The six best films of the Fonda family
With his ‘everyman’ screen image, refined looks and acting skills that could simply leave you breathless, Henry Fonda is a true Hollywood icon in every sense of the word. He rose to stardom in the 1930s for his performances in the films Jezebel, Jesse James and Young Mr. Lincoln.
Henry Fonda was the patriarch of a family of other Hollywood legends, including his daughter Jane, son Peter, granddaughter Bridget and grandson Troy Garity. Jane Fonda would absolutely emulate her father’s success, receiving two Academy Awards, amongst several other accolades.
Meanwhile, Peter – Jane’s younger brother – had a slightly less successful career, though I say that with caution. He did receive a number of Academy Award nominations, including Best Screenplay and Best Actor, but compared to his father and sister, somewhat fell into the trap of performing in bad films after the success of 1969’s Easy Rider, at least until his later life.
Last week, we looked at six of the best films of the Sheen family. Today marks the anniversary of Henry Fonda’s death, so to commemorate the archetypal Hollywood hero, we’re going to explore six of the best films of the Fondas. Here we go.
The six best films of the Fonda family:
Peter Fonda – Ulee’s Gold (Victor Nunez, 1997)
Peter Fonda earned his only nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of a reclusive beekeeper who tries to repair his broken family after the death of his wife, raising his granddaughters while his son is in jail.
Jack Nicholson would ultimately win Best Actor that year for his role in As Good as It Gets. However, Fonda’s performance was highly praised, especially by Roger Ebert, who said, “Peter Fonda here reveals a depth of talent we did not suspect.”
Jane Fonda – 9 to 5 (Collin Higgins, 1980)
This beloved 1980s classic featured Jane Fonda alongside Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton. The trio star in a clever feminist workplace comedy, and Fonda plays Judy, who must begin office work after her husband elopes with another woman.
While Fonda was typically cast as either an amusing character or a very glamorous one, in 9 to 5, she rather typified a sense of normality. Fonda had initially suggested that the film be a drama, but a comedy made more sense given the co-starring company.
Henry Fonda – The Grapes of Wrath (John Ford, 1940)
Henry Fonda gave one of the best performances of his career when he took on the role of Tom Joad in the 1940 film adaptation of one of the best-written books in the English language, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.
The film shows the displacement of Oklahoma farmers and their torturous journey to California. Steinbeck – in only words he could muster – said: “My impressions of [Henry] are of a man reaching but unreachable, gentle but capable of sudden wild and dangerous violence, sharply critical of others but equally self-critical, caged and fighting the bars but timid of the light, viciously opposed to external restraint, imposing an iron slavery on himself.”
Peter Fonda – Easy Rider (Dennis Hopper, 1969)
One of the most iconic countercultural moments in the history of cinema. Dennis Hopper’s road movie tells of two motorcyclists travelling across America to get to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, meeting up with some of the biggest freaks the 1960s had to offer.
One scene shows the pair taking LSD, and Fonda himself was known to have tried the drug, amongst others. He once said: “I’m a pothead. I do it at night when I’m going to sleep. I don’t have the desire to do speed or coke; I already talk too much. LSD, I don’t need to do it again. I’ll do the magic mushrooms. I love to laugh, and they make me scream with laughter.”
Jane Fonda – Klute (Alan J. Pakula, 1971)
Many consider this the archetypal Jane Fonda performance, in which she plays Bree Daniels, an ambitious model and actress who turns to escort work so she can pay the bills when her real line of work does not come through. Fonda’s performance is one of coolness and reservation personified.
The psychological drama also features Donald Sutherland, who plays the titular Klute, a private detective who is keeping an eye on Fonda’s character as a serial killer is on the loose, and he believes her to be in danger.
Henry Fonda – 12 Angry Men (Sidney Lumet, 1957)
Easily amongst the best-known works of Henry Fonda, 12 Angry Men – which Fonda also produced – is a masterpiece of courtroom drama. It tells the tale of 12 men embroiled in a jury case who cannot decide on a verdict. It examines the concept of morality with some of the most nuanced acting of the 20th Century.
Director Sidney Lumet said of Fonda: “As a performer, as a man, he’s pure. He’s like a barometer of truth on the set. Fonda has the inner resources to make the lines deeply true. Great actor. I don’t use that term often.”
