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Tag Archives: film reception
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
Posted in Ageing, family, FILM RECEPTION, love, sisters, women's friendships
Tagged (Imelda Staunton, actors, affair, Ageing, ageing sisters, Ageism, british comedies, Celia Imrie, David Hayman, death, family, film reception, Joanna Lumley, lifestyle, marriage break up, old people dancing, reviews, Timothy Spall
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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
Posted in Ageing, Ang Lee, classic film, fable, food, grief, love, melodrama, three generations of women, women's friendships
Tagged Ageing, Ageism, daughter, death, family, father/daughter relationships, film reception, FOOD CHINESE, grandmother, grief, grotesque old woman in film, humour, intergeneration, old woman, representation old woman, students and teacher
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EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN (1994) at EON
Eat Drink Man Woman (1994) at EON I mentioned in this blog that I would not concentrate any more on the representation of old women in films but widen my interest and abandon the time-consuming film analysis approach. After … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing, audience responses, death, family, FILM RECEPTION, food, intergenerational relationships, melodrama
Tagged Ageing, Ang Lee, carer, cooking, eating rituals, family, father daughters relationships, film reception, food, grandmother, grotesque old woman in film, humour, intergeneration, lifestyle, master chef, memories, widower
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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
Posted in Ageing, Ageism, festivals
Tagged Ageing, Ageism, british comedies, film reception, group of old women, representation old woman
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AGEISM IN HOLLYWOOD.
I was appalled to read in the Guardian 28/09/16 Short Cuts, under the title Is this a cure for ageist casting disasters?. “a landmark law, effective from next year, in California only, that permits actors to request the removal of … Continue reading
THE RARE AND RIDICULE. Ageism in Hollywood popular films.
The online Guardian of 14 Sept, headlined “Older characters underrepresentated and ridiculed in Hollywood”. Under a close-up of Helen Mirren’s face and neck unretouched showing her lines and wrinkles the article proceeds to report: …research conducted by the Media, … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing, Ageism, critics, Film Analysis, FILM RECEPTION
Tagged 100 top grossing films 2015, Ageing, Ageism, best exotic marigold hotel, ethnic and sexual orientation of senior characters, film reception, gender, Hollywood, media, old people representation, popular films, senior characters
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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
Posted in Film Analysis, FILM RECEPTION
Tagged ambiguities, assisted death, assisted suicide], carer, caring, daughter, death, disability, film genre, film reception, grief, incontinence, long takes, palliative care, point of view, sexual harassment, story and plot, subjective point of view, vomiting
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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
Posted in Ageing, animation, critics
Tagged Ageing, Ageism, amour, assisted suicide], carer, caring, death, end of life care, family, film reception, intergeneration, intimate care, Naked bodies, palliative care, sexual abuse by carer
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TATIE DANIELLE (1990)
This is the third group of older women who viewed and discussed the film apart from the 101 U3A members (see previous post in 2005 and resources for the BFI Guide to Older Women in Film). I was surprised again … 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
Posted in Ageing, FILM RECEPTION
Tagged Ageing, Bette Davis, blindness, death, film reception, friendship, grief, Lillian Gish, Lindsay Anderson, memories, representation old woman, sisters, white hair
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WRINKLES (2012)
I quote here a few lines of my 2013 post that dealt with the wonderful Intergenerational Film Festival Lumiere Blanche organised by the geriatrician Dr. Jean Jacques Depassio. The Festival is no more, but the DVD Wrinkles has been released in the USA and … 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
Camera Obscura (2008) or what happens next?
Camera Obscura (2008) is an Argentinian film directed by Maria Victoria Menis. It is not about an old woman but I thought that this unknown film is well worth watching and studying for its multimedia form, its outdoor lyrical shots, … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing, FILM RECEPTION, motherhood
Tagged ambiguous endings, beauty, daughter, documentary, family, family photos, film reception, intergeneration, jewish film, jews and Argentinian gauchos, mirror scene, mother, mother/daughter, motherhood, multi media film, open endings, photos, surrealism, the gaze, ugliness, war
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The Ladykillers (1955) revisited
We were only 6 members aged between 58 and 81 to see The Ladykillers. A good discussion followed the viewing. Subjects : stereotyping, the ambiguity of Mrs.Wilberforce’s character, her clothes, the word irritating was often voiced, the difficulty of agreeing on slapstick humour. Generally I … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing, Ageism, FILM RECEPTION
Tagged Ageing, Ageism, british comedies, ealing comedy, film reception, group of old women, old woman clothes, slapstick
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FEDORA (1978) and CELEBRITY.
I was in my early 40s, when I first saw Fedora (1978). I was not worried about ageing or conscious of ageism, as work, family and activism kept me very busy yet I was left with two very strong impressions. I could, … 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
Posted in Ageing, Film Analysis
Tagged Ageing, anger, caring, daughter, death, editing, Emma Thompson, film reception, friendship, grief, jump cuts, mother, mother/daughter, Phyllida Law, script and cinematography, women friendships
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The Second Marigold Hotel
“Just because I’m looking at you when you talk, don’t think I’m listening — or even interested.” Maggie Smith to Judy Dench I had a free couple of hours and decided reluctantly to see The Second Exotic Marigold Hotel as a … Continue reading
TATIE DANIELLE (1990) The little old woman
” I am a lonely old woman in the hands of a lunatic.” Tatie Danielle It is difficult to write about Tatie Danielle. A film hard to categorise. It is not black comedy nor satire as it is sometimes described being … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing, Ageism, Film Analysis
Tagged Ageing, Ageism, anger, beauty salon, bourgeois, care home, carer, dogooders, film reception, flowers, hair, loneliness, nasty old woman, old people incontinence, petit bourgeois, Tatie Danielle
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SINCE OTAR LEFT… (2003) or Women’s Lives.
“Pour moi qui suis issue d’un univers familial plutôt matriarcal, je pouvais y mettre beaucoup de ma propre vie, parler des rapports mère-filles qui m’ont structuré ou destructuré…” What made me choose this film for our October film group session? … Continue reading
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
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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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
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
REFLECTIONS ON POINTS OF VIEW
In the last few months I have been asked – as an expert on old women in films – to be a panelist at two festivals, and to present a film at a literature festival. I declined the first two … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing, Conferences and comments
Tagged academic institutions, Ageing, Ageism, Ballad of Narayama, best exotic marigold hotel, british comedies, Fear Eats the Soul, film group, film industry, film panels, film reception, grandmother, group of old women, Notes on a Scandal, Pauline and Paulette, points of view, Records of a Tenement Gentleman, representation, representation old woman, still doing it, The Grapes of Wrath, The Mother, The Whales of August, tokyo story, women over 65
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IN THE COMPANY OF STRANGERS take 3
The theme of the Penzance Literature Festival was Vision. I was delighted to be invited to give an alternative vision of old women in film. I chose The Company of Strangers. ( I prefer to use the Canadian original title … Continue reading
CINEMA LE GRAND AGE D’OR
At long last an informed and researched article about ageing and films in the general press albeit in the French le Monde. Jacques Mandelbaum, journalist and film critic whose articles are sometimes published in The Guardian, writes about ageing and … Continue reading
Old Age and Feature Films 
THE OTHERNESS OF THE OLD WOMAN Take 3
Old woman as ‘other’ and films In my blog of Nov. 2009 I wrote: When I first started to show films featuring women of 60 years and over to my contemporaries, I was 63. Some of the women in the … Continue reading →