Visions of Aging: Images of the Elderly in Film

The interface of old age and cinema provides a fascinating yet uncharted territory in the humanities and social sciences. Two central perspectives are explored: movies on old age by old filmmakers; and movies on old age by younger artists. The first perspective focuses on the cinematic representation of aging from within, whereas the second examines the ways aging is viewed from the outside. The distinction is based on the schism between the phenomenology of aging and its social representation: The one hinges on intrinsic qualities of "old age style" or "late style"; the second addresses attitudes towards old age in general as well as towards aging artists and the rejection) of their late films.