Sunday, February 3, 2019

HBO Documentary 'Jane Fonda in Five Acts' is quite compelling

JANE FONDA IN FIVE ACTS for HBO. She is the daughter of Hollywood legend Henry Fonda. She became a popular actress herself, but is remembered more for her activism. This documentary follows her life in "Five Acts." It is a fascinating, but also a controversial look.

Jane Fonda became an activist against racism, poverty and especially America in the Vietnam War (1964-1973). She was labeled "Hanoi Jane" after she visited North Vietnam (1972) and sat on a "dike" (anti-aircraft gun) that was used to shoot down American planes. The United States supported South Vietnam. She was there to protest Americans bombing innocent North Vietnamese peasant villages. That photo was seen around the world and labeled her an "American Traitor." Fonda has since apologized for that picture and will until the day she dies. It is her biggest regret. 

This documentary also chronicle's her life as an actress, film producer, her three marriages and most of all, as a complicated woman. She is revered and looked up to by millions of women. She is still hated though by many US servicemen who fought in Vietnam (58,000 died in the conflict). President Richard Nixon (Resigned in 1974) had Fonda on his enemy list and even had her followed by the FBI. She went into great detail about Nixon in her memoir "My Life So Far."

Jane Fonda appears in the hit "Netflix" TV series, "Grace and Frankie" with comedian Lily Tomlin.

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