The Gerontologist 44:143 (2004)
© 2004 The Gerontological Society of America
LETTER TO THE AUDIOVISUAL EDITOR
Florence Safford, DSW
Professor Emeritus School of Social Work Florida International University Miami, FL
This letter responds to the Audiovisual Reviews in Vol. 43, No. 4 (August 2003). That column considered images of aging in several feature-length films.
To the Audiovisual Editor:
Regarding Prof. Yahnke's excellent section in Audiovisual Reviews, I have always found movies that deal with aging a helpful adjunct in teaching gerontology. The films reviewed in this volume all can stimulate class discussions of many principles in understanding the complexity of aging. One film in particular increased my own sensitivity, even after working in this field for over four decades. The Straight Story, a positive although poignant tale, made me aware of a hidden group of elderly survivors who may still need to tell their stories as part of an honest life review. Prof. Yahnke describes two old men who get together for a drink and swap stories about their difficult battles in World War II. This experience, however, was much more profound than swapping stories. In one case, the unit's scout had been killed accidentally by his own sharp-shooting buddy, but the rest of the troops thought he had been killed by the enemy. In the other case, by chance the soldier was out of the tent when his buddies in their tent were all killed by a bomb. He had carried survivor guilt for 60 years, and the other had borne his secret guilt through excessive drinking. In this one chance meeting two old veterans were able to fulfill the developmental task of old age, the life review. In my opinion this is a significant film to develop awareness that many World War II veterans, as they reach very old age, may need to have the opportunity to deal with their traumatic past. Just as the world became aware of the importance of oral history for Holocaust survivors, gerontologists should spread awareness of the needs of these aged veterans before it is too late.
