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Tag Archives: old woman
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
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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AQUARIUS (2016)
A film that has probably one of the most fascinating, strong and magnetic female characters in cinema in recent years. Lucía Ros Serra Espinof At the age of 82 I have lived 53 years in our house. The tearoom, … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing, audience responses, FILM RECEPTION
Tagged communication, corruption, family, feminism, film reviews, flowers, grandmother, harassment, housing, humour, interviews, lifestyle, memories, music, old woman, photos, reviews
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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
Posted in Ageing, care
Tagged Ageing, assisted suicide], carer, caring, death, end of life care, family, feminism, grief, incontinence, old woman, voyeuristic style
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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
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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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
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
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 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
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
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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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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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
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
MAKE WAY FOR TOMORROW (1937)
La cohabitation n’a jamais fait de bien à personne. (my mother) Life flies past us so swiftly that few of us pause to consider those who have lost the tempo of today. Their laughter and their tears we do not even … Continue reading
AMOUR – QUESTIONS
ALSO SEE UNDER FILM GROUP PAGE THE RESPONSES OF THE FILM GROUP Two people have said to me: your blog is about the representation of old women and yet you do not address this in the one about Amour. This is true. … Continue reading
Posted in Film Analysis
Tagged Ageing, Ageism, carer, caring, co- housing, daughter, death, family, film reception, Haneke, looks, old woman, oscars, representation old woman
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What is old age conference: Margaret Rutherford, Haptic Turn
I feel privileged to have attended the interdisciplinary conference ” What is old age? New perspectives from the Humanities” organised by the University of Warwick on February 23rd. 2013 ; Two keynotes addresses and 8 panels. The only frustration was … Continue reading
BALLAD OF NARAYAMA (1958) and AGEWISE
I was rereading chapter 1 of Margaret Morganroth Gullette’s book AGEWISE : The Eskimo On the Ice Floe. At the back of my mind lurked vague thoughts about a film group. I decided to revisit The Ballad of Narayama which has the same theme as the Eskimo … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing, Film Analysis
Tagged abandonment, Ageing, Ageism, Agewise., caring, death, folk myth, Gullette, Imamura, intergeneration, Kinoshita, mother and son, obasute, old woman, otherness, ritual
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FACT AND FICTION – BEVERLY AND KIMBERLY – THE IMPOSTER AND THE CHAMELEON
I was curious to see how the mother is portrayed in The Chameleon (2010) based on Christopher d’Antonio Bourdin’s authorized biography. The film’s genre, is classified in IMDB as biography, drama, thriller. The title sequences state ‘Based on a True … Continue reading
The Imposter and the Mother between Grief and Guilt
The Imposter elicits amazement at the story and praise at the way the director tells the story. At the heart of this dramatised documentary is the incredible fact that a mother and sister are fooled into accepting a serial imposter … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing
Tagged Bourdin, daughter, documentary, family, grandmother, grief, guilt, imposter, interviews, mother and son, old woman, representation old woman, siblings, teenager
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SOME THOUGHTS ON THE SILVERING SCREEN (part 1)
It is only on holiday that I can engage in serious reading. This time I struggled with Sally Chivers’ Silvering Screen. I only managed to read the Introduction and the First Chapter and therefore I am not entitled to make … Continue reading
Posted in Ageing, Ageism, Conferences and comments
Tagged Ageism, death, intergeneration, old woman, oldwoman/teenager, Pather Panchali, Sally Chivers, silvering screen
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ACTING THEIR AGE
FOR THE LEXI VIEWERS WHO MAY BE EXPECTING A POST ABOUT LEIGH’S ANOTHER YEAR, MY APOLOGIES, I HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY BUSY AND NOW PREPARING MYSELF TO GO ON HOLIDAY. 6th MAY I am back from the stimulating symposium on “Women, … Continue reading
Pather Panchali : Witch or Grandmother
Because of a mix up in dates by the cinema, the U3A audience at the Lexi was small but very appreciative. I had forgotten how woman-centered was Pather Panchali and remembered only the visual and music emotional impact it made … Continue reading
Posted in Film Analysis
Tagged aunt/niece relationship, death, family, grandmother, intergeneration, mother, mother/daughter, old aunt, old woman, representation old woman
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Who is Mrs Henderson?
The U3A December screening at the Lexi was “Mrs. Henderson Presents”. It might be churlish to criticise a film that seems to be so ‘feel good’ and in which the actors had such fun performing. A film where the age … Continue reading
Posted in Film Analysis
Tagged film genres, film reception, judi dench, old woman, representation old woman, war
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The Night of the Hunter (1955)
Good grandmother , bad Grandmother? Both the U3A and non U3A audience were very enthusiastic about this classic and the comments were mainly on its effectiveness in making us care about the children and experience the action as seen through their … Continue reading
The Salt of Life or Gianni and Women (2011)
Gianni e le donne. Literally Gianni and (the) Women. Gianni is on our screens again. Still drinking, but less than he did in Mid August Lunch, still a good cook, still at the beck and call of his mother. But … Continue reading
Posted in Film Analysis
Tagged Ageism, carer, daughter, family, gaze, grandfather, mother, old woman, positive ageing, redundancy, role reversal, still doing it, walking the dog
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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
Old Age and Feature Films 
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 →