Tag Archives: death
AFTER THE STORM (2016)
AFTER THE STORM ( 2016) Warm and equal relationships between old woman and adult daughter are very rare in the films I have written about. Kore Eda in Still Walking (2008) portrays mother and daughter conversing and cooking together but the … Continue reading
ETERNITY AND A DAY (1998)
There is a huge difference between my reactions to Eternity and a Day in my early 60s and now at 84. In 1998 Central Station was also released . At the time I focused my attentionon the representation of old … Continue reading
Finding Your Feet (2018)
Two films about old people attracted my attention this week: Finding Your Feet (2018) and Eternity And A Day (1998). I had seen the latter 19-20 years ago but I only remembered the two characters : an old man and a … Continue reading
EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN (1994) film genres…
My Father was the centre of the family, and everybody tried to please him. My Mother loves me and everything goes well. I have no conflict whith her, so that’s not dramatic. Ang Lee Why was I not offended by … Continue reading
THE WIFE (2017)
I saw The Wife on the big screen with my partner and a friend (male) the three of us over 80 years old. It was remarkable that the three of us had to say something immediately at the end, even … Continue reading
HOTEL SALVATION (2016)
This is not about the representation of an old woman in films but my personal – as an old woman – take on Hotel Salvation. I fail to see why this film has been so praised by influential reviewers. … 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
A Korean film at the London Film Festival
This is just a signpost for the Korean film The Bachus Lady (2016) directed by E J-yong and featuring Youn Yuh-jung (aged 69) . I managed to catch it at the ICA the first day of the London Film Festival. I … Continue reading
FEMINISM, AGEING, AND FILMS
It is bizarre at the age of 81 to have a feeling of deja vu about the experience of seeing a film. And this is the only way I can explain my profound distaste of Chronic. I have tried to … Continue reading
CHRONIC (2015) : ambiguities and control.
I must come back to Chronic. A friend mentioned to me another film directed by Franco: After Lucia. I viewed it immediately and the experience urged me to revisit Chronic and analyse it. I found that the two films … Continue reading
Chronic: palliative care or a man’s portrait?
Holidays. Time to reflect on some questions I asked myself after a few viewings. In my post about Wrinkles I wrote: “But one cannot help being intrigued by the predominantly male atmosphere of the film when it is common knowledge that … Continue reading
The Whales of August 3 .
My 4th viewing with a group. Only one of the 7 women present had seen the film before and her comment was very interesting. The first time was at the BFI/U3A study day event 10 years ago. I found it … Continue reading
Ballad of Narayama (1958)
I had written about this film exactly three years ago and seeing it again proved to be as fascinating. I had shown it to the film group of the time but did not record responses. The membership of the film group … Continue reading
LA VIEILLE FEMME INDIGNE (1965)
Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are. Bertolt Brecht. When I decided to look at the representation of the old woman in films for my MA in 1997 I thought I would … Continue reading
PORA UMIERAĆ (2007)
My young friend brought me back from Poland a dvd of Pora umierać (time to die 2007 english subtitles.). I checked online and notice that there are still some copies available but I imagine not for long. Get one before it disappears … Continue reading
Went The Day Well ? (1942)
For the film group this month I chose Went The Day Well? I had seen the film, probably at the NFT, a long time ago. At the time I had just started to research the subject. The film impressed me because … Continue reading
Mia Madre (2015)
I saw Nanni Moretti’s film in a tiny cinema and thought it deserved much better exposure. The film is subtle, gentle and deep. It is impossible not to think that it is the product of the director’s personal experience. The … Continue reading
THE WINTER GUEST (film reception)
Ever since I compared film critics’ and a group of older women’s views of Le Chat* I have been interested in the way people react to films. Why are some elements of the film not perceived, or registered and what is … Continue reading
THE WINTER GUEST: PHYLLIDA LAW AND EMMA THOMPSON. On women friendships
In my previous post I noted that it might be rewarding to examine Mother Elspeth (Phyllida Law) and Daughter Frances’ (Emma Thompson) story in The Winter Guest. The task of tracing their narrative in this crazily edited puzzle was very … Continue reading
THE WINTER GUEST (1997) – FUNERALS.
At the age of 80 I find I am attending funerals quite often and at the last one it occurred to me how like a performance the rituals are.(see http://www.ageingageismdiary.wordpress.com). Funerals in films are very common. In thrillers, the detectives … 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
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
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
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
THE WHALES OF AUGUST (1987)
At the 2006 U3A/NFT Older Women in Films Study Day the focus film was The Whales of August. The film at the time was not available on DVD or Video but the film group had watched a copy from the TV. … Continue reading
THE OLD WOMAN IN ‘MAKE WAY FOR TOMORROW’ AND ‘TOKYO STORY’
The film group is on holiday so I can come back to my three years old project. This is to consider the old woman in two classic films with the same story. For there is no magic that will draw … Continue reading
THE COMPANY OF STRANGERS, STRANGERS IN GOOD COMPANY (1990)
Written in 2007 We usually analyze a film because it is intriguing. Indeed this film intrigued me. The first time I saw it I was dealing with a father deep in the nightmare of dementia and a mother immobilized by … Continue reading
Old Age and Feature Films 
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 →