Back in the Saddle Again: Ethics, Visibility, and Aging on Screen

Authors

  • Maruta Z. Vitols Olin College of Engineering, Needham, MA, USA
  • Caitrin Lynch Olin College of Engineering, Needham, MA, USA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/aa.2015.85

Keywords:

age, visibility, The Expendables, R.E.D., Young@Heart

Abstract

This paper engages with filmic portrayals of older adults in the U.S. in order to ask questions about the impacts of mass media on reproducing, critiquing, or interrogating mainstream values and assumptions about aging. The study considers the recent Hollywood works The Expendables (2010) and R.E.D. (2010), as well as the independent documentary Young@Heart (2007). We forefront questions of visibility, invisibility, and recognition both in terms of what experiences and realities are rendered visible or invisible by mass media, but also in terms of the subjective experiences of many older adults in the United States.

Author Biographies

Maruta Z. Vitols, Olin College of Engineering, Needham, MA, USA

Visiting Assistant Professor of Media Studies

Caitrin Lynch, Olin College of Engineering, Needham, MA, USA

Associate Professor of Anthropology

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Published

2015-05-22

Issue

Vol. 36 No. 1 (2015)

Section

Commentaries

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