42 Up

One of the most important ongoing social and cultural projects of our time, this series of films has documented the lives of a number of people from the age of seven up. Currently the participants are in their mid-forties, now in a position to reflect on the past as well as to speculate about their future from a reasonably well-informed perspective. It is truly fascinating to get even this brief glimpse of how these people have progressed through their lives, from the fresh enthusiasm of early childhood through the angst and pain of the teen years, then coping with the various ups and downs of adulthood. Many have children of their own; some have lost parents along the way. Most have remained in their native England, where social class is more of an issue than here in the States. Class struggle is a topic of discussion in the film, though touched upon rather briefly.

This reviewer has been watching Michael Apted's project for the past fourteen years and is approximately the same age as the participants, a fact which makes the film that much more involving. One feels a connection with these people. Reviewing these people's lives is much like looking back at one's own, which strengthens the feelings of warmth and familiarity that this film evokes.

Mr. Apted has done an excellent job with these films and the reviewer wishes to express appreciation to him as well as to the interviewees.

This film series takes the adage "Give me a child until age 7, and I'll give you the man" and blows it out of the water. I've been a fan of the "Up Series" since my first viewing of "28 Up". Watching these precocious 7-year-olds grow into adulthood right before my eyes has sparked some much needed self-examination of my own life. That may be the greatest value of the "Up Series", causing the viewer to project themselves into the film and see how their own lives have changed and developed. The movie ticket is certainly cheaper than a trip to the psychologist.

Some highlights of this edition:

-Tony, the would-be jockey and racetrack numbers runner who became a London cabbie. Despite his infidelities, Tony is still married to his forgiving wife and seems to take great pride in his children. Tony has now become more reflective about his life, taking a thoughtful stroll through the closed down racetrack where he once rode, and getting misty-eyed when discussing his late mother and father. Always frank and pragmatic, he says of his comfortable suburban home, "I'm a cabbie. This is probably as far as I'm gonna get."

-Bruce, the good-natured, relationship challenged school teacher who was teaching in Bangladesh, is back teaching in London and has finally found Mrs. Right. Among the interesting tidbits of information you learn from Apted's DVD commentary is that he broke his rule of only filming the subjects every 7 years so he could be present to film Bruce's wedding.

-Nick, the physicist who moved to the US, returns home to his father's farm.

We meet his brothers and are treated to some beautiful shots of the English contryside. In his commentary Apted discusses his regrets regarding the way he edited Nick's wife in previous episodes. She now refuses to do interviews for the films and also refuses to let their son participate.

-Andrew, the only one of what Apted refers to as the "Three Wise Men", the upper class boys, who participated in 42 Up. Successful well-adjusted, happily married, we see Andrew and his family on a vacation to New York City (with several pre-9/11 shots of the WTC). Thanks to the DVD commentary, we learn that John doesn't particularly like Apted and only agreed to be interviewed for "35 Up" if his interview was conducted by Apted's assistant director. The other upper class boy, Charles, is ironically a documentary director for the BBC and has consistently refused to participate since "21 Up".

-Neil, the bright, animated 7-year-old who ended up dropping out of college and living in a trailer. Neil has always been the most compelling character in the "Up Series". His obvious intelligence exists in sharp contrast with mental problems and bouts with depression. Every fan of the films would probably admit to worrying whether or not Neil would survive to the next episode. Happily, Neil is now involved in local politics. Despite his eccentric appearance and lack of a paying job (he makes no money from his job with the Liberal Democrats), Neil is no longer the rambling hermit of "28 Up". His turn around can partly be attributed to some assistance from fellow "Up" subject Bruce. Neil even participated in Bruce's wedding.

Let's hope Apted comes up with a DVD compilation that includes footage from all the films. Instead of the brief 15 minute updates we get for each subject in "42 Up", it would be nice to see a half-hour or so on each, as well as footage of those who no longer participate (like Peter). Apted's DVD commentary is boring at times, but includes some fascinating behind-the-scenes information which devoted fans will enjoy. In conclusion, the "Up Series" stands as one of the most important and engrossing documentaries ever committed to celluloid.

Fourteen English children from various parts of society, all born about 1957, have their lives looked at every seven years by Michael Apted and his TV camera. This episode brings us up to 1999 and 42 years old. All are still alive and eleven out of the original fourteen are still participating. (Ironically, one of the drop-outs is a prominent BBC TV producer.)

The two continuing themes are 1) the Jesuit saying `give me the child before he is seven and I will give you the man' and 2) the power of the British class system to determine outcomes. Although the Jesuits suggest that by the age of seven it's too late, some of the kids from lower class backgrounds have done surprisingly well. Nicholas, a Yorkshire dales farmer's son has become a Professor of Physics. Tony, a cockney kid who wanted to be a jockey has finished up owning several cabs. Three working class girls have all finished up with better jobs than their parents though their marital relationships have been rocky. Even the shy son of a single mother has finished up happily married and employed. None of the better-off kids has failed either, though one or two went through rough patches in their early 20s. The three seven year old `upper class twits' (only one of whom still participates in the program) are all professionals and have all succeeded professionally - a QC, a solicitor and the aforesaid shy TV producer. Bruce, a kid with a flair for mathematics, after a varied career, has settled down as a fine teacher in a city high school. They only real stray has been Neil, the dreamy little kid from Liverpool, who after a lengthy period as a down-and-out has popped up as an elected official no less, a Liberal Democrat councillor in the London Borough of Hackney.

All the subjects tell their stories fairly fluently to the camera, even Paul, a very shy kid who migrated to Australia as a teenager. Several have now lost one or both parents and there have been several failed marriages. Apted is a gentle interviewer but there has obviously been a lot of pain with the gain.

This is a unique series and the group is not really a random sample (too many toffs and working class kids) but it can be said it shows the persistence of the class system: only one kid has really beaten it, the physicist, and he's left the country. There are no cockney accents in the courtroom except from the witness box. The standard of living in general has increased markedly since the 1960s and `trickle down' economics has ensured that the working class (what's left of them) is better off. Women have done better too, in terms of independence and money, but at a considerable emotional cost in some cases. For them the changes in the social landscape have made it harder than for the boys; the role of women in society has completely changed whereas men plod on much as before.

The one good indicator of future employment success is education, which is notoriously class-based in England (Scotland is a little different). If the (shy) QC had gone to the local council school instead of Charterhouse it is not likely he would he exercising his tonsils today in the High Court. Tony, our successful cabbie might have become a solicitor if he had come from a different social class. Some of the subjects say that class isn't what it was, but it, and the educational system it operates through, are still pre-ordaining outcomes. Perhaps it's the same in most countries (Paul has noticed a class system in Australia); it's just that the British class system stands out a bit more.

I loved the Up series, despite having seen only 35up & 42up.

For the uninitiated, this series was a pet "anthropological" cinematic project undertaken by director Michael Apted. In this series, he would revisit a group of British men and women and make a documentary film about their lives, every 7 years, starting from the age of 7. Of interesting note is the participant's differing social/ class divide; from the upper-middle class suburban homemakers to working class cabbies. (Note: 7up was originally only conceived as a television initiative if I'm not mistaken. But its underlying premise proved so intriguing, guess Apted just had to keep it going and see where it might end up. We are up to "42" now, nice....)

My thoughts...

These films might have shown mere glimpses of those ordinary lives, but I was still in awe of its premise no less. Like the flipping through of a moving photo album, we revisited the lives of these people.

Within a two hour period, we saw these people grow up right before our eyes. We saw their physical and psychological transformation over the years. We saw how they charted their lives and lived it. We shared in their joys and tribulations. Of course, there were harmony, or discordance over those many long years. But this series was contented in just showing us simple truths. It captured vignettes of youth's idealistic beauty and inevitable follies. It revealed life's vaunted fulfillment and crushing regrets. Most importantly, it attempted to shed light on one's happiness barometer; how our pursuit of happiness and attaining contentment is directly corresponded with our expectations in the past, present, and probably beyond.

We may not always tick like clockwork in this tragi-comedic mortal coil. But a rewind is often all it takes to get us back on track. This continuing Up series is thus IMO, a very worthy meditation on the meaning of our very own lives. I so wanna see what happens when those 7 year olds turn 49.

In the most sociologically fascinating and perceptive documentary series ever produced, Michael Apted has made this enormously thought provoking series a labour of love. He has taken eleven seven year olds in 1964, and has filmed them every seven years since then. The results have been breathtaking. In seeing footage from when these now grown adults were little, we see how the boy becomes a man and the girl becomes a woman. We see as each attempt to reach their hopes and dreams. There are successes and failures (including one heartbreaking one), but we get more than that. We get an overwhelming sense of the connection and delicate fabric of human life.