Michael Apted was 22 when he joined the crew of “Seven Up!,” a British made-for-television documentary that profiled 14 children from different class backgrounds. That made him 15 years senior to his subjects, with whom he maintained contact, establishing an almost familial connection that spanned more than half a century.
Apted did not direct the original 1964 documentary, as is commonly thought, nor was that initial installment such an important landmark in the field of nonfiction filmmaking. The breakthrough came in Apted’s decision to continue the project with an hour-long follow-up TV movie seven years later, “7 Plus Seven” — and again every seven years after that — revisiting as many of the children as would agree to participate as they grew up, found their ways in life, fell in love, married, divorced and so on.
As conceived, the “Up” series had a decidedly sociological bent, focusing on the British class system and to what degree...
Apted did not direct the original 1964 documentary, as is commonly thought, nor was that initial installment such an important landmark in the field of nonfiction filmmaking. The breakthrough came in Apted’s decision to continue the project with an hour-long follow-up TV movie seven years later, “7 Plus Seven” — and again every seven years after that — revisiting as many of the children as would agree to participate as they grew up, found their ways in life, fell in love, married, divorced and so on.
As conceived, the “Up” series had a decidedly sociological bent, focusing on the British class system and to what degree...
- 1/10/2021
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
In his early 20s Michael Apted began assisting on a film called Seven Up!, little realizing it would turn into the most ambitious documentary project ever undertaken. It focused on a group of seven-year-old British schoolchildren from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, and became such a sensation on British television that producers decided to return every seven years to see how their subjects were faring.
Apted served as a researcher on that first film in 1964 and has directed every installment since. Now with the new film 63 Up, which finds the original kids approaching retirement age and coping, in some cases, with mortality, the monumental series may come to a close.
“No one can outdo me,” Apted, 78, says with a wink, a humorous nod to the improbability of anyone else attempting a project of such scope. He ascribes the endurance of the series to the period in which it was conceived—a...
Apted served as a researcher on that first film in 1964 and has directed every installment since. Now with the new film 63 Up, which finds the original kids approaching retirement age and coping, in some cases, with mortality, the monumental series may come to a close.
“No one can outdo me,” Apted, 78, says with a wink, a humorous nod to the improbability of anyone else attempting a project of such scope. He ascribes the endurance of the series to the period in which it was conceived—a...
- 12/6/2019
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
63 Up BritBox Reviewed for Shockya.com & BigAppleReviews.net linked from Rotten Tomatoes by: Harvey Karten Director: Michael AptedTony, Lynn, Nick, Neil, Peter Cast: Charles Furneaux, Lynn Johnson, Nicholas Hitchon, Tony Walker, Neil Hughes, Bruce Balden, Paul Kligerman, Suzanne Dewey, Symon Basterfield, John Brisby, Andrew Brackfield, Susan Sullivan Screened at: Critics’ link, NYC, 11/22/19 Opens: November […]
The post 63 Up Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post 63 Up Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 11/23/2019
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.