Category Archives: Ageing
SUMMER REFLECTIONS on films featuring old women.
Too hot to think clearly. Too hot to sit for a long time looking at the screen. Too hot to remember the times spent talking about ageing and films. The laughs and heated discussions. My friends long departed. Is … Continue reading
FILMS – DEMENTIA – LOCAL CINEMAS
Cinememories at the Phoenix There are many films about dementia. Most of them are documentaries but there are also more or less accurate and enlightening feature films with famous actors. I came across an inspiring project in London: the use … Continue reading
AFTER LIFE (2008)-2 . Social realism.
Having looked at Kore-eda’s (K-E) exploration of some aspects of memories in After Life (1998) I am left with an insatiable need to investigate the content of these memories. It is a difficult task to unravel the documentary from the … Continue reading
THE STRAIGHT STORY at ‘EON’ AND EDIE
A full house again at the Ealing Oldies Network (EON). The Straight Story (1999) elicited an interesting exchange of views. It took some time to discover Lynch’s oblique way of exposing deep issues by visual means, discover Alvin’s back story, … Continue reading
AFTER LIFE (1998) Life review
When I started blogging about films and older women in 1999 I was determined to be as thorough in my research and detailed about my analyses in order to be considered more than an amateur reviewer. At the age of … Continue reading
EALING OLDIES NETWORK FILM SESSION
Our March film session at the Ealing Oldies Network was poorly attended due to the snow and treacherous slippery streets. My need to go back home early was imperative. There were only 8 women present and I decided to talk … Continue reading
OSCARS 2018, SEXISM, AGEISM
I have never been enthralled by the Oscar ceremonies and awards and have rarely followed the news about the overinflated and nauseating event. Yesterday however two links were brought to my attention. https://www.nextavenue.org/academy-awards-2018-oscars-ageist/ https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/photos/2018/03/2018-vanity-fair-oscars-seliger-portrait-studio? I will not declare that AGEISM … Continue reading
VOLVER (2006) Ealing Oldies Network
Full house again at the EON : 14 women, 4 men for Volver A very dense and complex discussion difficult to convey due to the variety of themes summarised here. Two women had seen the film before. Two immediate … Continue reading
Note of comments ‘Pather Panchali’ – Ealing Oldies Network (EON) 22 Jan 2018
About twenty attended. One, who had seen it before, found the film engaged her in the same way as when she’d first seen it. Comments, as main themes, were: Much more than a story: the forest, nature, land, water/the well, … Continue reading
Pather Panchali in Ealing
18 enthusiastic people attended the fifth film session of the Ealing Oldies Network (EON): Pather Panchali (1955). The post viewing session was very lively and everybody participated and shared feelings and thoughts. (Notes not available). What was remarkable for me … Continue reading
OLD WOMEN AND HORROR FILMS
In the 18/01/2018 issue of The Guardian, Anne Bilson examines the Old Woman in Horror Films and coins the word “hagsploitation”. I admit I have paid no attention to these films in my research. The genre has never appealed … Continue reading
TELL ME A RIDDLE (1980)
10 years ago I put aside, to watch later, the newly released Tell me a Riddle (1980) dvd. I just found it lost amongst some books. I could not resist letting go the boring Xmas preparations and taking a peep … Continue reading
Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool (2017)
Just a note to add the above to Ageing Actor category. Also the second film this season for breast cancer to be in the picture. (The other film being Aquarius).
AQUARIUS (2016) partial analysis
In The Greater London Pensioner Association newsletter (October 2017) Judith Olley writes about the Representation of Older People on Film. It is refreshing to read about films from an older person’s viewpoint and I picked up two films that I … Continue reading
PAULINE AND PAULETTE (2001)
Third film at the Ealing Oldies Network. The 18 people present were enthusiastic. They appreciated the film and the exchange of views at the end was very lively and informed. It was evident that a few had some experience in … Continue reading
AQUARIUS (2016)
A film that has probably one of the most fascinating, strong and magnetic female characters in cinema in recent years. Lucía Ros Serra Espinof At the age of 82 I have lived 53 years in our house. The tearoom, … Continue reading
MAKE WAY FOR TOMORROW (1937)
It is a pleasure to present a classic film to a group of friends who take the responsibility of all arrangements for the viewing and documentation.. Of the 15 old people present none knew Make Way for Tomorrow but two … Continue reading
The Hundred Foot Journey (2014)
The Hundred Foot Journey (2014) Michelin Star and Indian spices get together. or Tout est pour le mieux dans le meilleur des mondes possibles. Voltaire I always look at the DVDs on the supermarket shelves to see what is selling. … Continue reading
MOTHER AND SON Gentleman’s Agreement (1947)
Gentleman’s Agreement (1947) I was very surprised when I read Bradshaw’s article a few months ago. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/feb/15/best-picture-oscar-winners-gentlemans-agreement-1947 This film about anti-semitism is not considered as one of Kazan’s best work and Bradshaw’s choice has been criticised. This is not about … Continue reading
SINCE OTAR LEFT (2003)
I decided at the end of the U3A year to retire from facilitating the Old Women in Films Group. I found that my energy diminished in sympathy with the attendance. In the meantime Ealing Oldies Network (EON see June’s … Continue reading
Make Mine Mink (1960) at the Ealing Oldies Network meeting.
I was asked by the Ealing Oldies Network to show them a film and lead the following discussion. EON is a friendship group of old people who meet locally every Monday. It is self organised, people share their knowledge and … Continue reading
WOMEN AND WAR FILMS.
Delighted by Lone Scherfig’s Their Finest (2016), and intrigued by Sue Harper’s 1996 description of Great Day (1940) as a masterpiece, I attended the BFI for the screening of GD and two ‘shorts ‘ in the British Women and WWII … Continue reading
TOKYO STORY – film group responses
The film group ‘gut’ responses to Tokyo Story. The general discussion brought out many more subjects and comments. The overall impression was that the film was very relevant to our times. Sadness on the part of the father- just realising … Continue reading
ON FILM STILLS, CLIPS AND REVIEWS
I recently obtained access to an academic library. Having a little time on my hands I decided to explore the subject of the representation of older women in films. The first article I came across is from Feminisms: Diversity, Difference … Continue reading
Grief and Guilt -The Straight Story and Manchester by the Sea
Again a brief post that does not deal with the representation of old women in feature films but since I wrote about The Straight Story (1999) 5 years ago I will consider Manchester by the Sea (2016). I find I have … Continue reading
HAROLD AND MAUDE (1971) 46 years later
I first showed the film (on VHS?) to a group of my friends around 1999 on the recommendation of one of the women. She mentioned that she saw it with her sons and they found it hilarious. My reaction … Continue reading
Caramel (2007)
The film group film this month was Caramel. I had presented it in 2011 at the Lexi cinema to a general audience at the U3A matinée. They loved the film. On release in 2007 the critics and reviewers were in … Continue reading
HOW WE ‘CONSUME’ CINEMA
A member of our film group sent me a link to an article by Tom Lamont. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/dec/03/film-streaming-future-of-movie-going The 21st. century has seen a revolution in how we consume cinema, from streaming a movie the day it is released to forking … Continue reading
The Barbarian Invasions (2003)
Not a film about an ageing woman but about a man dying of cancer. How come all the praise, the awards, the commercial success and the admiring critiques and reviews, I tend to agree with Peter Bradshaw (The Guardian 20/02/2004) and … Continue reading
