29/10
Henry Fonda’s life, roles, and last 1981 interview voice narrate a journey across America’s history from 1651 to the 1980s presidency era, personifying the nation’s complexities through a road trip from Fonda, NY to the Pacific.. Probably the best film I’ve seen at the 74. Berlinale, definitely the most interesting. It was made by Alexander Horwath, the former director of the Austrian Film Museum among other things, and you can see his expertise of cinema history in every minute of this essay. However, Henry Fonda for President isn’t limited to the history of film, it connects the life of Henry Fonda and his movies with the history of the USA in a congenial way, from the 16th century until today. Horwath said in the interview that his first version was 6+ hours long, but he and his editor and cameraman Michael Palm condensed it really efficiently, the film takes its time for every Fonda movie but never gets boring despite its three hour runtime.
