The Most Interesting Elderly Characters
I’m not so sure I’d consider Audrey Hepburn (51) and Ben Gazzara (50) in THEY ALL LAUGHED elderly
I do think these are very interesting elderly characters
Ida Kaminska in THE SHOP ON MAIN STREET
Walter Huston in TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE
Lionel Barrymore in IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE
Jean Gabin in TWO MEN IN TOWN
Geraldine Page in THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL
Ruth Gordon in ROSEMARY’S BABY
Victor Sjöström in WILD STRAWBERRIES
Ruth Gordon in HAROLD & MAUDE
Faye Bainter in THE CHILDREN’S HOUR
Peggy Ashcroft in A PASSAGE TO INDIA
John Huston in WINTER KILLS
Coral Browne in DREAMCHILD
Jessic Tandy in DRIVING MISS DAISY
Most interesting? Here are some;
Ernest Thesiger as Horace Femm
Eva Moore as Rebecca Femm
Brember Wills as Saul Femm
Elspeth Dudgeon as Sir Roderick Femm
from 1932’s The Old Dark House. Sir Roderick Femm has to be one of the strangest characters from that classic era of horror films.
@kenji. mifune in i live in fear? ahhhaaahaaa. that’s one of the funniest films i ever saw! even now the memory of mifune gurning his way through the film with flour in his hair makes me crack up. and the ending was all the more sad for that, because the whole thing was so crazy all the way through.
Right, he’s very amusing. And by the way everyone- people in their 50s, even Monteiro, are not old. I’m 51 and i may look decrepit, but i’m a spring chick. Manoel de Oliveira is still prancing around at 103.
Atlantic City is worth mentioning
Brigitte Mira in ALI: FEAR EATS THE SOUL
The ones that come to mind immediately for me are Kanji Watanabe from Ikiru and Jean-Louis Trintingnant in Three Colours: Red. Also, the old lady in Japon, Ascen, is weirdly mesmerising. She’s so open and vulnerable, but quite unflappable. Shout out to the elderly couple from Mullholland Drive!
Oh! Noah Cross!!!!
Morgan Freeman “Invictus”;
Ingrid Bergman “Autumn Sonata”;
John Huston “Chinatown”;
Ruth Gordon “Harold And Maude”;
Jack Nicholson “About Schmidt”;
Jessica Tandy “Driving Miss Daisy”;
Walter Huston “The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre”;
Geraldine Page “The Trip To Bountiful”;
Lionel Barrymore “It’s A Wonderful Life”;
Clint Eastwood “Gran Torino”.
Ingrid Bergman “Autumn Sonata”;
That’s not very modest Ms Bergman.
Probably the best elderly duo.
I realize Ossie Davis might not be considered elderly. But Elvis was surely quite old by the time he filmed this.
I’m not so sure I’d consider Audrey Hepburn (51) and Ben Gazzara (50) in THEY ALL LAUGHED elderly
Then name an older couple in a slapstick romantic comedy.
Hmmm…this is an interesting topic.
I would say Frank Langella in Starting Out in the Evening is a good example. A powerful performance, probably his best yet, it’s a studied nuance of a character that’s difficult to define and pin down.
I also think Martin Landau in Lovely, Still gives a powerful performance that will break your heart. I don’t want to say too much more because I don’t want to give the film away. But suffice to say, he and Ellen Burstyn remind us why they are gods in the world of acting.
PS – This thread should’ve ended with Nathan’s “Yoda” comment. Perfect. haha
@Jazz -
“I guess Robert Towne’s Twilight would also qualify.”
You mean Robert Benton? lol
Tatsuya Nakadai in Ran. An aging old lord wants to spend the rest of his days in peace, but soon enough his past comes back to haunt him in the worst ways. His terror and child like fear in the latter half is great.
Oh dead. Did I get the wrong one? OK, Robert Benton. :)
And no one has mentioned Omar Sharif in Monsieur Ibrahim? What’s wrong Mubi? You no like old people?
I know it’s about aging and it’s obvious but Away From Her has got to be one of the better films involving old folks that I’ve seen come out in the last ten years. About Schmidt also rocks but as Jazz said, he’s asking about films that don’t necessarily involving aging or dying, which these two films do.
In that regard, here are a couple other movies about aging that, while not great films, had good lead performances:
Christopher Plummer in Man in the Chair
Michael Caine in Is Anybody There?
Peter O’Toole in Venus
And no one has mentioned Omar Sharif in Monsieur Ibrahim? What’s wrong Mubi? You no like old people?
Me no see the film.
I know it’s about aging and it’s obvious but Away From Her has got to be one of the better films involving old folks that I’ve seen come out in the last ten years. About Schmidt also rocks but as Jazz said, he’s asking about films that don’t necessarily involving aging or dying, which these two films do.
Right. (Btw, loved the former; meh on the latter.)
@G-Legs
“That’s not very modest Ms Bergman”.
I thought my last performance in a film was very commanding.
Ian McKellen GODS AND MONSTERS/THE LORD OF THE RINGS
Ruth Gordon and Sidney Blackmer ROSEMARY’S BABY
Lee Strasberg THE GODFATHER PART II
Christopher Lee THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
Judi Dench NOTES ON A SCANDAL
Sydney Greenstreet THE MALTESE FALCON
John Huston CHINATOWN
William Hickey PRIZZI’S HONOR
Billy Crystal THE PRINCESS BRIDE
Marlon Brando THE GODFATHER
Christopher Plummer INSIDE MAN/BEGINNERS/THE INSIDER
Ian McDiarmid STAR WARS
Ian Holm THE SWEET HEREAFTER
George C. Scott A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Michael Caine THE CIDER HOUSE RULES/CHILDREN OF MEN
Jason Robards SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES/PARENTHOOD
Morgan Freeman ALONG CAME A SPIDER
Maggie Smith GOSFORD PARK
Helen Mirren THE QUEEN
Anthony Hopkins THE REMAINS OF THE DAY
Alec Guinness STAR WARS
Peter Finch NETWORK
Alan Alda THE AVIATOR
Michael Douglas WONDER BOYS
Michael Gough BATMAN/BATMAN RETURNS
Vanessa Redgrave HOWARD’S END
Wendy Hiller MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS
Hal Holbrook INTO THE WILD
Richard Harris GLADIATOR
Laurence Olivier MARATHON MAN
Sean Connery HUNT FOR THE RED OCTOBER/INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE
Patricia Neal COOKIE’S FORTUNE
John Gielgud MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS
James Cromwell BABE/L.A. CONFIDENTIAL
Brian Cox THE BOURNEY SUPREMACY
I have to say that the old homeless man who gets the shit beat out of him by the surly youths at the beginning of Takeshi Kitano’s Violent Cop held my interest with his initial smile, despite his placement.
Jonas Silgalis
I see some great picks like Bruno Ganz in Unknown, Red West in Goodbye Solo, the couple from Another Year, Clint in Gran Torino.
@Jazzaloha
I enjoyed Space Cowboys a lot. Great fun and wonderful cast.
I would add:
1. Tsilla Chelton in Tatie Danielle and Pandora’s Box (2008). Chelton was born in 1919. She won a Silver Seashell award for best actress at San Sebastián Film Festival for her role in Pandora’s Box.
2. Morgan Freeman in Kiss the Girls and The Shawshank Redemption.
3. Tommy Lee Jones in No Country for Old Men
4. Jeff Bridges in True Grit
5. Christopher Plummer in Beginners
6. Irma P. Hall in Ladykillers (2004). Won a special jury (president Quentin Tarantino) award at Cannes.
7. Gena Rowlands in Another Woman. She was 58 at the time. I don’t remember if they ever mention her age in the film.
8. Miki Manojlovic in The World is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner.
9. George Burns in Oh, God!. Although for me he was great in everything he did.
10. Michel Piccoli in We Have a Pope
11. Michael Caine in The Quiet American
12. Francisco Moron in the film that probably no one knows – 77 doronship.
13. And I really like two actors who reprised their roles in two big franchises. First, Desmond Llewelyn as Q in Bond films and Michael Gough as Alfred in Batman movies.