Question 2C: With reference to your own detailed examples, explore representations of older people in the media today.
Older people in the media today are normally seen as quite weak and inferior to the young people in the movie, But some movies show older actors and actress' as the complete opposite of this and make them seem like the 'hero' and the most important part in the movie.
The first representation of older people in the media today that i have chosen is, 'The intern', starring Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway. In this movie Robert De Niro plays a retired widow who sees an advertisement for an intern, he takes on this role and at first all the younger people at the job don't understand why he is there and disregard him as he is dressed formally compared to everyone else just wearing casual clothes. The representation of older people in this is that, they can look quite helpless at first but are well put together and just as capable as younger people are. There is a classic representation of older people not being very modernised with things such as 'slang', social media and technology in the movie as well.
Bruce Willis is the exact opposite of every stereotype there is of old people in the media. Throughout all of the movies he has starred in, he is seen as the action/hero type of character. He is represented as powerful and strong, he often plays a role that typically a much younger actor would take. Bruce Willis is also seen as a 'heartthrob' and is one of the most well know actors for his role in movies like 'Die Hard' and 'RED'.
An Actress that goes against typical stereotypes of not only older people but women as well is Meryl Streep. In movies, such as, 'The Devil Wears Prada' she is represented as a successful, stern business woman. Whereas in the movie 'Into The Woods' she plays the role of an old witch, which could be quite stereotypical due to old women playing the roles of witches and hags in movies and plays.
Someone who does fit the stereotype of older people quite well is, Michael Gambon for his role of Professor Albus Dumbledore in the Harry potter series. Even though he is very powerful in the movie, he is also very wise and humble which is what most people think of when they think of older people. Although in the movie he is powerful, compared to the younger actor Ralph Fiennes, who plays Voldemort, he is fairly weak and get defeated by him.
Through my examples i have come to find that older people are often represented in a positive way through film and often go against the classic stereotypes but often have a few minor ones slipped in to show that they still have older peoples attributes as well.
