By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.25 cats
Director: Michael Apted
Country: united_kingdom
Year: 2013
Running time: 144
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2147134/combined
Thom says: “Naturally, I’ve been expecting this treasure for awhile now. When in New York this past October I’d heard of its imminent release but since it has yet to open here in backwater San Francisco I thought it would be a good long while before viewing the renewal of such historic merit. All film aficionados now the history of this marvelous television series starting in 1963 when director Apted chose 14 children ranging across Britain to start filming the story of their lives coming back to them every seven years to see how their lives have progressed. 7 UP! was directed by Almond and in 49 UP he re-joined Apted as co-director. The best news of all is that participant Peter Davies who dropped out of the proceedings after 28 UP has returned with quite the story to tell. It isn’t that any of the 14 have necessarily fantastic stories to tell, although some do, it’s that we see what it’s like to grow up and live authentically throughout an entire lifetime with no embellishments of fiction. And the experience for the 14 is unlike anything we’ve ever witnessed and we’ll always wonder how this commitment has changed or influenced their life choices. The 14 were chosen from all social backgrounds so the broad range is an apparent driving force although finally it’s about life itself so financial concerns are nearly forgotten. 5 cats”
Diane says: “I think I’ve seen most of the UP series, but I still have a hard time remembering all the ‘subjects.’ 14 people is a lot to follow and catch up on in one film, especially when each film has to recap all that’s gone before. They are celebrities in Britain, though–one tells of being asked for his autograph, another of having to bow out of the movies because of the bad press they brought him.
“In 56 UP, director Apted’s original emphasis on class differences still comes through, but is no longer the most compelling lens through which to study these lives.
“As the subjects get older, interviews become less standardized. I’m sure that some of them resisted the filmmaker’s line of questioning, resulting in a hodgepodge of biographical information. And British reticence means that we don’t get much in the way of emotion or their interior lives. Age 56 is a bit more interesting than 49 was, now that some are dealing with empty nest syndrome or boomerang kids. But at this point in their long lives, couldn’t Apted be asking them,’How have you changed? What is life all about?’
“I feel emotionally connected to some of the subjects, but as one of them pointed out (to paraphrase): ‘People think they know all about me, but they have no idea who I am.’ 3 cats”
Bruce says: “NOTE: It is not necessary to see the earlier films in the UP Series in order to enjoy 56 UP although I heartily recommend them as a complete and engaging work of art.
“Wildly hailed as one of the greatest achievements in film history, the UP Series deserves every accolade. It all began as a BBC special, an experiment to see how seven year olds from different backgrounds would respond to similar questions and how they would behave and interact when given free time together at a playground. Michael Apted worked on the film – SEVEN UP! – as a researcher. Paul Almond directed. BBC offered the directorial assignment to Apted when they made a decision to revisit the same children at age fourteen. That film was 7 PLUS SEVEN. Since then, there has been a film every seven years, all directed by Apted. Similar series have appeared in thirteen other countries, none achieving the critical praise of the original.
“Tony is a kid from the East End, once a rough-and-tumble section of London, now home to many immigrants from Africa and Asia. Jackie, Sue and Lynn hail from similar backgrounds. Symon and Paul were living in a children’s home when the series began. Nick is from a farm in the North Country. Paul and Neil are products of the middle class. Susan is from a wealthy family but is a product of a broken home. John, Andrew and Charles are public school kids who had their sights set on Oxford and Cambridge from infancy.
“The amazing message in 56 UP is that life is always a journey. Each person in the series could be subject of a novel or reality show, for every one of them has an interesting story to tell. Surprisingly, not one has died and only two have ex-spouses that are deceased. Five are divorced and four of them have re-married. Several now have grandchildren. During the course of the series, they have lived on five continents.
“IN 56 UP, Peter returns after a three film hiatus and he does so with purpose, to promote his band The Good Intentions. Charles dropped out after the first three with a flimsy excuse of being a film producer. Symon and John have missed one and two films respectively. All others have appeared in all eight films, some reluctantly, which they honestly admit on film. Suzy has been consistent in her complaints about privacy, yet she always shows up. She has now developed a new friendship with Nick. Bruce previously befriended Neil when he was drifting aimlessly, down on his luck.
“Portions of each of the earlier films are edited into the each of the segments. With each addition to the series, telling the complete story of each participant becomes increasingly complicated and presents an immense editing challenge in order to keep the film coherent, within a reasonable viewing length. As wonderful as 56 UP is, it does not delve as deeply into the stories within the past seven years for the history of each participant takes up an increasing amount of screen time.
“The opening line of SEVEN UP! is ‘Give me a child until he is seven, and I will show you the man.’ That is the closing line in 56 UP. 4.5 cats”
Chris says: “The famed Up series interviews the same dozen or so Brits every seven years as they all age together, from 7 to 14 to 21 and so on. However, it’s often difficult to critique a single installment of this historically significant, conceptually brilliant documentary series without considering it as just a part of a still-developing whole. Truthfully, 56 isn’t the most eventful age—the participants have long since eased into middle age but are still another installment away from becoming senior citizens.
“49 UP stood out because, more so than in the previous films, the subjects addressed the profound effect participating in this series had on their lives (some for good but mostly for ill). Here, people seem to be just marking time. The biggest revelation is fiduciary as we see a few subjects reeling from the 2008 financial crisis to varying degrees. Having even more footage to choose from makes it challenging for the individual narratives to sometimes cohere (for instance, why does presumed upper class twit John seem slightly less insufferable this time out?). Still, 56 UP is worth your time if you’ve seen previous installments; newbies should start with 49 UP or an earlier chapter (35 UP seems like a logical midpoint). 4.5 cats”