Product Description

Starting in 1964 with Seven Up, renowned director Michael Apted has explored this Jesuit maxim. The original concept was to interview 14 children from diverse backgrounds from all over England, asking them about their lives and their dreams for the future. Every seven years, Apted has been back to talk to the same subjects, examining the progression of their lives. From cab driver Tony to East End schoolmates Jackie, Lynn, and Susan and the heart-breaking Neil, we see, as they enter their 40's, how close these subjects are to realizing their ambitions. An extraordinary look at the structure of life in the 20th century, The Up Series is, according to Roger Ebert, "an inspired, almost noble use of the film medium. Apted penetrates to the central mystery of life."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22483 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-10-19
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Black & White, Closed-captioned, Collector's Edition, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: Bulgarian, English, Latin
• Number of discs: 5
• Running time: 576 minutes

Amazon.com
The premise behind the Up series is deceptively simple: take a cross-section of children at age 7, ask them about their hopes for the future, and then return every seven years to mark their progress. However, the results of these experiments, launched in 1963 by Britain's Granada Television, are anything but mundane, and their revelations about society, maturation, and the human condition were compiled into six extraordinary films, packaged together for the first time in this five-disc set. We meet the 14 children whose lives we will follow for the next 36 years in Seven Up, a episode of the television series The World in Action and directed by Paul Almond. What becomes evident almost immediately is that class and background will have an indelible effect on the kids for the rest of their lives; the upper-class boys and girls seem confident to the point of boorishness, while the middle- and working-class children seem resigned to a life of hard work or inevitable failure due to their backgrounds.

Fascinated by the footage, Almond's assistant, Michael Apted (later the director of The World Is Not Enough, among others, and president of the Directors' Guild), proposed to revisit the subjects every seven years, and in 1970, 7 Plus Seven was released, followed by 21 Up in '77, 28 Up in '84, 35 Up in '91, and the most recent entry, 42 Up, in '99 (Apted plans to continue the project). And the changes that occur to the original 14 (some of whom drop out of the project) are among the most fascinating and often tragic ever recorded on film. Success, failure, marriage and childbirth, poverty, illness--almost every possible element of the human experience passes before Apted's camera. And while each of the children's stories is riveting, the viewer will undoubtedly be gripped by that of Neil, a shy boy who endures incredible hardships. A one-of-a-kind series and sociological experiment, The Up Series is required viewing for not only documentary fans but any viewer with a curiosity about and concern for their fellow humans. The DVD set includes commentary by Apted on 42 Up. --Paul Gaita

Customer Reviews

worth your money... AND your time
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!

Important History
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.

Incredible Experience
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.