Age is No Barrier
[1989, 23 min.] Age is No Barrier
celebrates the joys of activity and aging. The title of this film is an appropriate
motto for the group of Canadian elders who participate in an exercise program
called "The U. of Agers." Viewers are introduced to a number of active,
dedicated, and sometimes feisty seniors who love to extend themselves in a variety
of ways through a varied exercise progam. Several of the seniors are profiled,
and viewers gain insights into their motivation to keep active and challenged
through exercise.
Introduction
Images of vital, active elders are rare in educational films and videos. In
these documentary resources elders are portrayed as physically active, mentally
sharp, busy with a myriad of creative activities, committed to relationships
with friends and family, involved in the community, aware of current events,
and engaged with a complex range of personal and societal issues. The subjects
of these films are "real people" who engage life on their own terms and express
themselves with creativity and vigor in their old age. Age is No Barrier
is an excellent example of such a resource. The title of this film is an appropriate
motto for the group of Canadian elders who participate in an exercise program
called "The U. of Agers." Viewers are introduced to a number of active, dedicated,
and sometimes feisty seniors who love to extend themselves in a variety of ways
through exercise and have learned to celebrate the joys of activity and aging.
The range of activities portrayed in the film include a variety of athletic
regimens, including rhythmic gymnastics, swimming, yoga, calisthenics, and jogging.
Several of the seniors are profiled, and viewers gain insights into their motivation
to keep active and challenged through exercise. This documentary is a stimulating
and refreshing look at the way exercise in old age provides a foundation for
group cohesiveness, creativity, and self esteem. The older people are compelling
subjects, and they are revealed through well composed images and scenes. The
music is upbeat and carries the action along. Older viewers will be stimulated
by the portrayals of vital old age, and gerontologists will find a use for the
film to supplement educational materials on exercise and aging. The film provides
role models of active elders who respond to a diverse set of personal and societal
challenges with humor, creativity, and adaptability. To the people in Age
is No Barrier old age is a time for increasing and maintaining one's physical
and mental agility and expanding one's interests. In short, "age is a state
of mind."
Summary of Scenes
Many of the visuals in the film are accompanied by voice-over narration. That
is, a person's voice from a separate interview time is played over images of
that person alone and/or interacting with others. Through this technique the
viewer is given the impression of listening to a person's inner thoughts or
feelings. Voice-over in this film is denoted by the use of all caps: as in LILLIE:
"The first time I did it, the group cheered." Viewers don't "see" Lillie speak
those lines; but they hear her say the words while observing her in her apartment.
- An unusual close-up of a woman beginning a headstand. The soles of her feet
are right in front of the camera. "See. I won't get it maybe the first time."
She falls back. Upbeat music begins and the title comes up. An old man carrying
an Olympic-style torch in his hand is shown set against skyline. He swings
his arms vigorously as he strides. The same man, now sitting on a mat in a
gym, speaks to other older men and women gathered around him. He notes the
myth of slowing down at age 50. Quick insert of same woman making the headstand.
Her name is Lillie. LILLIE: "The first time I did it, the group cheered. They
thought it was really something." Suddenly she moves into the headstand. "I
can do this and count to 50." She begins to count. An older man, Stan, dressed
in shorts and gym clothes, scoots up a rope suspended from the ceiling. STAN:
"I'm not doing it to show off." The camera looks straight up toward him. Then
a older person, Beth, is shown swimming with others and doing aerobics. BETH:
"Age doesn't come into it at all. This is something I want to try."
- The teacher in the gym from above continues his pep talk. Notice his powerful
calf muscles on him. Quick cut to scene of woman at headstand. "32, 33, 34
. . . " LILLIE: "There are a lot of people who may think it's silly." Shot
of her legs high in the air and family photos in the background. Back to the
pool. The woman shown above in the swimming pool complains that old people
too often accept negative stereotypes and don’t believe they are capable of
active lives. She asks, "What do you do if you don't do that [become active]
when you're 65?" Stan, the older man we saw above, drops from the rope. STAN:
"I’m full of life!" Lillie, the woman doing the headstand, keeps counting.
LILLIE: "This isn't showing off. You learn balance." She drops down and regains
her balance on her feet. She smiles, "I did it!" Back to the teacher. "We
should go struggling against it rather than laying meekly next to our television
set and falling asleep." Then a quick montage of the four people featured
above exercising in various ways. A snappy concertina keeps time as the elders
move about.
- The "U. of Agers" are introduced at a performance. They are an intergenerational
rhythmic dance group. The older women wear colorful leotards and dance. They
dance to the music and swing wands that trail colorful ribbons. COACH: "Never
before has there been older people doing these kinds of things. Older people
have tended to hang back and not do things; they've been encouraged not to
do things. Here's a group that's saying, 'Go out and do the best you can do.
Go as far as you can go.' " Good reaction shots of the crowd during the performance.
- A younger woman, Sandy, another coach of the group of older people known
as the "U of Agers," speaks in direct interview. She is impressed with the
group’s motivation. "I see frailty, but I think the extraordinary thing is
their open-mindedness about being something they are not supposed to be."
Sandy is the one who conceived of the group, the "U. of Agers." More scenes
of Sandy teaching the group rhythmic gymnastics. Then more scenes of the women
practicing. Another coach, Katie, an older woman with silver hair, is shown
leading a practice. She is a radiant personality, always encouraging her students.
SANDY: "We thought of this as a futuristic idea of what seniors could be doing."
Then Katie is shown teaching the women to do cartwheels.
- Then the group relaxes by doing headstands. Sandy comments on Beth’s progress.
She is the woman shown earlier in the swimming pool. Beth has severe scoliosis
and arthritis. But there she is. She is also shown at home, doing yoga beautifully.
BETH: "You don’t have to do everything that we do in U of Agers. It’s entirely
a personal thing." Excellent shots of her performing yoga positions. Then
she is shown at the swimming pool again, this time teaching children to swim.
Underwater photography shows the children swimming between her legs. BETH:
"Keep going, even though you're only 50% of what you used to be. It's all
in your head. Mind over matter."
- Another scene of the "U. of Agers" at practice. SANDY: "They're asking us
to teach them how to do it. Society has really underestimated the older adult
potential." The group continues more exercises. The scene changes to focus
on Stan, who is swinging from the high bar and doing loops. In a voice-over
he emphasizes how important working out is to him. Then he is shown on his
motorcycle. STAN: "Most of my friends think the way I’m living is great."
He is riding bike "rebel." In his basement he performs handstand pushups against
the wall. He moves effortlessly and powerfully. He emphasizes the importance
of a regular exercise program. He also does chin-ups with equal ease and grace.
Finally, he is shown jogging with a friend. He seems relaxed and happy-go-lucky.
- Back to the gym with the group. Stan does headstand and then rolls forward
and backward and is applauded warmly. Then the focus shifts to Lillie, 76,
the oldest member of the group. First, she does numerous pushups. LILLIE:
"I've been told, ‘Aren't you crazy to be doing these things?’ It doesn’t bother
me. I'm trying to keep myself fit." She works out on the low balance beam
with other women. Her coach praises her as a beginner who makes the effort.
Lillie wears a T-shirt that shows a rocking chair within a circle--but a line
drawn across the symbol in the universal "No" message. The logo reads, "I'm
off my rocker." Scenes of Lillie at home vacuuming her carpet. In a voice-over
she explains that she stretches while cleaning and dusting in order to make
the task more like exercise. She also likes to run inside her apartment in
bad weather. There she goes, running to and fro to whimsical music. She is
also shown at a university, where she has completed her Bachelor’s in Fine
Arts.
- Back to the gym. Lillie is helped to do a backward flip on a bar. Later
she is at home typing a book on the typewriter. LILLIE: "If I were not fit,
I would not be able to sit and write my book. I want to be independent. My
family thinks they should look after me. But I want to look after myself as
long as possible." She rides an exercise bike at a clinic." In a voice-over
Sandy explains the physical benefits of exercise in older age. Then focus
returns to Stan, who is also shown exercising for the same doctor. He recounts
the few times he has seen a doctor, who has told him, "I hope I'm in that
shape when I'm your age." Stan is shown ice skating and then doing maneuvers
on the parallel bars. His athleticism is extraordinary. He notes how much
he has saved the Canadian health care system.
- The focus returns to Beth, the swimmer. She is shown learning the butterfly
stroke. BETH: "I'm not efficient at it. But I'm getting there. And I'm learning."
The entire "U of Agers" group is shown practicing rhythmic gymnastics. They
move in careful formations. SANDY: "When you are involved in dance or gymnastics,
where you have to think about where you are supposed to be there is a real
mental function. You’re working the brain as it’s meant to be worked." LILLIE:
"If you don't start challenging yourself mentally, you'll start slipping back."
The scene changes to show an old man being lifted up and down by a number
of women in the group. He is lifted up and down the number of time of his
age--73 times. Everyone is having a great time. Katie tells him, "You've touched
the fountain of youth--the gym floor." The members of the group interact warmly.
Sandy emphasizes the camaraderie and socialization within the group.
- More scenes of the "U of Agers" in performance. SANDY: "They don't have
to do this. They're really taking on a challenge. They're doing it because
they want to learn. They want to try something new. They want to be tested,
challenged." Lillie painting. "I live each day and enjoy every bit of it.
I'm not lonely." When she has problems, she goes jogging. "Everything seems
to fall in place." Then we see Stan digging in the garden. He says he'll keep
up with gymnastics. Scene of Beth swimming. BETH: "The more I keep myself
mentally and physically fit, the better life I will lead in the years to come."
- Back to the performance. The group performs movements they had practiced
earlier. A montage of shots shows them in action. COACH: "We've only scratched
the surface of what old people can do. A group like the U of Agers continues
to show people what is possible." SANDY: "Let's break down the numbers. The
numbers don't mean a thing. We can't use a number to judge what is appropriate
behavior for adults." After the performance the group celebrates. Some of
the words on their T-shirts: "Young at Heart," "Heaven Can Wait."
- The last scene shows the torch-bearer (coach) we saw in the first scene.
He is striding along on the open road. COACH: "I'm fighting it tooth and nail.
I'm not as young as I was. But I've made up my mind I'm going to do everything
I can do. Do not go quietly into that dark night. Age should rage and fight
against it. That's what I'm doing, and that's what I'm urging the people around
me to do."
The Great Circle of Life--Home Page
Text of The Great Circle
of Life: A Resource Guide to Films and Videos on Aging, copyright ©
1987, 1999, 2005, Robert E. Yahnke. All photographs copyrighted by Robert E.
Yahnke. All rights reserved. Contact author for permission to copy
photographs or reprint portions of text.