The Up Series

Directed by Paul Almond and Michael Apted

Almond is listed for pure accuracy reasons, after all, he did direct the first film contained in this five DVD set, Seven Up.  But this is Michael Apted's baby, through and through.  After Almond, Apted went on to direct, edit and produce the other five films, including the upcoming 2006 American release of 49 Up.  For the uninitiated, The Up Series is a documentary series that started in 1964, focusing on 14 British seven year olds.  Without the intention of returning, Seven Up is a mildly intriguing documentary, short and cheap.  What it's become is the first chapter in one of the most amazing pieces of filmmaking ever captured.  Michael Apted, a researcher on Seven Up, continued to stay in touch with the fourteen children, and went on to return every seven years to catch them as they grew into adulthood.  The DVD set collects all of the films available at the time (it was released to capitalize on the British release of 49 Up last year.)  Although all of the children did not choose to participate in all of the films, due in no small part to the impact the films have had on their personal lives, those are the exception, not the rule. 

Upon reflection, The Factual Opinion will not be revealing some of the more surprising details about the individuals in the film (this information can easily be found on the wikipedia entry) as it did this viewer no reward to have certain events spoiled by said wikipedia entry.  However, one would be sorely mistaken to anticipate some sort of excitement and sentimentalism in the films--no, the surprise of The Up Series is how relentlessly compelling they are in a totally honest depiction of real life.  None of the men and women in the film are the type of extraordinary individuals or drug-addled celebrities so often showcased in documentaries.  They are, quite simply, just like us.  An obnoxious moron once said that "the woman who lives next door is probably way nicer and more interesting than any of the rock stars in the gossip tabloids."  The Up Series, with it's heroic committment to honesty proves this statement true, regardless of it's delivery system.  It's one of the most important and rewarding uses of the film as a method towards better human understanding in our history: it's also one of the best movies ever made.

Comments

[sherry]

I wholeheartedly agree. I loved this series and rented the whole thing on netflix within a few weeks. It's amazing and slightly disturbing to watch everyone age, go through life, and be so honest and candid. Probably one of the most realistic unassuming portraits of a generation. I'm really excited for 49 Up. Kudos for your review.

[Matt Hartwick]

I'm a fan of the use of the 'obnoxious moron' link. An excellent example of a relatively new literary device: Link Irony. See, most links are just connections to more information; sort of an interactive, in-text indexing or footnote system. With Link Irony, we get something we don't expect. In this case, 'obnoxious moron' takes us not to a definition of the irregular term or a site of the same name, but to a bio on a pop celebrity (as such, someone whom is generally more liked than disliked).
Seems to me there are two ligitimate responses to the redirect: either "Oh. Clever," or "Clever, and funny because it's true." I don't insist on the interpretation.