Khaberni - The cinema committee at the Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation, tomorrow, Tuesday, will exhibit the French film "Old Woman of Ill Repute" directed by Rene Allio, at exactly six thirty in the evening in the cinema hall at the foundation's headquarters in Jabal Amman.
The film, produced in 1965, is a feature film, and its script is based on a story by the German writer and director Bertolt Brecht. It revolves around Mrs. Bert, an elderly woman who takes care of her sick husband, having spent her life serving her home, husband, and children, living isolated from the outside world.
The film begins with the death of the sick husband, and contrary to what this tragic beginning suggests - an elderly widow suffering the pain of loss and facing life alone. The events of the film proceed differently, as the end of the husband's life is actually the beginning of the old widow Bert's life, forming her journey after losing her husband to rediscover the forgotten and neglected self, to rediscover life anew, to snatch and steal joy, unheeding of the surrounding views and their displeasure.
Thus, the old woman decides as much as possible to reclaim the life stolen from her, not minding spending her savings in pursuit of pleasure and the joy of life, which provokes the displeasure of her children who, despite their old age, still depend on her, so she appears to them as a woman of ill repute who has lost her senses. On the other hand, the old woman regains the wonder of children, and she is made happy by the simplest actions and events; such as going to the cinema, eating ice cream, and watching the sea... Bert decides to buy a car to help her move and discover life and places with a young waitress of ill repute working in a nearby cafe. Bert's life, as summarized by the narrator's voice at the end of the film, "With the money she had, Bert lived two types of life consecutively; the first as a maid, wife, then mother, and the second as Mrs. Bert, a woman alone, without commitments and with modest financial resources, her first life was harsh for sixty years, while the second lasted only a year and a half."
"It's never too late", this well-known wisdom was the old widow's compass to life, and it was one of the important sayings of the film and its messages to the audience, that time is never too late for change, launching, and liberation, so no matter how old a person is, if they enjoy the spirit of youth, they are capable of change and living life passionately and joyfully. Ironically, the film provided the actress Sylvia (her name appeared only thus in the film's titles), who played the role of the old woman, her first chance as a leading heroine when she was in her eighties.
The film "Old Woman of Ill Repute" serves as a satire of French society at the time, mocking the society's incorrect concepts about the role of women and about the elderly and their relationship with life. The film won three awards at that time including Best Film, and Best Actress went to the octogenarian Sylvia.
