Customer Reviews

The Up Series (Seven Up / 7 Plus Seven / 21 Up / 28 Up / 35 Up / 42 Up / 49 Up)

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Given one of the most sublime points of this series, that time is precious and fleeting, it's interesting to see that people ask why they should spend so much money on this series, rather than the more important question of why should they spend so much time.

I resisted seeing 42 UP in the theater because I knew that one day these films would be on DVD and I wanted the pure experience of watching them all. Well, here they are and I'm not disappointed.

While Apted is very skillful in using previous clips to make each work stand on it's own, it's far more valuable to see each new clip as it unspools in real-time. For one thing, Apted can't know the future when he makes each installment and so can't edit with an eye to the future (and he admits on the commentary track of 42 UP that the two times he tried, he got it completely wrong -- and in one of those cases lost a valuable participant). For another, much of the richness of each interview is necessarily lost when it's chopped down to a sentence or two in later editions. Some of the most telling and poignant moments are those when one of the subjects gives a look to the camera (or the loved one next to them) in silence. Even Apted comments that about 80% of a particular film is edited out when he makes the next one.

While it's true there is a bit of repetition if you watch all these movies back to back, the total sweep of the experience is awesome which more than makes up for it. Apted does an amazing job by not commenting at all on the subjects (except through editing), letting the individuals speak for themselves. Their statements are loaded in a way that only an outside observe can see.

There are a lot of sad moments here as innocent childhood perceptions get washed away by the realities of life and it's telling that at least one participant seems to have dropped out permanently. One of the lessons that you can see here is that regardless of place in society, not enough of us ever really consider, in a deep way, the values and dictates that our elders speak to us as children. Perhaps that's why Suzy, Neil, Bruce, and Nick stand out for me - each has obviously done deep soul searching even in these snippets of their life. (And what I wouldn't give for an interview with Charles who seems to have reconsidered his life once he didn't get into Oxford.) For all their stature and privilege, John and Andrew seem the least imaginative of the entire lot and have lived lives on the conveyor belt as Charles puts it. Wait for the mid-life crises to erupt in 49 UP.

Be sure to listen to Apted's commentary on the 42 UP program. He clearly explains why Symon was absent on 35 UP (the reason is one might guess after seeing him on 42 UP) and John and Paul are absent (probably forever). It's most telling to me that it is the upper class (privileged) people who have the most problems with the Up Series (apparently Suzy does it reluctantly, but as part of her duty).

Watching this set of DVDs is a totally valuable experience and excellent reminder that our time on this planet is finite, so enjoy them...and life!

***SPOILER ALERT***

There is no doubt that this series is one of the most interesting ever committed to film. Following the lives of a dozen Brits from the age of 7 through 49, the series is both fascinating and heartbreaking. It's impossible to watch the series and not engage in a guessing game, wondering where in life each will be come the next film in the series. It's also impossible to watch the series and not identify with the participants, seeing yourself in each of them. Few films have had the sociological impact of the Up Series.

However, while watching each of the films back-to-back, an uncomfortable feeling began to settle in. Despite director Michael Apted's insightful approach, at times he seems to ignore the fact that a documentarian's role is to serve as an impartial medium and that his opinion has no place in the telling of the story.

Apted often conducts his interviews with those from working-class backgrounds, and are still living in working-class environs, with the assumption that they must be miserable. Presumably, this is due to his own set of experiences. Though Apted was raised in a lower-income section of London, he managed to secure a scholarship to attend City of London School and then studied law and history at Cambridge University. His attitude at times appears to say, 'I succeeded, so why can't you?' Several times he asks these working-class participants if they aren't capable of more than what they are currently doing, not recognizing that several of them are either quite content in their lives or simply haven't had the opportunities or means to build better lives for themselves. He seems unable, or unwilling, to recognize the other riches in their lives, such as family, friends and community involvement, and often dismisses these achievements rather than celebrating them.

The most flagrant examples of Apted's prejudice takes place in "35 Up" in his interview with Tony, and in "49 Up" in his interview with Jackie. In the interview with Tony, Apted comments that everything Tony has ever attempted in his life has been a failure, ignoring Tony's stunning achievements, especially in consideration of his working-class roots. (At the time of "35 Up," Tony had realized his dream of being a professional jockey, an actor, he owned his own business, owned his own home, and had been married for 13 years with 3 children. Hardly what anyone would call a failure.) At times Apted appears unable to recognize that the courage required to attempt new ventures is success in itself regardless of the outcome.

In his interview with Jackie in "49 Up," Apted asks Jackie whether her son is similar to her at his age. When Jackie says that he is, Apted asks Jackie if that is a worry, implying that Jackie's life is less than admirable. Justifiably, Jackie becomes upset by the question prompting her to respond with, "I never said that he picked up all of my traits, only my best traits."

Even with its flaws, the Up Series is a fascinating study of class structure and human evolution. Highly recommended.

It was on a cold January day in 1988 that I first saw 28 Up on PBS in Central Indiana and later 35 Up in the theater in Seattle with 42 Up, like most people these days - on video at home. My point is that there is a personal history in this series that goes from the participants and producers to the public.

For all of its strengths and weaknesses, this is a very human documentation of English people as they grow up and mature. As I have written before, in agreement with Roger Ebert, this is one of the most important films (collective) of our time. It is a documentation of people in our times that takes us beyond the hyperbole and fabrication of media culture and gives us real people in their real settings. Also important is that it is an invited world and not one of voyerism. These peoples lives are uniquely important and the series shows how media and political presuppositions can't box people into class units, which is what was originally intended and I applaud Apted for continuing the series and allowing the series people to have their own voice. Some have dropped out for their own personal reasons.

This is one of the most important historical documents from our times.

A friend in the UK has emailed me and said that Apted is at work on the series (currently written in 2005) and that 49 Up should be ready by Christmas.

Looking forward to the next installment.

This should be in your library, if you value history and documentaries at their best.

I first became aware of this series when, at age 21, I saw "21 Up" in the theater. It was one of the most fascinating movies that I had ever seen. Until "28 Up". And, then, until "35 Up". (You get the idea here).

As each new chapter unspooled, the lessons about childhood, society, class and life in general become deeper and more profound. If this all sounds oh so very boring, it is not.

You will return to these films over and over again, and learn something new each time you view them.

God,this is a great DVD set..
I put this together through the years originally on VHS,now on DVD.

I can remember so vividly sitting there watching this in black and white
the very first show. I was mesmerized.
And then before I knew it,another 7 years had past,and well you know the
rest. I never ever forgot them,even waiting seven years in between.

In earlier years before the Internet,we had no place to go to buy this stuff.Your local stores sure didn't carry this kind of merchandise.
I thought of it so often and with each 7 years passing,I became
more convinced than ever that I was seeing a once in a lifetime viewing.

There were shows that were similar,the Loud Family,etc.

But this was something special. I paid an arm and a leg for each show
as I was lucky enough to finally start my collection of the series.
In some cases I paid close to the current price of the set for a VHS used
copy ! Buying this set on DVD was a dream come true.

The human beings in this series are just like you and me..
Their weaknesses and their strengths are all on display.
It is facinating to see them age through the years,but how very much in personality they remain from the start of the series.

I can't imagine how different this will be for viewers to see this all at
one time when it took me from meeting them at 7 and now them being 49 !
I have waited along time to get this far with them and will be there for as long as they are continuing with the series.
I was disappointed when someone would drop out,I had my favorites.

My favorite from the first time I saw the series was Neil.

After seeing the series,I will bet alot of you will be able to see why.

It is an experience to remember. It's their lives. I have gone on the journey with them.

As some others have commented here, the answer to the question "is this really worthwhile for the money? etc" is "yes," at least assuming that you are willing to commit the time to watching it, which you really should. The description and other reviews have already covered the main idea and many of the highlights. I'll just add a bit from my perspective, for what it may be worth to anyone, with the points in no particular order.

35 UP does in fact seem rather lackluster compared to the others, as I believe someone mentioned. Not sure why. Maybe that age is just typically less interesting in the average life? Maybe in part because it lacks both not only Charles, who dropped out at 21 (and it must be said that I would also pay a lot to find out why he doesn't do the series anymore), but also Symon (called the heart & soul of 14, at least, on the commentary track on 42, when he returns) and, sadly, Peter (who on the same commentary, it is revealed, was basically bullied out by the rigid and overzealous press after some comments he made on 28 that were not to their liking). It is helpful (if not exactly always nice) to see John again, and since he doesn't appear in 42 and didn't appear in 28, either, this is the one chance to get some continuity in terms of his presence. So these absences may create some of that effect, but like in some other parts of the series, it is well worth going through the somewhat slower parts to continue on with the whole effort.

Features: It seems a very unfortunate thing that there are no subtitles -- not even English captions -- on any of the discs. To go to all the trouble to produce and market them and to leave out this one feature, especially in light of the facts that
(1) the series is internationally popular (at least according to several comments Apted makes on the commentary to 42)
(2) the subpar sound quality on the earlier films,
(3) the combination of particular English accents and the fact that children are speaking them on the earlier films, and perhaps most notably
(4) the existence of transcripts for the material already (as Apted comments on 42).
I can see no reason why English captions, at least, if not also subtitles in other languages, were left off, as that seems to be a feature even on much less important run of the mill films released on DVD. The result is that you do really have to be committed to some ongoing vagueness in the early going in order to get the more rewarding material later.

49 UP and beyond: Some have said they hope there will be no more installments because it's boring by this point but it's really difficult to come out with that feeling, I think, if you are really willing to accept the premise and character of the project. Actually the original premise -- to uncover and emphasize the (presumably ugly) importance of the class system in Britain in particular and its effect on people from a very early age -- is often confounded along the way for various reasons, and as has been noted, the real objective turns out to be just the projection over time of the whole maturation process of a human being, which by no means ends upon arrival at adulthood around 20 or so. It's all about that projection; whether these people are in any way "typical" or not is really not very relevant, and whether some stages of their lives are less exciting or not is also not so relevant, even if it can affect the viewer's enjoyment of certain parts of the film. It may also help to view them in this release all together, as Apted himself recommends in his commentary, and to remember if you feel there is too much repetition that of course they were viewed 7 years apart all throughout the history of the project, otherwise.

In the end you really have to admire the work of Apted and his crew on this, and as he frequently points out, the willingness on the part of the various subjects to open themselves up -- sometimes in remarkably revealing ways that leave them quite vulnerable -- to him and the cameras and thus the whole world beyond that. Roger Ebert's description of it as noble and a courageous use of the medium rings very true after you see it. And if there are some parts that are slower or some complaints about the final package, well that's also how life is and is no reason to diminish the overall success of this very ambitious work.

I first heard about Michael Apted when I saw a show he did a couple of years ago called "Married in America". I liked that one very much, so I did some research on Mr. Apted and read about The Up Series. It sounded very, very interesting to me since my mom was born in 1963. I really hoped that I could see The Up Series someday, but it seemed too hard to find the videos or DVD's. We just got the boxed set last week and I've watched most of them, but I can already say they're some of the best DVD's I've ever watched. Parts of it are really sad, but there are some really nice surprises, too.

Yes, this series is worth the time investment to view, Michael Apted has done a wonderful job. And props to all the participants. It can't be easy to open yourself and your life up to this kind of close scrutiny! I was fortunate to be able to rent the series at a speciality movie rental store with a larger than average foreign film section. Otherwise I would have bought the series, or else tried very hard to convince the local librarian to order it!

As Michael Apted himself says in his commentary on 42 Up, it's unfortunate there weren't more female participants chosen, as well as more people from a middle class background and different races. Of the 14, all but one are white and only 4 are female. And the majority were born into either very well off, privileged families, or else were quite poor. I think only two came from middle class families. But in spite of these draw backs what does come up is fascinating. As others have commented, it's interesting how the participants who weren't born with as many advantages are often much more interesting people. (But then, perhaps by coincidence, two of the very well off boys grew up to become lawyers, and Suzy, who was born into a wealthy family but obviously somewhat lacking in brains and imagination, married a lawyer. Anyone who's been around lawyers born with silver spoons in their mouths can attest to how dry and staid they can be).

I especially liked the first DVD 7 Up, in which we were introduced to them as young 7 year olds and the rest of the series starting from 28 Up, at which point you could see how they'd started to mature and were developing more awareness of the implications of their behaviours and attitudes, and just generally more introspective. To me that's what makes this all worthwhile. The human condition and and how we hopefully grow and mature throughout our lives. At 14 (7 Plus Seven) and 21, like most kids around them, they think they have it all figured out. But then given some more years of living, they become more thoughtful individuals. Of course some of those interviewed showed remarkable maturity and insight at a young age, such as Bruce and Symon.

Michael Apted has produced a remarkable series, and film critics are correct I think, in recognizing this for the wonderful achievement that it is. I can hardly wait til 2006, when 49 Up will be produced.

If you are very lucky... you will know about the Up Series. For many years I have searched for the different episodes (for a lack of a better word). In all of the video stores I frequented, I could only find 28 and 42. They were well worth the rental. I also purchased 35 Up. I always wanted to see the complete series and if I leave it up to public television... that will never happen in my lifetime. This is a terrific series! This series covers children from their younger years and follows them through adulthood. We see them graduate, drop out of school, find jobs, enter into marriages and everything else that can happen in life. What an interesting set of documentaries! I hope you would enjoy them as much as I did! YAHOO! Apted... looking forward to 49 Up!

This series of films is based on the quote "Give me a child until he is seven, and I will give you the man." The theory is that personality is formed at 7. The film tests the theory.

In the 1960's, film director Apted, interviewed 14 children in Britian. Every seven years he has gone back to interview the same children. Viewers witness what effect social factors such as wealth, single parenthood, private and public school education have on personality after the age of 7.

I find the UP series endearing. Many of the participants say that they can't see anything of their current selves in 7 UP, however I can. It's amazing to see Michael, a nuclear physics professor at the University of Winsconsin, saunter across campus in the same exact way he walked down the road in the Dales in England as a wee boy. And precious Tony at 7 saying "yeah, it's important to fight, fight, fight" with a huge smile on his face before the camera cuts to him in a playground brawl. As an adult, we see that Tony never stops fighting for what he wants, but in the happiest of ways. When he doesn't realize his dream of being a jockey, his smile doesn't fade. He works hard to become a cabbie. In one of the 7 UP scenes we see Tony fall flat on his face, barely miss a beat before picking himself up and continue running, huge smile from the absolute joy of existence still plastered across his face.

Children of broken homes will relate to Peter (?) who at 7 spent his time on the playground trying to build a little house of wood. Peter was in a children's home when 7 UP was filmed. It is clear to me that even at 7, with this sad little act of trying to build a playhouse for himself, he was trying to create security for himself. Like the other children from less stable backgrounds trying to create security for themselves, he marries young. Thankfully, he suceeds, but tragically he thinks he doesn't deserve his own success. At 49 we see him questioning why his wife loves him when he hasn't done all that well at making money. I saw early on that Peter would have been a great physical education teacher, but he is put off by a teacher who tells him he has to go to University. Neither his upbringing nor this sorry excuse for teacher make Peter believe he can go to uni and what sad long term affects it has on his self esteem.

All but one of the children continues to be interviewed for the film in 49 UP. (One of the boys, ironically a TV producer himself, dropped out after 21 Up. Another one of the boys, a barrister, dropped out after 21, but is now back in the series. Susan says that she hopes not to be back after 49. ) A lot of the participants have animosity and hatred for the project and express it clearly in 49 UP. It's sad they can't see the benefit of the project. The only person who can give most of us insight into ourselves at 7 is our parents and let's face it, their memories fade with time, their perceptions aren't always insightful. But it must be difficult to have to face yourself with scrutiny. Susan says she admires how kids today have so much confidence without realizing that she probably has a lot more confidence because she looked at her painfully shy self on film at 14 and was probably at least partially influenced by that. Michael says people are fascinated with the project because it's reality TV but with people getting fat and balding. The 7 UP series doesn't feel like reality TV at all. There is no million dollar prize-just the chance to witness people coming to term with themselves and finding happiness which is infinitely more valuable than money. I for one will be extremely sad if these people choose not to come back in another 7 years. In the age of plastic surgery and publicists and kids who think they can life in million dollars lofts in NY with a tiny waitress salary because of what they've seen on TV-the 7 series is comforting. These are real people. Their stories are heartfelt. Their lives are worth witnessing-just as they are-normal. These people bring tears to my eyes. I wish film was used for more of this kind of thing instead of filming plastic boob-a-loobs.

I hope that the participants of the UP series begin to view the project positively.Film is the modern equivalent of having your portrait painted. It doesn't necessarily have to be the invasion it's made out to be. Your stories are valuable. You have taught me lessons just by being yourselves.

Ask yourself who you were at 7? How were you influenced by what was going on around you? Did your parents provide you with an early life that set you on your course? Or did their emotional problems fling you far away from the path your innate personality would have put you on? Did you want to be an astronaut? Perhaps you never should have stopped studying science. Or perhaps you were shooting for the moon-a life of adventure. Maybe you just wanted a stunning career because you were being beaten to a pulp on the playground and desired respect. Maybe you wanted to be a coach driver because you wanted to see the world. Watch the 7 series and think about it.