The Life, Roles, and Voice of Henry Fonda’s Last Interview in 1981 chronicles a journey through American history from 1651 to the era of the 1980s presidency, personifying the complexities of the nation through a road trip from Fonda, New York to the Pacific
Probably the best film I’ve seen at the 74th Berlinale, certainly the most interesting
It was directed by Alexander Horwath, the former director of the Austrian Film Museum, among others, and you can see his expertise in film history in every minute of this essay
However, Henry Fonda for President is not just about film history, it connects the life of Henry Fonda and his films to the history of the United States in a sympathetic way, from the 16th century to the present day
Horwath stated in the interview that his first version was over 6 hours long, but he and his editor and cameraman Michael Palm condensed it very effectively, the film takes its time for each Fonda film but never gets boring despite its three hour runtime
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