This outstanding movie about a strained father-son relationship has some of the finest character acting I have ever seen. Gene Hackman is the dutiful son trying to bridge the distance between himself and his father, performed superbly by Melvyn Douglas, who has become senile and stubborn. The two were never close. In one scene, they look at some old family photos and the son tells his father that for a few short moments, he felt closer to him than at any time in his life. The thaw is short-lived. When Hackman and his sister reunite for the funeral of their mother, the conflict reaches a climax. They know that their father cannot continue to live on his own. The sister, Estelle Parsons, who became estranged from the parent years earlier, faces the dilemma head on... the father must be told he needs someone to look after him, a service he can well afford. Hackman, however, wants to make it easier for the elderly man and offers to take his father to the the west coast, where he plans to marry and begin a new life. Douglas will have nothing to do with the plan. He wants to stay put while insisting that the son stay with him. The sister, knowing the dilemma cannot be resolved, advises the brother to go and make a new life for himself. The end of the movie is difficult but probably true for many others in the same dilemma. A decision is made, time moves on but the relationship can never be severed.
Review of I Never Sang for My Father
