49 Up

The seventh film in the unique "Up Series" - documentaries made for Granada, the privately held British television corporation - that has followed a group of 14 ostensibly normal English subjects, of differing backgrounds, from age 7 to 49, issuing a follow-up film every 7 years. This latest installment is the best to date. It is well organized, presenting one person's life at a time rather than skipping around among them. Nearing age 50, these people have become highly thoughtful and articulate; they're all more interesting now than ever before. And the director, Michael Apted, has also vastly improved his skills at interviewing his subjects, which makes a great difference for the better. What impresses is how well nearly everyone has done in life.

The original thesis of the series is that kids grow up without much change from the way they were early on, a view put forward in the 16th Century Jesuit aphorism: "Give me the child until he is seven, and I will give you the man." But the life trajectories of a number of these individuals belie that view, suggesting instead that people often do change in response to life circumstances, a view supported in several 20th Century accounts of human development across the lifespan (e.g., the work of the Harvard psychologist Robert White and his contemporary, the psychoanalyst Erik Erikson).

The original thesis in the first film, "7 Up," also held that social class, or socioeconomic opportunity, had a controlling effect on development, a view that excludes the influence of both hereditary and learned aspects of individual psychological makeup and adaptation. Roger Ebert lists the "Up Series" among his top ten film productions of all time, and has said that the series represents "…an inspired, almost noble, use of the film medium." I heartily agree. My grades: 10/10 (A+) (Seen on 10/17/06)

I have recently watched all of the Up series, finishing with 49 Up this evening. While I have enjoyed the series and been fascinated by the people involved, I did agree with John somewhat that it's a bit like Big Brother or some other reality series.

Upon talking it over with my husband, however, I find that I have misjudged it. The series does have a lasting value that is not present in entertainment based reality TV shows. What does the series teach us? Tolerance and acceptance of our own fallible judgments. We see these people at 7 and we decide what they will be doing at 21 or 35. Inevitably we're wrong on some important level. What this shows us is that we can never truly know someone, especially someone we don't have an intimate family relationship with, because we never get more than a glimpse into their inner life.

At 7 I didn't like Tony. At 21 I didn't like Suzie. The only person I have admired from the beginning is Bruce. Now, at 49, I find them all interesting, individual people and I have a great deal of respect for each of them. They have made their lives something to be proud of. They bring value into the lives of their families and communities, but also to those of us who only see a tiny portion of their lives every 7 years.

This isn't reality TV. This is reality- this is life being lived by real people. I hope they will continue to do the program, despite the intrusion. I hope they will understand that they do bring something more into our lives than a couple hours entertainment.

Michael Apted's unique longitudinal TV study of the lives of twelve (originally fourteen) London schoolchildren from a variety of backgrounds all born in 1956 is here updated to 2005. Reality TV is intrusive TV and Apted's subjects do not relish his probing into their lives every seven years. The original "lefty" Granada producers (Apted was a junior researcher on the original show) saw this "World in Action" program as a way of demonstrating how class in Britain determines outcomes, but with each iteration class becomes less important and personality and character more important. Each kid still has the capacity to surprise, just as life has the capacity to surprise them.

At 49, most of them are leading fairly settled lives with long-term partners and an increasing number of grandchildren. One striking feature, though it is typical of their generation, is the number that are on to their second and even third marriages. In some cases their careers have been more stable than their relationships. Another feature is that the disadvantaged kids of 1963 have by and large done better than expected. No-one has gone to jail or been murdered and many of their children have done better educationally and career-wise than they have. The girls have had a rougher time than the boys, being pushed out into the labour force yet still having to do the lion's share of family maintenance.

John, Andrew and Charles, the three upper class boys, have had a relatively easy time. John, now a Chancery Silk (was it he who read the "Financial Times" at seven?) allowed Apted into his life again only to give his Bulgarian charity some publicity, but he clearly has a comfortable and fulfilling lifestyle. Andrew, a solicitor, is "guarded about being guarded" and gives very little away (he did not appear in "42") but he seems comfortable enough also. Charles, the BBC producer, left the series after "21". Suzie the upper class girl who went through a bad time as a young adult is now mature, poised and affable. She says however this "Up" will be her last.

By contrast the three working class girls, Jackie, Sue and Lynn, have done it tougher, especially where men are concerned. But they have held down jobs, brought up children and generally have become solid citizens. Tony the jockey turned cabbie, despite his infidelities, is still married to the same woman and they have grandchildren, and (something unimaginable for them in 1963) a holiday villa in Spain. The two "orphans" Paul and Simon, one from a broken home and the other the son of a white mother who had a fleeting affair with a black man, are still working class, but again solid citizens with jobs, children and grandchildren.

The middle class boys, Bruce and Nick (son of a Yorkshire farmer), have succeeded in academia, Bruce as a maths teacher in a colorful array of schools and Nick as a Professor of Physics at the University of Wisconsin. Bruce surprised everybody (and probably himself) by getting married for the first time at 42 and producing two children. Nick's first marriage folded and he is now married (at long distance) to another academic. His career faltered when his longstanding research into nuclear fusion hit insuperable obstacles, but he continues to be a gifted teacher.

And of course there is Neil. A delightful, imaginative seven year old, he was a troubled adolescent,dropped out of university, and slid in his 20s into depression. His thirties, spend in some of the colder parts of the UK such as Scotland and the Shetlands, were not much better and he became the most likely candidate for the first permanent disappearance from the program. But something happened to Neil in his 40s, and at 41 he had moved back to London and become a local councilor in Hackney. Now at 49 he has moved to Cumbria, got on the local council there and become a lay preacher. Somehow, you think this man has found God, if not himself, though it has been a long and lonely journey. This is the kid who at seven said he didn't want children, and the man has the same view, but he has found a niche in society for himself.

I've no doubt Apted will go on with this until he drops – to get this far indicates a fair degree of obsession (it is not that the busy director has nothing else to do). I can't help feeling things are going to flatten out a bit – 49 to 56 are usually fairly stable years and this group (even Neil) are a fairly stable group. But, to repeat, it's a unique program, and maybe there are some more surprises in store.

In 1964, English filmmakers including director Michael Apted assembled a group of fourteen British children from various economic and social backgrounds, all age 7, and made a documentary about them called 7 Up. Every seven years afterward, Apted revisited the same children and made another documentary about them, chronicling their lives at the ages of 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42 and now 49. The first installment that I watched, 28 Up, made me fall in love with these films. Much has been said about the series depicting the rigidity of the English class system, but as decades go by, the human element, the nature and personalities of the individuals being profiled, seems to be almost as important in affecting how their lives turned out. After seeing 28 Up and 35 Up, I remember feeling very bad for one kid who grew up coping with mental health problems and eventually wound up homeless, and thought leaving the theater that he wouldn't be alive for 42 Up. But by then he had moved to London and involved himself in local politics, a rewarding turn of events for him, and for the audience as well. The kids from the upper crust backgrounds have predictably had more affluent lives, and turned out to be the least forthcoming and most guarded on camera as adults, and less easy to warm up to. Some kids had deep seated feelings of shyness and insecurity that stayed with them as adults, and very publicly evaluating their failures and achievements every several years has been very difficult and uncomfortable for them. But even though some seem to resent the filmmakers' intrusion in their lives, they generally seem to understand the larger value of the series and twelve of the original fourteen kids continue to participate, even though they have misgivings or regrets about it. It's interesting to watch marriages and relationships suddenly begin and end, and usually people quickly remarry or find another relationship, often to someone more compatible and attractive. I identified most with the children who grew up to be teachers and academics, highly likable, intelligent people who realize that they aren't the most socially or economically successful but in many ways seem to be the most happy and fulfilled ones of the bunch. Despite their ambivalence, the participants deserve a big round of applause for letting us grow up and old along with them.

It is not quite a 50th Birthday invitation, but as most of the original cast of the landmark documentary 7 Up, approach the big 5-0, we are invited back into their lives to celebrate their most recent trials and tribulations in Michael Apted's 49 Up.

It was the Up series that launched Apted's career, and he now has some thirty titles under his belt, including James Bond: The World Is Not Enough and Gorilla's in the Midst.

The Up series began in 1964 as a sociological experiment. Apted, armed with a video camera, set out see if life was pre ordained for children by the class they were born into. To test this concept, 14 children of the same age, but born into varying social strata's were filmed interacting together at a zoo. The Up series is credited with paving the way for other historically important screen documentaries.

It is remarkable in itself that Apted has managed to keep track of the original, and willing Up participants. As her revisits them every 7 years, the footage from these lengthy interviews is what makes up the series. By 49 Up, the 'class outcomes' are put to bed.

Apted should be credited for moving beyond the class wars, and choosing to focus on journey and personal growth of his participants as the greatest mark of achievement. This was summed up beautifully by a UK movie buff: "in a real sense, all are successful, when we define success as finding fulfillment in where you are and in what you do."

The greatest success story and Apted's own personal favourite is the story of Neil. After learning of Neil's stints of homelessness, and battle with mental illness, fellow Up participant Bruce, threw him a life line 7 years ago by offering Neil a place to stay and then went about helping him get on his feet. Now, Neil lives independently with a fixed address and is running for town mayor.

Most participants have something inspiring and surprising in their stories. Even John Brisby, who features in 49 Up as a prominent lawyer, has lived his life very much like her predicted when he was a child. When we meet John at age 7, he was apparently reading the Financial Times, was most concerned about schools becoming free, fearing they would become 'terribly crowded.' He had aspirations of attending Cambridge and becoming a lawyer.

So in 49 Up it was a touch ironic that he had committed a large portion of his life to building free schools in Bulgaria and working to improve the medical system. His reasoning to appear in 49 Up was to 'raise awareness on a greater platform'.

The tearful admission of tough but lovable Lyn Johnson about her loosing fight to stabilize funding for her work she does with disabled children will touch all, and hopefully mobilize the relevant agencies to do something about it. What is also surprising is how media savvy both Lyn and John have become to use the series to further their own causes.

On a lighter note, little Tony, the knockabout kid from the east end who wanted to be a jockey, is now Tony the owner driver of a cab, grandfather and , has a villa in Spain as well as his home in London. He has done some acting work thanks to the Up series, and his honest and welcoming account of his last 7 years is a highlight. However, my favorite is still Bruce, for no prolific reason. You'll have a favourite by the end too.

49 Up intended to be a fly on the wall documentary, but you can't help to wonder if their lives are a product of the experiences presented to them, because of the Up documentaries. It is a phenomenal series, and its format has been copied in other countries and it is used as an education aid in VCE psychology classes, yet, after 42 years, they participants are still bewildered by our interest in their 'ordinary' lives. John offers us his insight about our fascination: " It's like watching Big brother except the viewer gets the added bonus of watching us all grow old and get fat."

For all the differences in their back grounds, the participants are seem to have a similar trait- optimism and resilience, and it is satisfying to watch. Yes the once wide eyed 7 year old are now plumper, greyer, and more precocious then ever, yet there is a little bit of all of them in us, and that is why we will eagerly await 56 Up in 2013.