i enjoyed the film, but i did a quick bit of arithmetic and i noticed that Steward was 50 and Novak 25 when they made this film. in other words he was twice her age with an age difference of 25 years between them.
Maybe things were a little different then but nowadays such an age difference would surely be frowned upon?
Tracy and Hepburn.
Bogart and Bacall.
Nowadays? Check the ages of some of the actors paired, especially when you get a big name and a newcomer.
Not sure how much older Richard Gere was compared to Julie Roberts when they did pretty woman but I'm sure he was older.
Check out the ages of some of the actresses paired with Harrison Ford.
One word: Brangelina (ugh!!!).
shareWell I thought it made this movie UTTERLY unbelievable and CREEPY.
The Stewart character was an annoying, arrogant ass and as utterly creepy as Seth MacFarlane's 'Herbert the pervert'.
Wow, how times have changed. It used to be that older men were desirable because of security. Older men were more likely to be established, steady, with a good job and $$$. Marrying someone twice your age was just no big deal.
You've got me?! Who's got you?!
@Molly
The point is that older men/younger women romances on-screen,to this day are the norm, and even though younger man/older women romances are done more on-screen (probably also due to their being more female writer/directors,too) it's still looked upon as something kinda off the beaten path,so to speak. Also,even back in the day, just because a man was older didn't necessarily mean that he was any more stable or dependable than a younger man. That was back when women had far less options for themselves. Times have changed to the point (thank goodness) where a woman no longer needs to rely only on a man to have a stable home life, or even a life----she can get her own job, with her own education and more importantly, her OWN independent life. No longer is marrying some older dude the only option anymore.
Sure. Everything you're saying is 100% (I could wish for even more female writers, directors and producers though!). I just don't feel it's "weird and creepy" when one is much older than the other. It depends on the situation.
You've got me?! Who's got you?!
25 is the end of the line for women, and 50 is about the end for men. Perfect match.
shareI think his role was as a younger man than his actual age. Leading men tend to keep playing star roles much longer than women of the same age.
Remember Rabbit Ears with tin foil?
Since the OP hasn't responded since her first post I'll respond to you.... This was a common complaint from the 40s to well, even today a bit, I guess. Leading males, like Stewart, Grant, Errol Flynn, Bogart, Tracy, Harrison Ford, Gere, etc. etc. etc. If they've kept themselves up they can play the romantic lead until they call it quits on that roll.
Cary Grant did. He, like Stewart decided that he was far to old at 50 to be paired with a 20-something starlet, that's why he chose to do "Father Goose" and his last film, the title escapes me at the moment but you can look it up. He preferred to play the family man or bachelor roles. Both he and Stewart, and I'm sure other leading males began to feel silly being paired with women who could be their daughters.
The actors that were the leading females when they were 20-somethings began finding it harder and harder to find leading female roles once their age tipped the scales past 35, no matter how good they looked.
Betty Davis, for instance was a knockout in you heyday, then she virtually dropped out of film because she couldn't get choice parts until she developed enough aged character to play the parts like Hermione Gingold in this film.
Look at how many beautiful young woman in old films that you barely see as they age. After child actors the attrition rate for young leading females is nearly as high and appalling for what Hollywood does to them.
It's still a man's world for the most part. But as more women become Directors and Producers more fine old female actors will have a chance to remain if film, if they wish.
she just -looked- 25
her character was hundreds of years old
:D
But! after this movie James Stewart thought the age difference was too much of a stretch for audiences to 'buy' that kind of romance so after this in all his renaming movies he was married or single
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Have you noticed that lately IMDB isn't posting the ages of newly added actors? I think there was a huge debate between the actors and IMDB that actors weren't getting referrals because these pages were being researched and trues ages were being exposed.
I don't know how much of that's true but I have noticed that newer actor entries seldom list the DOB.
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Sadly, in modern French films this type of pairing is typical; eg, Charlotte Rampling and Jean Rochefort and Daniel Auteuil and Carole Bouquet, etc.
shareWhat it was Stewart is 50 and still a bachelor.
It's that man again!!
Here's a quote from South Pacific about this:
Captain Brackett: Cable, it is a common mistake for boys of your age and athletic ability to underestimate men who have reached their maturity. Young women frequently find older men attractive, strange as it may seem. I myself am over fifty. I am a bachelor. And Cable, I do not, by any means, consider myself th-r-rough.