On Golden Pond

UPC: 012236147817

Studio: Live/Artisan

MPAA Rating: PG   Contains:[Questionable for Children, Adult Language, Profanity]

Summary: There's little that happens in On Golden Pond that isn't thoroughly predictable from the start, but the film is blessed with so much star power, charm and honest sentiment that everyone in the audience is willing to ignore the cliches and go the distance. In his last film, Henry Fonda plays Norman Thayer, a cranky 80-year-old retired professor, making his annual pilgrimage with his wife Katharine Hepburn (in her only teaming with Henry Fonda) to their New England summer cottage. Their solitude is interrupted when the couple's daughter Chelsea (Jane Fonda) arrives with her fiance Bill (Dabney Coleman) and his son Doug McKeon in tow. It takes a while, but Jane Fonda and Coleman, about to go on a vacation of their own, persuade Henry Fonda and Hepburn to take care of McKeon. Henry Fonda and the kid dislike each other from Square One, and it looks as though this summer (which may very well be Henry Fonda's last) will be a depressing experience. Gradually, Henry Fonda and McKeon grow to love one another; their bond is strengthened during a near-fatal accident while fishing. It is through the warm relationship between Henry Fonda and the boy that the old man and his daughter Jane Fonda are at last able to display affection towards each other--the first time they've done so in years. Gorgeously photographed by Billy Williams, On Golden Pond is a wonderful valedictory for Henry Fonda, who died not long after the film's completion; Katharine Hepburn has less to do, but few can do so much with so little. Academy Awards were bestowed upon Henry Fonda, Hepburn, and screenwriter Ernest Thompson (who adapted the film from his stage play). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Category: Drama

Awards: Best Actress – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Director – Directors Guild of America Best Picture - Drama – null Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama – null Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama – null Best Supporting Actress – null Best Director – null Best Screenplay – null Best Actor – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Actress – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Adapted Screenplay – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Cinematography – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Director – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Editing – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Score – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Supporting Actress – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture – National Board of Review Best Actor – National Board of Review Best Screenplay – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Moti – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Picture - Drama – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Director – Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Features: ccNewly remastered 16:9 widescreen version
5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Audio
Documentary, "Reflections on Golden Pond" - a tribute to the work of cinematographer Billy Williams
Commentary track with writer Ernest Thompson, writer of the Broadway play
Katharine Hepburn tribute documentary

On Golden Pond

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 12/16/2003

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Theatre Wide-Screen

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DDS2.0 Dolby Digital w/ 4 channels

Runtime: 105 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Subtitles: English

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 --
1. Main Title [3:26]
2. Return to Golden Pond [7:16]
3. Two Loons on the Water [2:27]
4. Not Funny Being Old [1:53]
5. A Career in Strawberries [4:28]
6. A Letter From Chelsea [4:53]
7. His Dame in Shining Armor [3:01]
8. Chelsea's Home [5:34]
9. Embarrassing the Guests [10:48]
10. "We Cruise Chicks" [3:19]
11. Happy Birthday, Norman [3:46]
12. Two Lucky Men [3:46]
13. Just a Little Fat Girl [2:55]
14. Dumped for the Summer [3:33]
15. Looking for Walter [7:27]
16. An Old Lion [1:26]
17. Purgatory Cove [6:07]
18. "Are You Afraid to Die?" [2:22]
19. Reverse, Full Throttle! [3:54]
20. A Trade-In Son [4:50]
21. Fish and Dive Stories [5:05]
22. Fond Farewells [6:50]
23. "You Planning to Die?" [1:26]
24. Just the Two/End Credits [5:13]

Dan Jardine

As America staggered out of its post-Vietnam Carter-era late-'70's numbness, films became one of the means to healing the country's psychic wounds. Consequently, 1981's On Golden Pond became one of a string of films anchored by the generational theme of parent-child rapprochement. One of the things that set this film apart from its contemporaries was the first-time pairing of real life father and daughter Henry and Jane Fonda. In order to evoke the requisite nostalgic tone, director Mary Rydell's film is seeped in sepia-golden hues courtesy of veteran cinematographer Billy Williams III. The film's conflict resolution process is too pat and the direction too self-congratulatory to allow it status as a classic, but there is genuine pathos plus some remarkable work done by Katharine Hepburn and Best Actor Oscar winner Henry Fonda. The elder thespians raise their roles from what could have been clich?s (the doting wife, the dottering coot) into the realm of archetypes. The supporting characters fare less well, as the script sometimes short circuits their development in order to get to the next big emotional moment. Despite these complaints, On Golden Pond succeeds because of its appealingly humane plea for generational healing and the wonderful work of Hepburn and Henry Fonda. ~ Dan Jardine, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Terry Carr  Producer 
Bruce Gilbert  Producer 
Dave Grusin  Composer (Music Score) 
Mark Rydell  Director 
Martin Starger  Producer 
Ernest Thompson  Screenwriter 
Katharine Hepburn  Actor 
Henry Fonda  Actor 
Jane Fonda  Actor 
Doug McKeon  Actor 
Dabney Coleman  Actor 
William Lanteau  Actor 
Chris Rydell  Actor 

Country: USA