Is there any celebrity who has committed to Leftist causes more than Jane Fonda? Not likely. And Fonda’s political fervor is just one aspect of this multifaceted, complex and what might seem to some contradictory soul.
One comes away from the HBO documentary, “Jane Fonda in Five Acts,” seeing her as fulfilling Bob Dylan’s maxim: “[S]he who is not busy being born is busy dying.” Her very full life has been throughout a process of becoming.
The Washington Post described her as a “beautiful bundle of contradictions” in its review of her 2005 autobiography “My Life So Far.” That is where Fonda began to define her life into acts – not surprisingly, given her dramatic career. And the film is where she blends her seeming contradictions into a compelling story about achieving full personhood.
Three of her five acts are named for and explore her three husbands: French film director Roger Vadim, activist and politician Tom Hayden, and media mogul Ted Turner. Her focus on the men in her life might seem contradictory to her ardent feminism. But as Fonda talks about herself in the movie – with a compelling honesty and self-deprecation – it all makes perfect sense.
Armchair psychologists might attribute the primacy of her husbands to her relationship to her distant and, as Jane was growing up, absent father, legendary actor Henry Fonda. She was able to turn that lemon into powerful lemonade when they starred together in “On Golden Pond,” which she developed into a film for Henry, who won his only Best Actor Oscar for his performance.
Just as influential on Ms. Fonda was her mother, who committed suicide when Jane was 12. It was a shadow over her soul that over time, Fonda explains, she was able to dispel by coming to know and understand her mother better.
Her “Jane Fonda’s Workout” video in 1982 – the biggest-selling home video ever and, as Fonda explains in the film, a key factor in creating the home video market – might have seemed like a manifestation of the previous “Me Decade.” But as Fonda explains, its considerable profits went to The California Campaign for Economic Democracy, founded by her and Hayden. As well, her workout videos and books represented her personal growth in overcoming body issues that had plagued Fonda from her youth.
Ultimately, Fonda’s final act is herself. We all can learn about how to be more self-actualized and fulfilled from Fonda’s personal journey. And there’s another compelling aspect to her honesty as she admits in the doc, unlike so many other celebrities, that she has had plastic surgery.
Throughout all the acts of her life, Fonda has accrued a much-lauded and highly-awarded filmography that rivals that of her father, one of the giants of American cinema. As well, in recent years she’s continued to participate in protests and get arrested.
Jane Fonda has truly walked the walk as she has navigated the path of her life. This film makes plain and quite obvious why she merits the admiration of any and all progressives.
TV Series: “The Night Manager” – The splendid spy novels of John Le Carré have translated into many fine movies. This engaging British TV show adapted from his book of the same name, currently streaming on Amazon Prime, stands head and shoulder with the films as it explores the seamy underworld of international arms dealing.
Musical Album: “Petra Haden Sings: The Who Sell Out” – I just discovered this delicious 2005 remake of the 1967 Who album done entirely with a capella vocals by singer, songwriter and instrumentalist Haden, the daughter off acclaimed jazz bassist Charlie Haden. Any Who fan should find it delightful, and the band’s Pete Townshend says of it, “I felt like I’d received something better than a Grammy.”
Rob Patterson is a music and entertainment writer in Austin, Texas. Email orca@prismnet.com.
From The Progressive Populist, November 15, 2020
Blog | Current Issue | Back Issues | Essays | Links
About the Progressive Populist | How to Subscribe | How to Contact Us
PO Box 819, Manchaca TX 78652