The Coming of Age: Older Characters in Hollywood Films, 1960-2013

• In Event: 306 - Regular Session. Cultural Studies 4: The Production and Circulation of Culture

Abstract

Trends in popular culture often follow shifts in demographic patterns. The youth culture of the 1960s is one obvious example of demography’s effect on culture and, with the aging of the population, we may also be in the midst of a comparable shift that takes into account the growing number of active and engaged older consumers. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the number and type of English-language films that feature older characters has increased over the decades and, if so, whether the standard stereotype of the warm but ineffectual older person continues as the default depiction of old age. To answer these questions, I have developed a sample of films that includes every English-language film released between 1960 and 2013 in which there is a focal character aged 62 or older.
The results of the analysis of 82 films that feature older characters demonstrate that the recent films present a more complex and less stereotyped depiction of older characters than was once was the case. Two problems remain, however, the most obvious of which is the failure of the film industry to imagine compelling stories of interesting older women. The other obvious problem with Hollywood’s treatment of older characters is its demeaning depiction of working class and lower-middle class characters. Older professionals are presented as complex, fully-rounded, and estimable characters; working class older characters demonstrate that negative stereotypes, once established, are difficult if not impossible, to eliminate.

Author

• James J. Dowd, University of Georgia