49 Up
Directed by Michael Apted
First Run
2006
Rating:


"Give me the child until he is seven, and I will show you the man" announces the narrator at the beginning of "Seven Up!" That film, made for British television in 1964, launched a project that continues to explore Britain's class system through the eyes of 14 real English schoolchildren chosen at the age of 7 to represent the proletariats and the bourgeoisie of English society. Every seven years Michael Apted revisits that class of 1964 for a collection of documentaries known as "The Up Series."

Now in its seventh installment, the reluctant participants of this groundbreaking documentary have reached the age of 49. The earlier films had the trajectory of tragedy, with subjects like the energetic, lower class Tony failing to achieve his dream of being a jockey and Neil becoming homeless as he spiraled into depression. The subjects' venture into middle age has found them mostly achieving an equilibrium, especially now that all but Neil (whose prospects continue to brighten) have gained entry into the middle class; even Tony now owns a home in Spain.

Despite this, "49 Up" — and the series as a whole — remains startling in its ability to document commonplace occurrences like marriage, divorce, births and career changes so they feel like tectonic shifts. Apted has achieved an astonishing level of intimacy with his subjects — many of whom voice their displeasure with the invasiveness of the films — so that every seven years fans feel like they're catching up with old friends.

Posted Saturday, January 20, 2007

Link to this review:
http://filmzeus.pressbin.com/film/49up