On Golden Pond

Director Mark Rydell's Academy Award–winning 1981 film, based on Ernest Thompson's play, marked the final appearance for Henry Fonda, who died soon after filming was completed. Fonda stars as retired college professor Norman Thayer—now facing his 80th birthday and the deterioration that comes with age—and he is joined by fellow legend Katharine Hepburn as his wife, Ethel. The story is simple and sentimental: while their daughter, Chelsea (Jane Fonda), is vacationing in Europe, the elderly married couple find themselves saddled with Billy Ray (Doug McKeon), son of Chelsea's fiancé, and crotchety Norman slowly bonds with the resentful teen, creating an opening for the old man to repair his estranged relationship with Chelsea. Jane Fonda optioned the rights to the play with the aim of working with her real-life father (it's the only film in which they both appear). The senior Fonda delivers one of his finest performances, heartbreakingly exemplified in an early scene in which Norman gets lost walking through a forest that has been a second home for decades. Gorgeously photographed, On Golden Pond hits all the expected emotional beats, with Fonda and Hepburn superb in the lead roles (they both won Oscars, as did playwright Thompson for his screenplay). Bowing on Blu-ray, extras include audio commentary by Rydell and archival featurettes. Highly recommended. (S. Axmaker)