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Tag Archives: friendship
QUARTET (2012)
It was a pleasure to meet again with EON members (Ealing Over 60 Network) to watch a film together. I chose Quartet (2012) for this session. There were 21 people. As usual male presence was of 3 only. Personally I … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing, alzheimer, audience responses, care homes, critics, FILM RECEPTION, love
Tagged Alzheimer's, Billi Connoly, friendship, Michael Gambon, music, musicians, Pauline Collins, stage fright, Tom Courtenay
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SWEET BEANS (2015)
I have been unable to attend the Brent U3A Film Group for a while but did manage it this month and saw Sweet Bean (2015). I had missed it at London Film Festival three years ago and looked forward to … Continue reading
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
Posted in Ageing, audience responses, family, Film Analysis, FILM RECEPTION, motherhood, three generations of women
Tagged actors, Ageing, anger, beach, birthday, breast cancer, building, cancer, changing times, chemotherapy, corruption, daughter, family, friendship, group of old women, history, intergenerational relationship, laughing yoga, Long hair, maid, mastectomy, media, mother and son, mother/daughter, nephew, nepotism, orgy, photos, physical exercise, redevolpment, representation old woman, still doing it, termites invasion, tower blocks, vinyl records
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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
Posted in Ageing, chick flick, Film Analysis, FILM RECEPTION
Tagged Ageing, arabic, beauty salon, Beirut, Christian, communication, dementia, family, friendship, hair, humour, lebanon, lesbian, lifestyle, looks, lover, Moslem, periods, sisterhood, virginity, waxing, wedding, women
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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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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
Posted in Ageing, Film Analysis
Tagged age and society, Ageing, Ageism, Allio, Bertolt Brecht, change, death, family, friendship, grandmother, grief, housewife, intergeneration, mother and son, motherhood, old woman, realism, representation old woman, sons and mothers, widow, wrinkles
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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 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
Posted in Ageing, Film Analysis
Tagged Ageing, burial, cinematography, close ups, complex narrative structure, consciousness of mortality], cremation, death, friendship, frozen sea, funeral as performance, funerals, grief, jump cuts, mother, mourning, pan, perception in films, winter location
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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
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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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
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
Posted in Film Analysis
Tagged Ageing, blindness, braille reading, carer, caring, cataracts., death, disability, friendship, hearing aid., linear and circular time, lined faces, looks, low and high tides, moonshine, nature, representation old woman, sea, sisterhood, sisters, stroke, whales, white hair, wrinkles
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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
Posted in Film Analysis
Tagged Ageing, contemplation, cooperation, death, feminist approach, friendship, group of old women, group solidarity, serenity, time
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QUARTET (2012)
SEE ALSO UNDER ‘RESOURCES’ THE FILM GROUP RESPONSES When I first saw Quartet at the London Film Festival I was as enthralled as the whole audience. We left the cinema with smiles on our faces. There were so many pleasures … Continue reading
Posted in Film Analysis
Tagged Ageing, amour, best exotic marigold hotel, care home, caring, friendship, intergeneration, La Traviata, music, musicians, opera, Quartet, representation old woman, retirement home, Rigoletto, verdi
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Alive and Kicking at the Marigold Hotel
It is good to be able to have a dialogue with another researcher about films and older women. Claire Mortimer in her blog (http://matrons.wordpress.com) looks at old women in British comedies. I commented about Alive and Kicking (1959) and it … Continue reading
My Afternoons with Margueritte (2010)
The end of term U3A session at the Lexi. It is difficult to assess if the film was appreciated by all to the same degree. Those who contributed expressed delight and loved the film. There were some reservations about the … Continue reading
Harold and Maude
The beginning of the Easter holidays and only 8 people turned up for the screening of Harold and Maude. The intimate atmosphere made contributions easier to make and all but one person talked. All but one had seen the film before … Continue reading
Posted in Film Analysis
Tagged Ageism, anticonformism, death, friendship, intergeneration, oldwoman/teenager, teenager
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Old Age and Feature Films 
Ageing and Film Guide, Older Women in Film Group
I am taking the plunge and starting work on my ‘Women, Ageing and Films Guide’. I have an extended knowledge of the filmography and have led enough workshops about the subject to have material to share. This is a long-term … Continue reading →