Henry Fonda

The Lady Eve (1941)

C'era una volta il West (1968)

 

 

A mysterious stranger with a harmonica joins forces with a notorious desperado to protect a beautiful widow from a ruthless assassin working for the railroad.

 

A masterpiece Western that elevates the genre onto a level of pure myth; it is immaculately composed like an opera with leitmotifs for each main protagonist, beautifully photographed in John Ford territory and full of memorable scenes, both humorous and vicious - and Henry Fonda's first appearance in the movie is a genuine shock.

Halliwell***: "Immensely long and convoluted epic Western marking its director's collaboration with an American studio and his desire to make serious statements about something or other. Beautifully made and very violent."

 

Maltin***1/2: "Sergio Leone's follow-up to his "Dollars" trilogy is languid, operatic masterpiece...Fonda (brilliantly cast as one of the coldest villains in screen history). Exciting, funny, and reverent, with now-classic score by Ennio Morricone; not to be missed."

 

On Golden Pond (1981)

Norman is a curmudgeon with an estranged relationship with his daughter Chelsea. At Golden Pond, he and his wife nevertheless agree to care for Billy, the son of Chelsea's new boyfriend, and a most unexpected relationship blooms.

From memory: Old-fashioned, conservative and at times humorous family drama convinces by the sheer strength of the three stars' performances.

Halliwel***: "A film remarkable not so much for what it is - a well-acted, decent screen presentation of a rather waffling and sentimental play - as for the fact that in the sophisticated eighties enough people paid to see it to make it a box-office record-breaker. This was mainly due to affection for its star, whose last film it was, but also to an American desire for a reversion to the old values of warmth and humanity after the sex and violence which the screen had lately been offering."

Maltin***: "Fonda, in his last feature, is no less than brilliant...Hepburn...Sometimes simplistic comedy-drama...gets a heavy dose of Star Quality."

The Wrong Man (1956)

Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)

A fictionalized account of the early life of the American president as a young lawyer facing his greatest court case.

Basically a courtroom mystery this movie has more to offer with its beautiful and poetic cinematography and a splendid cast, and Henry Fonda's portayal of Abraham Lincoln is meticulous.

Halliwell***: "Splendid performances and period atmosphere are rather nipped  in the bud by second-feature courtroom twists, but this is a marvellous old-fashioned entertainment with its heart in the right place."

Maltin***1/2: "Not so much a historical document as a slice of Americana, filtered throuth the sensibilities of director Ford and screenwriter Lamar Trotti. The early episodic portion of the film, covering Abe Lincoln's formative years, includes some of Ford's most lyrical moments, luminously photographed by Bert Glennon."

Jezebel (1938)

A haughty headstrong Southern Belle in Antebellum Louisiana loses her fiance due to her stubborn vanity and pride and vows to get him back.

Henry Fonda

The Wrong Man (1956)