JANE FONDA IN FIVE ACTS
US, 2018, 133 minutes, Colour.
Directed by Susan Lacey.
This is a very interesting portrait of a significant American of the 20th century. The five acts in the title focus on Jane Fonda’s father, actor Henry Fonda, and her three husbands, Roger Vadim, Tom Hayden, Ted Turner, and then a final act with the take title, Jane.
The basis of the film is interviews with Jane Fonda, mostly simply in a room with the interviewer, but also visiting scenes from her past, the boarding school where she was happy, her mother’s grave… And, there are many clips from her films, situating them in her life context, as well as many clips from home movies, television news…
The audience will not have a favourable impression of Henry Fonda as a father from this film, his treatment of his wives, his distance from his children, the suicide of his wife, Jane and Peter Fonda’s mother. In his films, he was the embodiment of the American everyman. However, there are moments of reconciliation when the father and daughter appeared in On Golden Pond, some of the aspects resembling real life.
The film gives Jane Fonda the opportunity to assess and reassess her life and its meaning is. Lacking in self-confidence when she was young, emotionally neglected by her parents, she ventured out into acting on stage and in early comedy films, moving to France, encountering Roger Vadim, appearing in his films, especially Barbarella, giving birth to her daughter, Vanessa.
However, by 1968, she was very conscious of American action, especially in Vietnam, and, while she made films after returning to the United States, she began to join in the protest movements, eventually visiting Hanoi, which brought enormous hostility from Richard Nixon and the American public. Yet, at the same time, she won an Oscar for Klute.
Her marriage to Tom Hayden was a mixture of love and politics, giving birth to her son, Troy, their activities life, communal concern, political issues, two different lives and worlds, and their separation. It is interesting to note that the origin of her aerobics video on books was to raise money for their social organisations.
Then another extreme, marriage to Ted Turner, her becoming involved, especially after their separation, in women’s issues and her becoming a feminist, discovering herself in the 21st century.
In addition, there are quite a lot of interviews and talking heads.
1. The standing of Jane Fonda? Her life and career? The social causes? At almost 80? Audience interest in her, knowledge of her life and career?
2. Interviews at age 78, her skill in telling her story, her honesty, raising the issues, of her family background, of being considered spoilt, her work as an actress, her personal development, her husband’s, the Vietnam War, her reputation, protests, subsequent courses? Her living through the complexities of American life in the 20th century?
3. The clips of the interviews, the visuals of her plays, of the films over the decades? A portrait of Roger Vadim, of Tom Hayden, of Ted Turner? Her life in France and films in France, Barbarella? Becoming more serious, They Shoot Horses, Don’t They, her background work for Klute and the prostitutes, the reality of Vietnam veterans in Coming Home? Her protests, the adverse comments of Richard Nixon? Her continued causes despite the American public, the development of the aerobics video, the books? The finances for her causes? 9-to-5 and the concern for women, equal pay and opportunity? Her later films and her television series during her 70s? Her impact as an actress?
4. The family background, Henry Fonda and his reputation, the glimpse of his films, considered an upright character? His marriages and affairs? Jane and Peter, their mother? The picnic photo and her explaining the symbolism, her father looking into the distance? Her loneliness as a child, her father unable to express feelings? Her mother, her behaviour, Jane not able to relate to her? The support of Peter? Her mother’s death, not being told the truth – the later discovery of the truth, and eventually looking at the institution records, understanding of illness, visiting her grave? Her memories of her mother in the sequences of talking about the birth of Vanessa? Her going to boarding school, her delight, finding friends, studies?
5. Her personal story, self-image, self-confidence and lack of it, the Lux advertisement, the discussion about her plays on Broadway, the early movies, her family, moving to France, a new life, her descriptions of Roger Vadim, the marriage, her memories of Barbarella, giving birth to Vanessa and the subsequent experience, change, leaving Vadim?
6. The American attitudes, the Vietnam war, the protests of Simone Signoret and the contact, beginning to think for herself, 1968, the war, student riots in France? The protests, her visit to Hanoi, the visuals of the visit to Hanoi, with the soldiers, with the prisoners of war, her reactions, later assessments and regrets? This setting the course for her future life? And the background of preparing for Klute, her Oscar?
7. The meeting with Tom Hayden, his being interviewed for this film, in himself, his political background, causes, the bond between the two, the separate lives, the birth of Troy, Hayden saying he was not a Hollywood person, the contrast with Jane? The parting of the ways? The photos, Vanessa present but sometimes obscured, her not being interviewed for the film, but the photos with her mother and her children?
8. The causes, living poor, the camps for children, her wanting to contribute, restaurant, her aerobics, one camera, the video, the book, the record sales, on the New York Times book list the years? Her reflections on what the aerobics did for women and their self-image, as well as for herself?
9. Her father’s reaction to her and her career, against her being a communist, her staying with him at various times? The background of On Golden Pond, her reflections on making it, the scenes with him, the parallels with their lives, his tear, not able to express emotions? Her accepting the Oscar on his behalf?
10. The encounter with Ted Turner, the description of him, making him wait, their outings, the exhilaration, the marriage, her life with him, not CNN, the ranch, the horses, yet his more permissive behaviour, her decision to leave, not being able to be her true self? Yet his being her favourite ex-husband?
11. 9-to-5, her feminist self, supporting women, the range of protests and causes? Her later career, with Lily Tomlin and her comments?
12. The effect of her being able to go back over her life, assess it, reassess it, reconciling with her life – and her hopes and ambitions for her 80s.
