On Golden Pond - Starring Henry Fonda & Katharine Hepburn - (OneToWatch)

On Golden Pond is a 1981 drama film directed by Mark Rydell from a screenplay written by Ernest Thompson, adapted from his 1979 play.

It stars Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda, Doug McKeon, Dabney Coleman and William Lanteau.

In his final film role, Henry Fonda portrays Norman, a crusty, retired professor grappling with many effects of aging.

He has been married for many years to upbeat, feisty Ethel (Katharine Hepburn) but has a remote, difficult relationship with their daughter, Chelsea (Jane Fonda). At their summer home on Golden Pond,

Norman and Ethel agree to care for Billy, the son of Chelsea's new boyfriend, and an unexpected relationship blooms.

SYNOPSIS
An aging couple, Ethel and Norman Thayer, continue a tradition of spending each summer at their cottage on a lake called Golden Pond, in the far reaches of northern New England. When they first arrive, Ethel notices the loons calling on the lake "welcoming them home"; Norman, however, claims he does not hear anything.

As they resettle into their summer home, Norman, who is about to turn 80, shows signs of dementia when he is unable to recognize several family photographs. He copes with his memory problems by frequently talking about death and growing old. Ethel does her best to liven up the atmosphere – they play Parcheesi, admire the natural scenery, and talk to the mailman, Charlie, who visits via boat.

They are visited by their only child, daughter Chelsea, who is somewhat estranged from her father. She introduces her parents to her fiancé Bill and his 13-year-old son, Billy. Norman tries to play mind games with Bill, an apparent pastime of his. Bill tells him he knows what Norman is doing and he does not really mind, but that he will take only so much of it.

In another conversation, Chelsea discusses with Ethel her frustration over her relationship with her father, feeling that although she lives thousands of miles away in Los Angeles, she still feels like she is answering to him.

Before they depart for a European vacation, Chelsea and Bill ask the Thayers to allow Billy to stay with them for a month while they have some time to themselves. Although Norman is acting cynically as his 80th birthday approaches, showing signs of dementia and having heart palpitations, he allows Billy to stay.