Social Life in the Movies by James J. Dowd

Author:James J. Dowd [Dowd, James J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, General, Sociology, Women's Studies
ISBN: 9781000208412
Google: KhAHEAAAQBAJ
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2020-10-27T02:08:53+00:00

Conclusion

The range of movies in which older characters are featured has expanded significantly over the years. Over the past half-century, not only have more movies of interest to older audiences been made toward the end of this period than at the beginning, but the nature of those stories has changed considerably over time. The contrast is particularly noticeable when comparing the films released since the year 2000 with those released during the previous two decades (from 1980 to 1999). The anodyne treatment of older characters that was typical of films during the latter decades of the last century has given way to a more complex presentation of older characters that is far less stereotyped than what once was the case. Problems remain, however, with Hollywood’s treatment of older people, the most obvious of which is the failure to imagine compelling stories of interesting older women. So few films exist that feature a central older woman that the difference between the tiny number of such films and the very large proportion of the actual older population that comprises older women remains as it has always been, which is to say a chasm.

This first problem is, then, one of structure. One might speculate that the problem originates in the paucity of screenplays that focus on older characters. Without the raw data, that is, without the stories that could later be transformed into a moving visual presentation, even a film producer who would relish the opportunity to make such movies would more likely choose to make films of the many stories featuring male characters that have already been written. It might also be the case that the audience for movies with older characters has yet to develop. Without a reliable audience for movies featuring older characters, the financial backing necessary for the production and distribution of films would prove difficult to find. This latter possibility is unlikely, however, for two reasons.

The first is the demographic fact of the presence of an increasingly large older population, many of whom are avid movie-goers (Achenbaum, 2012). The second reason concerns the increasing length of acting careers for that segment of the profession that has proven to be successful box-office draws earlier in their careers. What we have seen over the past decade or two is the aging of popular actors, like a Robert De Niro, Clint Eastwood, or Robert Redford, but also the continued employment of these stars in movies about characters of approximately the same age (that is, characters in early old age). Women actors, however, are less likely to continue to work once past the age of 60. Meryl Streep, Helen Mirren, Diane Keaton, Dames Maggie Smith and Judi Dench are among a handful of women past the age of 70 who continue to appear regularly in leading or central roles in movies. More typical of women in Hollywood who are older than, say, 65, are the many who appear only rarely in movies and, when they do, are likely to find only secondary roles in less prestigious pictures.

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