rebel of the 1930's (Kate) with the rebel of the 70's (Jane), and there is magic in this mother/daughter pairing.McKeon strikes a cord here, too, working well with the older actors, especially Henry. The direction by Mark Rydell is superb, and the lake setting is gorgeous. I can tell you from experience that having spent several summers on New England set lakes in cottages exactly like this, the movie's reality level increased for me because of how similar it looked. Dave Grusin's music is also gorgeous, whether profound and sad as the opening credits play, to triumphant as McKeon takes the Thayers boat out on his own, to bittersweet as the closing credits roll after Ethel and Norman have bid farewell to their summer home which we all hope will not be their last there together. This has been successfully remade for T.V. and revived on Broadway, but there will never be another version like this, and it will enter your heart for eternity just as Kate says lovingly to Norman, "You are my knight in shining armor." Keep the handkerchief handy, even if this is a repeat viewing.

There is little dispute about the greatness of this movie, so I wanted to comment on the DVD extras from the 2003 "special edition" which, as far as I know, is the most recent release.You'll find audio commentaries by the director and the writer, both thorough and enjoyable, although the director is a little too proud of his work.There is a short doc on Katherine Hepburn, made for this edition and not long after she passed away, which contains a lot of great images and appreciation of her, but it's nothing too special.What is special is the short doc "Reflections on Golden Pond", which features the cinematographer and much of the crew, and really delves into the beautiful natural lighting of the picture. Better yet, the crew talks in specific detail about how they achieved certain effects for this entirely on-location film, long before digital made the beauty of movies so damn fake. You may look at 'Golden Pond' and think it's rather sweet and simple, but they when you watch this doc you realize just how much thought and work went into making it look so right. I teach film studies, so I'm always recommending material like this for students to learn more about the filmmaking process. It's so nice to watch a classic film and enjoy it on its own, and then learn more about how it was made.