Jane

Less than a decade before arguably becoming America's finest leading film actress of her day we have this DA Pennabaker documentary chronicling Jane Fonda falling flat on her face in a Broadway play that closes after three performances. Chain smoking and understandably insecure the whiny, shrill stage performance of the stunning beauty gives no indication of the outstanding film career she was about to embark on.

The film opens with Fonda and Bradford Dillman rehearsing The Fun Couple, a play about a young married couple in the awkward early stages of developing their relationship. It is more or less the same dynamic that launched Fonda's early film career in light comedy roles opposite Tony Perkins, Robert Redford and Rod Taylor but without the benefit of cutting and close-ups Fonda projects amateurishly in spite of bouncing around the stage in eye catching pajama top. Granted, the abysmal material she is working with offers her no assistance, she clearly lacks the chops for the Broadway stage with noted theatre critic Walter Kerr calling the play one of the five worst he has ever witnessed.

Overall the film is an interesting look at the young Fonda, filled with professional incertitude glomming onto her mentor, director boyfriend, Svengali like Andreas Voutsinas for support and guidance as they take the show on the road where things don't look too promising for the production from the outset.

While the doc is centered on Fonda it also offers up some intriguing behind the scenes moments of the tensions of presenting live theatre from curtain calls to the ugly reality of cast and crew being tossed from the Lyceum after the play bombs.

I'm not familiar with the rest of Fonda's stage performances over her career but if this is any indication of what she had to offer it is clear she chose wisely a future in Hollywood where super-stardom awaited and Oscar noms piled up as the camera discovered or covered what the stage exposed; a brittle undeveloped ingénue with an incredible head of hair, knockout figure and a mug that could launch more boats than Helen of Troy.

Jane (1962)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

This here is a fascinating documentary from D.A. Pennebaker that follows Jane Fonda as she is about to open a new play on Broadway. We learn about where she was at the time in regards to fame, how she was trying to step out of her father's shadow and we get to see behind-the-scenes as the play is put together and eventually released to the public.

At the time this was made Fonda had yet to become a star so watching this today it's interesting to see where she was at this point in her career and you've got to think that she would never imagine that a few years later she would pick up an Oscar. This documentary really works well because it gives you a great view of what it was like to put on a play as well as an idea of how failure can happen at anytime.

The B&W cinematography was really wonderful and I must say that it captured the city perfectly. There were some great shots of the crew outside the theater, which allowed us to see New York City back in the day. There are some great moments with Fonda and director/boyfriend Andréas Voutsinas are fighting about certain scenes in the play. You fans of Fonda will also get to see her in a skimpy bikini and hear her reaction to it.

JANE is a really exceptional documentary that is highly recommended and it doesn't matter if you're a fan of Fonda or not.