Think for a moment about how many popular films have focused on aging characters. From “Cocoon” and “On Golden Pond” to “Harold and Maude” and even the Disney animated feature “Up” – what do these films tell us about how cinema views the aging process? How do these and other forms of popular culture create, support, or challenge stereotypes about aging?
UI professors Teresa Mangum and Corey Creekmur will address these issues and more at this special community event, presented by TRAIL of Johnson County and sponsored by Caring Hands and More of Iowa City.
Among the questions to be explored are the cultural significance of conventional figures like the “grumpy old man” or the “kindly grandmother.” How are older characters used to generate comedy, as well as sympathy? And how does Hollywood differentiate between the aging of men and women, or among different ethnic groups, or different classes? While some recent films may offer more nuanced views of aging and late life, which clichés remain stubbornly in place and whose interests do they serve?
The presentation also will consider the curious historical fact that the invention of cinema has allowed us to witness the aging of some specific performers across their long careers. How have we understood our ability to view the aging faces and bodies of actors like Elizabeth Taylor or Kirk Douglas across many decades? What is the impact of never seeing stars like James Dean or Marilyn Monroe in their old age?
A Q & A discussion will invite audience members to share their own memories and experiences of images of aging in popular culture, and their history with the aging of popular actors on screen. A brief reception with refreshments will follow. Although admission is free, guests are encouraged to register in advance on the TRAIL website at http://trailofjohnsoncounty.org/calendar.
Teresa Mangum is a professor in the Department of Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies and Director of the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies at the University of Iowa. Her research interests range from rebellious women in Victorian novels to the ways art and literature represent life stages, especially late life. She is also a member of the National Humanities Alliance board of directors, which takes her to Washington, DC, each March to explain to our legislators why we still need art, history, literature, philosophy, and theatre in our lives.
Corey Creekmur is an associate professor of English, Cinematic Arts, and Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies at the University of Iowa. His teaching and research focus on international popular cinema, cross-cultural film genres, and popular literature, especially crime fiction and comics. He serves on several editorial advisory boards and is the General Editor of the Comics Culture book series for Rutgers University Press.
Event sponsor Caring Hands & More – a TRAIL prescreened service provider -- offers individuals and families a variety of services, including home health care, parent helper, pet care, professional cleaning, and lawn care. Its staff of home care professionals work together to design holistic, appropriate, coordinated plans of care and duty services for individuals of all ages, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds. For more information, visit www.caringhandsandmore.com/home.aspx.