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Category Archives: Ageing
MUM AND ME – SUE BOURNE TV DOCUMENTARY
When I started my blog on the representation of old women I needed to limit my field of research. I decided to exclude animation, because I am not very versed in the genre, and documentaries because the area might be … Continue reading
MAMADRAMA (2001) The Jewish Mother Stereotype
http://www.jewishfilm.org/Catalogue/films/mamadrama.html This will be a very personal view of the documentary Mamadrama: The Jewish Mother in Cinema.(2001). When I arrived from the Middle East and settled in London I was puzzled by the expression “She is such a Jewish Mother”. … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing, Ageism, documentary
Tagged Ageing, Ageism, daughter, documentary, family, grotesque old woman in film, intergeneration, mother and son, mother/daughter, sons and mothers
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THE STRAIGHT STORY 2
Ageist language I could not resist flagging. From the NFT viewing notes of Charulata (1964 – dir. Satyajit Ray) I quote : … I saw old women doddering out of the cinema with tears in their eyes …. the ancient women emerging … Continue reading
THE PROPRIETOR (1996)
During my research on a certain subject I sometimes come across a bit of information that seems irrelevant and that I dismiss automatically and yet it seems that my brain has retained it without knowing where it came from. In … Continue reading
UNHOOK THE STARS (1996)
I am glad I rediscovered this film after seeing Opening Night and am once again surprised that such a relevant film has never been mentioned in any list of older women in film that I have come across. Nick Cassavetes in his interviews declares … Continue reading
LOVELY STILL (2008)
I must thank Stacy Davies (University of California) who made a passing remark about Lovely Still on this blog. Otherwise I am not aware that this film is mentioned anywhere by anybody else in the literature about ageing and films. It had … Continue reading
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OPENING NIGHT (1977) : Inside I feel 18 years old
In my previous post I analysed a 4 minutes scene where Myrtle is challenged about her inability to act the role of an older woman, Virginia, or disclose her age. This crucial scene occurs nearly half way through the film. It … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing, Conferences and comments, Film Analysis
Tagged Ageing, Ageism, chronological age, Gena Rowlands, Inside I feel 18, John Cassavetes, media, old woman, performance, photo old woman, play within a film, rehearsal, representation old woman, sense of fun, spiritualist, vision
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OPENING NIGHT: age does not matter?
I cannot remember when I first saw Cassavetes’ Opening Night (1977), maybe before I got interested in the representation of old women in film. All I remember is that I came out of the cinema bewildered. I did not understand its style, … Continue reading
Love of the cinema and generations.
As you can see in the comments on the Film Guide section, Paola has reminded me of two Cassavetes films that deal with women and age. She wrote her MA dissertation on : Gena Rowlands et le renouveau de la … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing, Conferences and comments
Tagged Ageing, ageing actor, Cassavetes, Gena Rowlands, grandmother, intergeneration, old woman/young boy
2 Comments
Le Week-End (2013) or Modern Paris and Nostalgia.
Le Weekend is a mess. A majority of reviews describe it as a romantic comedy, albeit some qualify this by saying it is a bitter-sweet account of a 30 years old marital relationship. American, British and French critics on the … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing, Film Analysis
Tagged Ageing, coarse language, couple, film references, lifestyle, marital relationship, Paris, still doing it, teenager
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MOOLAADE (2004)
I am overwhelmed by the amount of film work I would like to do and am struggling to keep up. I will mention briefly here Ousmane Sembène’s Moolaadé to signpost it for myself for later consideration. It is a film that cannot be … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing, Ageism
Tagged African films, cutting, daughter, daughter-in-law, family, FGM, film reception, intergeneration, Moolaade, mother/daughter, old woman, representation old woman, Sembene, West Africa
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ADVANCED STYLE (2014): not a work of art.
Oh dear! what can I say ? In my last post I quoted Bazin about reviews: “Let us say that the ideal would be to be able to help efficiently those we like and to have little influence on the … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing, Ageism, Conferences and comments
Tagged advanced style, Ageing, Ageism, broadsheets, clothes, documentary, fashion, looks, media, old women invisibility, reviews
3 Comments
AGEISM AND FILM REVIEWS
I am attending a course on Writing On Film at the Picturehouse Hackney. It is led by Barbara Knorpp and Allan Bairstow. The first session gave me the opportunity of looking at Andre Bazin again. In my youth I used to … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing, Ageism, Conferences and comments
Tagged Ageism, Andre Bazin, bradshaw, critics, film course, reviewers, reviews
5 Comments
THE PAST (2013)
I was asked to stand in for D.D. who usually presents a film at the Lexi for the U3A in Brent. These matinees are screened at 1.30 on the last Wednesday of the month and are open to all. The … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing
Tagged age and cinema going, audience, family, film discussion, film group, film reception, Lexi, the past, u3a
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Cultural Gerontology and Films
On the film front the 8th International Conference on Cultural Gerontology was not very exciting for me as opposed to other presentations. SEE: http://ageingageismdiary.wordpress.com The majority of papers on visual representation were about TV programmes none of which were familiar to … Continue reading
ANTONIA’S LINE – Antidote to sexism.
For our film group this month I chose Antonia’s Line (1995). Why did I pick this film from my collection? Three reasons spring to mind. In a new book about ageing: Lynn Segal’s ‘Out of Time, the Pleasures and Perils of … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing, Film Analysis
Tagged A question of silence, Ageing, anger, british comedies, daughter, death, disability, extended family, family, feminism, friendship, Gorris, grandmother, great-granddaughter, grief, old woman, utopia, violence, war
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NEBRASKA (2013) part 1
In the last few months I have been unable to attend the U3A screenings at the Lexi but this week I managed to see Nebraska. I usually do not comment on films after a first viewing and I thought that … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing, Ageism, Conferences and comments
Tagged Ageing, Ageism, grotesque old woman in film
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SOUS LE SABLE (UNDER THE SAND)
A little while ago Under the Sand (2000) was considered for screening at an event on ageing. I had excluded it from my blog and film group list because Charlotte Rampling was 54 years old when Ozon shot this mystery … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing, Ageism, Film Analysis
Tagged Ageing, Ageism, daughter-in-law, death, disappearance., grief, haptic frame, Haptic turn, loss, mother-in-law, Ozon, wrinkles
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THE BECOMING OF AGE
I finally had some leisure time during my holidays away from the health concerns and trivial activities that sapped my energies this winter. I delighted in reading Pamela Gravagne book: THE BECOMING OF AGE : cinematic visions if mind body … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing, Ageism, Conferences and comments, Film Analysis
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FABULOUS FASHIONISTAS
Although my blog is about old women and feature films, I will consider a television documentary broadcast on September 17th 2013 on Channel 4. I think it is a very important programme in the field of representation of old women. … Continue reading
LES TEMPS QUI CHANGENT – Changing Times
I have a soft spot for Téchiné’s Les Temps Qui Changent (2004). It has had very little exposure in the UK and is unavailable on DVD Region 2. A family drama without histrionics, it places Cécile played by Catherine Deneuve … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing, Film Analysis
Tagged Deneuve, Depardieu, French protectorate, gay relationship, intergeneration, modernisation, mother and son, multicultural, obsessive love, siblings, Tangier, Techine, twins
3 Comments
The Old Woman and some British Comedies.
Whisky Galore (1949) was shown on the TV at the approach to Xmas. A very male comedy where Georges’ mother, a controlling bigot with no redeeming features, treats her adult son like a naughty child. The part is played by Jean … Continue reading
Innocence (2000)
Innocence is a beautiful and complex film. Long before The Mother (2003) was hailed as a breakthrough in the cinematic representation of sexual desire in an older woman, and Cloud 9 (2006) widely given as an example of images of an old couple … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing, Film Analysis
Tagged affair, Ageing, death, desire, editing, falling in love, film style, flashbacks, husband/wife relationship, intergeneration, love, memories, metphores, mother, mother and son, motifs, representation old woman
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Bechdel Test and Symbolic Annihilation
Girls on Film in Partnership with Little White Lies day of panel discussions focusing on the representation of women in film. I attended two of the panel discussions of the Under Wire Festival: the Bechdel Test and Act Your Age. … Continue reading
Philomena (2013)
Brief thoughts and no spoilers. Go and See Philomena while it is still on the big screen. Make a note of it if you are not in the UK. At long last Judy Dench, in a role that uses her … Continue reading
LUMINATE FESTIVAL AND JANE GRANT’S PRESENTATION
Luminate, Scotland’s creative ageing festival ran for its second year this October. Events took place in almost every region, even the Outer Hebrides, and included exhibitions, films, and live performances (music, poetry, dance and theatre). There were also discussions, debates, … Continue reading
MIRROR MIRROR CONFERENCE
“The photo is never a mirror” Dr. Margaret Morganroth Gullette After I attended the Lumière Blanche Festival I explored with another member of the Film Group the possibilities of reaching and exposing young people to images of old women. We … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing, Conferences and comments
Tagged advanced style, Ageing, Ageism, brand culture, care home, fashionistas, grandmother, Hanna Zeilig, images of old women, intergeneration, looks, Margaret Gullette, mirror mirror, mother, photos, product placement, representation old woman, white hair
4 Comments
LUMIERE BLANCHE 2013 PROGRAMME
My last post about the Festival Lumiere Blanche 2013 is the list of films shown. For me the shorts were a real revelation. I felt sorry not to have given the genre more attention. The ones I saw at this … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing, Conferences and comments
Tagged Ageing, animated feature, films list, shorts about ageing, workshops on ageing
3 Comments
LE FILM PERMET DE LIBERER LA PAROLE DR. J.J. DEPASSIO
Films permit free conversations says Dr. Depassio. Dr. Jean-Jacques Depassio, geriatrician, works at the Hopital de Fourvière – Centre de Gérontology in Lyon. He is the organiser of the Lumière Blanche Intergenerational film Festival. I realised the first time I … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing, Conferences and comments
Tagged A Simple Life, Ageing, Ageism, amour, best exotic marigold hotel, british comedies, care home, carer, carers, death, directors gaze on ageing, family, films and ageing, Gerontology, hospice, intergeneration, J.J Depassio, Lumiere Blanche, Quartet, representation disablement, representation old woman
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Old Age and Feature Films 
THE OLD WOMAN WHO WALKED IN THE SEA (1991)
I found a VHS subtitled copy of The Old Woman Who Walked in the Sea. I had seen the film ages ago but must have decided not to show it to the film group because of its language. Now when … Continue reading →