MovieChat Forums > On Golden Pond (1982) Discussion > Struck by infirmities of the memory

Struck by infirmities of the memory


"On Golden Pond" was a remarkable movie.Atleast that was what that seemed when it bagged well deserved Oscars for both Katherine Hepburn and the ailing Henry Fonda, an event telling of their great experience and dignified commands over their oldness--a true triumph of their exceptional talents and the ability to carve a niche,if there would be a need at all or in scenes of being sidelined for the pseudo comeuppance of,as in the fake cuts of ingenuine respect the distrustful melpomenes of their page 3 times say,,the fresh stock,for themselves.But today the movie isin't revered the way it deserves to be ,specifically, as a movie with two lead oscar winning performances--away off "As good as it gets"(1997),"One flew over the cuckoo's nest"(1975) and "The silence of the lambs"(1991).Even at that time ,Katherine Hepburn record fourth oscar win wasn't much part ,to the least, of any propaganda that normally is found to be surrounding the Oscars today.Henry Fonda's oscar ,though as the critics say,was far well deserved,the media called it a sympathy vote result and a tribute to his entire career and body of work.Through Katherine Hepburn's massive career,it is seen to be a movie she made in her 74th year,a movie she was given an Oscar to pacify her for not acknowledging her previous greatest performances(Trojan women,long day's.....,summertime,philadelphia story,alice adams,the african queen and again especially "Philadelphia Story" for she should have definitely won).It was more an Oscar for any other movie of hers than "on golden pond",though she was equally brilliant in it.She easily could have been a 6 time oscar winner had the academy realized what gold she was worth of.
People might have had forgotten this masterpiece but as of me,I am obsessed with Kate's fourth oscar, the year 1981,and "On Golden Pond",in true definitions of a desperate fan.

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I completely agree with you BUT: you seem to be very familiar with Hepburn's career, so please learn this: her name is not Katherine, it's KathArine!
But otherwise you have provided a very good comment, I agree she should have won for The Philadelphia Story.

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I agree with most of your post. Fonda's Oscar was well-deserved and long overdue and I think Hepburn's win was more a combination of sentiment and, as you say, a "Body of Work" Oscar. There were better performances that year by actresses (Susan Sarandon in ATLANTIC CITY and Diane Keaton in REDS in particular)but I felt the Academy felt that this would be their last opportunity to honor Hepburn and it turned out she only made a couple of more theatrical films after this one so it was their last opportunity.

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