The UP Series

Over the past two weeks, I went through the entire eight film "Up" series from director Michael Apted. Beginning in 1964 with a short 50 minute television episode about a dozen or so British seven year olds from various strata of British society, Apted has returned to the group every seven years since, up to the most recent installent, 56 Up, released in 2012. From 21 Up forward, the documentaries became feature length, settling in to an average of roughly 2-2.5 hours. Watching the installements in a short, condensed binge had its advantages and disadvantages. The biggest downside is that the repetitive overviews that are necessary for viewers returning to these characters after a seven year absence are unnecessary, and I began to think that the movies could be usefully re-edited into a series of documentaries of each character. That said, the effect of watching the films all at once perhaps increased one's identification of the people on screen and made for a deeper understanding of how they evolved.

Ultimately, there is nothing special about the filmmaking here, as it is pretty straight forward expository style. In fact, this is a bit of a disadvantage, and the times in which Apted switches to the participatory mode are often the best moments. For this reason, I thought 49 Up was the best of the bunch, as it includes more moments when the participants challenge Apted and his representation. The series really depends on the gimmick of returning to these people every seven years, and benefits from the fact that each character is rather distinct, although some are certainly more compelling than others.

The star of the series is Neil, who we see as a happy and talkative seven year old but who between the ages of 14 and 21 clearly experiences some mental health diffculties and spends the years between 21 and 42 in various states of homelessness. However, by the time he reaches 42, his life has stablized, never to the point where he holds down a steady job or family, but much less dire than we originally feared. Next would be Tony, a working class kid from the East End of London who has a great deal of on-screen charisma (and even did some small acting roles in other series in England). Tony goes from his dream of being a jockey to becoming a successful London cabbie, getting married and having a family. What makes Tony compelling is his honesty and willingness to share his private life and troubles, including his infidelities as well as his raw emotion over losing his parents. One gets the sense that this is connected to his working class background and his desire to avoid any pretensions.

The class aspect is best exemplified in the reluctance of the upper class characters to participate as fully. There are three private school boys, John, Andrew and Charles. After the 21 Up program, John and Charles both refused to participate. John did return for 35 and then again for 49 and 56. The program seemed in some ways beneath them, or exposed their class priviledge in a way that made them uncomfortable. Andrew, the one who continued to participate, is also maybe the blandest person on the show. Maybe this is just his natural character and he is a boring guy, but it may also be connected to a certain reserve he has in front of the camera, a desire to not say anything controversial. John, by contrast, comes off quite negatively early on, but redeems himself in later installements through his charity work. However, some of the working class characters are also critical of how they are portrayed. The three working class girls, Jackie, Lynn, and Susan, for example, often challenge how they are seen by Apted, especially Jackie in 49 Up. Thorughout the series, these participants are aware of how they are being turned into characters, and thus character types, seen as representative, and they resent this and try to resist however they can.

My personal favorites of the series were Nick and Suzy, who interestingly are interviewed together briefly in the most recent 56 Up. They both grew up in country-side environments, although Suzy came from much more privilege. Suzy was fascinating in that she seemed to age in reverse. At age 7, she sounded like an adult, and by 21 was chain-smoking and had an edgy, cynical view of life. But from 28 forward, she became this very warm presence, much more open and child-like than when she was young. Nick, on the other hand, I identified with because of personal connections, since he is also a professor who moved abroad in order to do his research and teaching. I also found both Paul and Symon fascinating, the two boys who spent time in a state-run housing program because of family problems when they were seven. Paul struggled his whole life with confidence issues but found happiness in marriage and family living in Australia. Symon was the only racial minority of the group, and went on, in his second marriage, to become a foster parent and try to help children who were in a similar position to himself.

In 56 Up, there was the return of Peter, who dropped out after 28, claiming that his critical views of Thatcher in that episode led to a great deal of harassment. He returns partly out of self-interest, as he is a musician trying to promote his music, but also, one suspects, because enough time had passed that few would care about his past views. His story provides a microcosm of the series as a whole, as in many ways the participants have a type of love-hate relationship with the fame associated. Many complain about the burden and regret their parents' decision to allow Apted to choose them, but few fail to continue to participate. As Suzy puts it, it's like a bad novel but you still want to keep reading to find out what happens. There is a level of "Big Brother" style voyeurism to the series, but I believe it is deeper than that. The series goes beyond the characters on screen and makes one think about themselves and people they know. As someone now 42 and who has parents around the same age as these participants, I could not help imagine how I would have appeared if featured, and how much I would have been interested in seeing a similar series about my own family members. But, I also recognize that I am glad that neither myself nor people I know were chosen for such a project.