O Dear Rocky - On Golden Pond

Dear Rocky,

In 1981 I was nine years old and my friend's Nana took us to the drive-in to see On Golden Pond.  Not quite sure how age appropriate that was but I remember being mesmerised.  It was the moment I first fell in love with Katharine Hepburn and I have been obsessed with her ever since.

The relationship I'd like to discuss is the one between Ethel (Hepburn) and Norman (Henry Fonda).  Of course one of the most interesting relationships was the one between Norman and his daughter played by Jane Fonda - both onscreen and offscreen, but you know I like to choose something a little different, and I'm admiring loving couples at the moment.

I have wondered endlessly (and conducted mental surveys with anyone who would participate) about the ageing process and whether acceptance of death comes to everyone as a part of that process.  I'd like to think that if I am lucky enough to live to a ripe old age that by the time the end of my life arrives, that I will be ready and at peace with that process too.

The loving and lasting bond between Ethel and Norman reminds me that in love, we not only have or own mortality to fear, but also that of our loved one/s.  And in this case, Henry is failing before Ethel's eyes.  That heart-wrenching scene  where it seems Norman has had a heart attack shows Ethel's unwillingness to let Norman go out of her life, or is it unpreparedness?  Is that a lack of acceptance, or is that anticipatory grief?

I don't know but I could spend hours pondering love and heartbreak and the measure of a life based on the pain felt with the loss of a loved one.

I know I am extreme, but I give this film a 10/10.  It hasn't lost an ounce of impact for me over the years.

How about you Rocky? 

Jodie

Read Rocky's review here.