A Woman of Substance: Katharine Hepburn Remembered (2003)
*** (out of 4)
When ON GOLDEN POND was re-released onto DVD it came with this tribute to Katharine Hepburn, which featured interviews with crew members from that film including Ernest Thompson (Screenwriter), Mark Rydell (Director) and Billy Williams (Cinematographer) as well as critic Richard Schickel, historian David Thomson and Anthony Harvey who directed THE LION IN WINTER. At just under 20-minutes one really shouldn't expect a full, definitive tribute to the legend but what's here is pretty entertaining in its own right. We get to hear all about Hepburn's tough-as-nails personality and how she wasn't afraid to go after Louis B. Mayer and how she wasn't afraid to pick up a phone and tell someone what she thought of their work. There's also a very good little piece dedicated to her work with Spencer Tracy. We get to see a few clips from GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER as well as hear about how she took care of him towards the later part of his life. Since the majority of the people here were from ON GOLDEN POND we get several nice stories from that film including the fact that this was the first time Hepburn had ever met Henry Fonda. The stories of their first meeting were quite priceless as was the final spot on Hepburn's thoughts on the afterlife.
