Browse Categories
-
Join 150 other subscribers
-
Recent Posts
Archive
Author Archives: rinaross
Caramel or Do You Think that you are the only one to live a lie?
When I first saw Caramel I loved it because I recognised my life in Beirut. I relished hearing Lebanese Arabic, the exuberance of conversations and the outspoken banter. It reminded me of the family waxing sessions when as I child … Continue reading
Posted in Film Analysis
Tagged beauty salon, Beirut, dementia, hair, periods, seamstress, waxing
3 Comments
Late Bloomers (2011)
Oh dear. What can I say? Another film that is likely to divide audiences. But in this case as opposed to The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel which is a well-directed and structured film with great performances I will express what I … Continue reading
Posted in Film Analysis
Tagged care home, death, fear of ageing, grandmother, intergeneration, marital conflict, marital reconciliationo, separation
5 Comments
Kermode, French, Bradshaw and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
My daughter mentioned very casually that Mark Kermode, film critic, found The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel ‘charming’, and that there had been some heated dissent from his listeners on Radio 5. As I suspected, this film, like all well-directed, well acted feel-good films, … Continue reading
Posted in Ageism
Tagged Ageism, best exotic marigold hotel, bradshaw, film critics, French, kermode, old people stereotypes, saga
2 Comments
Grey Gardens (1975)
I am delighted that Glenda Hemken (78), a friend of mine who also loves the cinema has been motivated enough to contribute to my “old woman in film” blog: Grey Gardens Rina always knows the old woman films I recommend, … Continue reading
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel As with Potiche and Something Gotta Give, I am at the moment desperately impatient and bored with this film. I cannot even bring myself to read the reviews, or consider it seriously. I just think it is … Continue reading
Pather Panchali : Witch or Grandmother
Because of a mix up in dates by the cinema, the U3A audience at the Lexi was small but very appreciative. I had forgotten how woman-centered was Pather Panchali and remembered only the visual and music emotional impact it made … Continue reading
Posted in Film Analysis
Tagged aunt/niece relationship, death, family, grandmother, intergeneration, mother, mother/daughter, old aunt, old woman, representation old woman
1 Comment
Gosford Park (2001)
A friend told me : “I have seen the film and did not like it. It was glossy and full of famous names and not a good whodunnit”. This demanding film with its overlapping dialogues when important information could easily be … Continue reading
Who is Mrs Henderson?
The U3A December screening at the Lexi was “Mrs. Henderson Presents”. It might be churlish to criticise a film that seems to be so ‘feel good’ and in which the actors had such fun performing. A film where the age … Continue reading
Posted in Film Analysis
Tagged film genres, film reception, judi dench, old woman, representation old woman, war
2 Comments
Le Chat
Rina Rosselson’s M.A. thesis in Film and Television Studies, University of Westminister, 1998.
Posted in Ageing
Leave a comment
British Films 1997 – 2006
In 2006, The BFI and the U3A organised jointly a study day on the subject of Older Women in Feature Films. The day consisted of a panel discussion on the representation of older women in film, the launch of a … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing
Leave a comment
Age Spots and Spotlights: Celebrity, Ageing and Performance
An interesting research symposium “Age Spots and Spotlights: Celebrity, Ageing and Performance”. http://agespotsandspotlights.blogspot.com/ I was so pleased to have been invited (on the strength of my blog) by one of the organisers Dr. Deborah Jermyn. Before going to the event … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing
Tagged actors, Ageing, ageing voice, Ageism, celebrities, celebrity culture, cosmetic surgery, grotesque old woman in film, looks, mask of age, media, representation old woman
3 Comments
new blog on everyday ageism
I decided to separate my and my friends very personal experiences of ageism from my commentary on films. If you are interested check http://ageingageismdiary.wordpress.com
Posted in Ageing, Ageism
2 Comments
Narayama, Dendera, The Lady Vanishes.
I met two women of our ‘Older Women in Film Group’ who had seen Ballad of Narayama and Dendera. Both had been horrified by the first film and disappointed by the second. It is in these circumstances that I wish … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing, Ageism, Film Analysis
Tagged Agewise., Dendera, heatwave, Hitchcock, Spy, The Balade of Narayama
Leave a comment
London Film Festival : Dendera
I am mortified. I have always thought that encapsulating a film in one paragraph saying what it is about is bound to misrepresent the film. And I have fallen in the trap with the Lebanese film Where do we go … Continue reading
London Film Festival: I’m Carolyn Parker
When I started to study old women and films I decided not to consider documentaries as the field is too extensive. I’m Carolyn Parker was screened at the LFF a few days ago . I had recently read ‘Agewise: fighting the … Continue reading
London Film Festival 2011
The London Film Festival season has started and my efforts to find films with older women has yielded a few interesting films. I will just say a few words about them as I do not like pronouncing on films without … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing
4 Comments
The Night of the Hunter (1955)
Good grandmother , bad Grandmother? Both the U3A and non U3A audience were very enthusiastic about this classic and the comments were mainly on its effectiveness in making us care about the children and experience the action as seen through their … Continue reading
The Salt of Life or Gianni and Women (2011)
Gianni e le donne. Literally Gianni and (the) Women. Gianni is on our screens again. Still drinking, but less than he did in Mid August Lunch, still a good cook, still at the beck and call of his mother. But … Continue reading
Posted in Film Analysis
Tagged Ageism, carer, daughter, family, gaze, grandfather, mother, old woman, positive ageing, redundancy, role reversal, still doing it, walking the dog
Leave a comment
Potiche (2010)
I will borrow the single word of David Denby in the New Yorker : Dreadful. I am just dumbfounded by the fact that such an inane film has had rave reviews from French critics as well as American and British … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing, Film Analysis
Leave a comment
Iris and cultural ageism
A while ago the film Iris (2001) provoked an animated discussion in our Older Women in Films Group. Some women thought that the account of Iris Murdoch Alzheimer’s disease was very well treated and the fact that she was a … Continue reading
Posted in Ageism, Conferences and comments
Tagged Ageism, alzheimer, caring, cultural ageism, fermale philosopher, Iris Murdoch
4 Comments
The Tree of Life
It is not fair to comment on a complex film generally without studying it in detail but I feel compelled to write about Malick’s The Tree of Life. The film evoked in me deep emotions but also deep alienation. One … Continue reading
Tagged death, family, grief, loss, mother, sons and mothers
Leave a comment
New address
I have just changed the blog address to http://www.oldwomaninfeaturefilms.wordpress.com Initially I thought that the blog on feature films and the older woman would attract people interested in the representation of old age in films. Unfortunately there has been an inordinate … Continue reading
My Afternoons with Margueritte (2010)
The end of term U3A session at the Lexi. It is difficult to assess if the film was appreciated by all to the same degree. Those who contributed expressed delight and loved the film. There were some reservations about the … Continue reading
The Queen of Spades ( 1949)
Apart from a few people who were familiar with the genre, the Lexi/U3A audience this time was bemused. There are many themes one could explore in the film based on the Pushkin novella: gambling, good versus evil, greed, the supernatural, the … Continue reading
Harold and Maude
The beginning of the Easter holidays and only 8 people turned up for the screening of Harold and Maude. The intimate atmosphere made contributions easier to make and all but one person talked. All but one had seen the film before … Continue reading
Posted in Film Analysis
Tagged Ageism, anticonformism, death, friendship, intergeneration, oldwoman/teenager, teenager
Leave a comment
Volver : women’s lives and deaths
The U3A screening at the Lexi in March was Almodovar’s Volver. The audience, as usual composed of a majority of women, greatly appreciated the film. This was expressed by lively contributions by many of them. There were general comments: idealisation … Continue reading
Posted in Film Analysis
Tagged caring, daughter, death, food, grandmother, group of old women, intergeneration, mother, old woman, supernatural
3 Comments
Another angry woman
Is this an epidemic? “Janet Briggs of Halesowen U3A rages against the cult of looking young”. In the Spring issue of U3A News, not noted for its feminism, a page article extols the attractiveness of old age. “Are we already … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing, Ageism, Conferences and comments
Tagged Ageism, anger, looks, u3a, wrinkles
Leave a comment
Anger again
18th April 2011, How comforting! Michele Hanson writes a column called A certain age in the Guardian. In the 15/04 issue both Michele and her friend are enraged, infuriated. Why? it is the BBC 4 Book of the Week again. … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing
Leave a comment
Warm Heart and Rusty Body ?
12th April 2011 Oh dear! I promised myself when I started this blog not to mention every instance of ageism I come across in the fear of the ‘grumpy old woman accusation’. It has not been difficult up to now … Continue reading
Old Age and Feature Films 
Women, Ageing, and Popular Cinema
Acting their Age POSTER I feel quite excited at the thought of attending a symposium on Women Age and Popular Films. Whereas scholars have written a lot about film and gender, the issue of sexism+ageism has not often been addressed. … Continue reading →