Fonda on Fonda (1992)
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
Nicely produced and touching documentary has Jane Fonda hosting this look at the work of her father. Not only do we get interviews with his friends but we also get to see clips from his movies as well as rare footage taken on the sets of several films including color footage of MY DARLING CLEMENTINE and FORT APACHE. We see clips from countless other movies including FAIL-SAFE, MISTER ROBERTS, YOUNG MR. LINCOLN and of course 12 ANGRY MEN, which was apparently Fonda's favorite film. Those interviewed include Peter Fonda, James Stewart, Sidney Lumet, Katharine Hepburn and Fonda's final wife Shirlee. What I enjoyed most about this documentary is that it's a loving tribute and you can see his two children get choked up a few times and the ending is quite effective as Jane recalls her father finally winning his Oscar for ON GOLDEN POND only to die shortly after. Jane shares her memories of working on that film and Peter recalls a letter his father wrote him after working on the film WANDA NEVADA. Good old Stewart has a couple very good stories as does Hepburn in her brief time here. I'm sure most Fonda fans have heard the stories told here but they never get old as it's always interesting hearing about a man who was beloved by millions and yet had his own demons that he fought with. The film runs just under 50-minutes so it's certainly not going to replace something that covers everything but I think the overall heart of the film makes it well worth viewing.
