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Category Archives: Ageing
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
Le Chat
Rina Rosselson’s M.A. thesis in Film and Television Studies, University of Westminister, 1998.
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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
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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
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Tagged actors, Ageing, ageing voice, Ageism, celebrities, celebrity culture, cosmetic surgery, grotesque old woman in film, looks, mask of age, media, representation old woman
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
Ageism and Anger
April 10th 2011 Before going back to Volver, my blog today deals with instances of ageism that I have mentioned occasionally but that I would like to put together. I took Morganroth Gullette’s Agewise to read while away on holiday. … Continue reading
Old couple
I do not usually comment on films that I have seen only once. I know full well that the immediate response to a film is very subjective and comments are often too biased by ideology and life experience to have any general … Continue reading
Misrepresentation again
The full-page article in the Guardian of Saturday 19 March is headlined “Older women criticise ‘grotesque’ portrayal as cinema is accused of lazy stereotyping.” Since the Film Council Survey on diversity is not available on their website at the time … Continue reading
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Images of Old Women
24th October, At the exhilarating “Feminism in London Conference”, there was a workshop called “Old Feminists/Young Feminists: getting to know each other”. I pasted on the wall over 20 postcard pictures of old women and passed round a folder of … Continue reading
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LEXI Autumn Season and “Look at Me”
21st September 2010 After a long summer recess we are back at the Lexi for the new U3A academic year. It is wonderful that the cinema is hosting us again and that we are given the freedom of programming our … Continue reading
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CLOUD 9 ( 2008)
June 3rd 2010 What are the factors that affect the reception of films? The literature on the subject is sparse. Stuart Hall’s model of dominant, negotiated and oppositional decoding of texts has often explained my personal reactions. Being aware of … Continue reading
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Tokyo Story – What is the film about ? And who is in it ?
April 1st. 2010 These are questions I am asked by some people before they decide if they will attend our U3A session at the Lexi cinema. These two questions I find impossible to answer. Trying to describe a film in … Continue reading
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Mrs. Caldicot’s Cabbage War
This month people braved the snow flurries and bitter cold, to come to the Lexi for our film club. They all enjoyed the film, so imagine my surprise to read Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian the very next day … Continue reading
Mid August Lunch
December 14th, 2009 Mid August Lunch is out on DVD and I am nervous writing about it. The film has been highly praised by reviewers and has obtained a few awards, in particular the Satyajit Ray Award at the London … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing, Ageism, Film Analysis
Tagged drink, food, group of old women, heatwave, sons and mothers
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Mid August Lunch
This month both the Phoenix and the Lexi cinemas screened Mid August Lunch. Both sessions were well attended. At the Phoenix the panel consisted of Pauline Moran for Equity, and Michelle Hanson columnist in the Guardian. There was a lively … Continue reading
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The ‘otherness’ of the older woman
November 25th 2009 The ‘otherness’ of the older woman It is very common for people to quote in an amused way their older relatives say “No I would not want to go to a retirement home and stay with all … Continue reading
Pauline and Paulette
November 16th 2009 Pauline and Paulette The film shown at the Lexi at the October U3A film group meeting was Pauline and Paulette (2001). The session was well attended. Although the film is simple and gentle it provoked in the … Continue reading
Why this blog
Why this blog? I am 74 years old and since my retirement at the age of 60 I have been studying the representation of older women in feature films, as well as ageing and ageism. I have been concentrating on … Continue reading
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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 →