I saw this version before I saw the 1981 version, so I was biased toward this one from the start (plus, I adore Julie Andrews and "Sound of Music"), but it was really very well done. Julie and Christopher are phenomenal together, with their constant bickering that barely masks the love their characters feel. Both gave excellent performances, Julie especially when she thinks (spoiler ahead) that Norman is going to die and she's frantically trying to save him. (Julie also surpasses Katharine Hepburn in one scene, when she slaps Chelsea for calling Norman an sob. Katharine's slap was so deliberate and calculated, like she'd been waiting for years to do it. Julie's was an automatic reaction to anyone who would dare talk about the love of her life in such a way. Kudos to Julie for milking that scene for all the emotion possible.) The chemistry between Julie and Christopher far surpases Katharine Hepburn and Henry Fonda's. Both of them gave good performances in the original, but didn't seem to mesh well together. Not so with this Norman and Ethel. I like how this version focuses more on that relationship, because the play is essentially about growing old. Glenne Headly, who I loved in Mr. Holland's Opus, didn't give that great of a performance in this one-at least, not on par with her on-screen parents. But just to see Julie and Christopher interact with each other in an atmosphere where they are free to be hilarious, this version was well worth it. I just watched it for the third time last night from the tape I made when it came on, and it still made me smile.
Review of On Golden Pond
