“Croned” is a video essay that explores the dynamic relationship among gender, ageism, and disability in mid-century Hollywood studio films. Turning to Sunset Boulevard (Billy Wilder, 1950, starring Gloria Swanson), Strait-Jacket (William Castle, 1964, starring Joan Crawford), and Hush…Hush Sweet Charlotte (Robert Aldrich, 1964, starring Bette Davis), the essay considers how the cinematic process of being made in the image of a crone—a monstrous old woman—can be reconfigured to reveal and resist sexist ageism.
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