And here we are, for the last chapter of Michael Apted's "Up" series. Fourteen lives I've been following from their childhood to the age of maturity. And seeing them getting older and wiser, contemplating their achievements, has always made me consider my own life... hasn't anyone?
This is not a series about lives, but Life. And these persons were no laboratory rats though the initial purpose of the "Seven Up" short was to make a point on the British class system. Granada Productions' bias was even more obvious since they didn't select kids from middle classes (not many girls too). But the more the subjects grew on life and on us, the less these considerations mattered.
And for once, I won't be too analytical, I think maybe the key to this show's appeal is the likability of all the subjects. They are different, but they are all good and decent. And this struck the man I am belonging to their children's generation. Indeed, had "Up" been about Millennials, there might have been more "Neils" and less "Pauls" or "Andrews". Here, they had their share of ups and downs, separations, health issues, deaths but they always managed to look at the bright side of life. And maybe the program did play a part to that.
Indeed, in my "49 Up" review, I didn't take Suzie's reluctance to participate in '56' for granted, and I was right. And it was a pleasant surprise to see Nick sitting next to her. Together, they have grown a friendship due to their rural upbringing and agreed on many points about the limitating format of the program, that it only offered short glimpses on their lives but the merit was in the lessons and perspectives offered by the sums of all these experiences.
Suzie and Nick were critical but they were there all right, reckoning the cathartic value of the documentary as each 'time' snapshot of their lives allowed them to stop once in a while and examine their previous accomplishments like their own viewers, before becoming actors again. And for similar reasons, the other participants admitted a sense of commitment to the documentary... not to mention, friendship with Apted. I could swear I hear them calling him "Michael" more than all the previous episodes put together. Even Jackie who had settled a few records in '49'. This "56" edition was as fascinating as the "49" because it really reflected a new attitude toward life, let alone the camera.
Was it a coincidence that separate participants revealed new elements about their lives at that particular episode? John regretted that he was constantly shown as a privileged child while his father died when he was 9, Andrew finally revealed that the "Financial Times" line was something his father told him to say. Like for Jackie in the previous episode, we realize that the documentary format can't reflect the deep and complex aspects of reality, but doesn't social life work on the same flawed way? At least, they're able to be vocal about a few misconceptions.
Another happy twist was Peter's return after 28 years, he left the show after a massive press backlash following harsh comments on Thatcher's policy. He's back with another wife, playing in a musical band, and satisfied to have created at least something of 'valuable' durability. This episode is really one surprise after another as if Apted himself was aware of the artificiality of narratives and deconstructed the very format that structured the show.
Charles isn't shown anymore (I read that he sued Apted forcing him to remove his footage, what an irony for a fellow documentary maker) and even the order of appearances has been altered. We don't see the three "lower class" girls together anymore, Neil appears at the start and he seems very active as a District Counsellor and a religious clerk, and it's only at the end that we meet Tony. I used to consider Neil the "soul" of the show, but what would the "Up" series be without Tony, the cab driver who's apparently more famous in Britain than Buzz Aldrin?
Collecting the memories of his youth again, I find it very ironic that Tony had to gain "The Knowledge" to become a cab driver. In fact, this could refer to all the participants, they all gained a form of knowledge, even Simon confessed that he was too lazy to study and kept on looking for excuses. Acknowledging that is a form of knowledge. There's nothing more humbling than the passing of time and what we take for wisdom is simply the capability to say "What do I know?".
I tried to play the Sorcerer's apprentice when Paul's wife said the show kept them together, I was thinking of Nick and Peter's wives and maybe something seemed already shaky in their marriage, as if you could adapt the Jesuit maxim of a "show me a kid until he's seven and I'll show you the man" for a marriage at seven months. I think the consensus is that you can't predict what will happen to someone, but maybe there's a core-personality that never changes, and that can take many directions driven by life circumstances, for better or worse.
And that's just the way it is. Finally, after watching the final opus (so far); I went on reading their bios on Wikipedia and I was saddened by the death of Lynn in 2013. But was it a surprise? Wasn't it a miracle that none of the died in 49 years? Now, should it go on to 70? 84?
They've became a part of my life and now, for the next two years, I'll be missing the show and that "at the end of the day" sequence with that thrilling score at the end. Paraphrasing the original narrator, this has been quite a glimpse! And an experience I shall never forget!
This is not a series about lives, but Life. And these persons were no laboratory rats though the initial purpose of the "Seven Up" short was to make a point on the British class system. Granada Productions' bias was even more obvious since they didn't select kids from middle classes (not many girls too). But the more the subjects grew on life and on us, the less these considerations mattered.
And for once, I won't be too analytical, I think maybe the key to this show's appeal is the likability of all the subjects. They are different, but they are all good and decent. And this struck the man I am belonging to their children's generation. Indeed, had "Up" been about Millennials, there might have been more "Neils" and less "Pauls" or "Andrews". Here, they had their share of ups and downs, separations, health issues, deaths but they always managed to look at the bright side of life. And maybe the program did play a part to that.
Indeed, in my "49 Up" review, I didn't take Suzie's reluctance to participate in '56' for granted, and I was right. And it was a pleasant surprise to see Nick sitting next to her. Together, they have grown a friendship due to their rural upbringing and agreed on many points about the limitating format of the program, that it only offered short glimpses on their lives but the merit was in the lessons and perspectives offered by the sums of all these experiences.
Suzie and Nick were critical but they were there all right, reckoning the cathartic value of the documentary as each 'time' snapshot of their lives allowed them to stop once in a while and examine their previous accomplishments like their own viewers, before becoming actors again. And for similar reasons, the other participants admitted a sense of commitment to the documentary... not to mention, friendship with Apted. I could swear I hear them calling him "Michael" more than all the previous episodes put together. Even Jackie who had settled a few records in '49'. This "56" edition was as fascinating as the "49" because it really reflected a new attitude toward life, let alone the camera.
Was it a coincidence that separate participants revealed new elements about their lives at that particular episode? John regretted that he was constantly shown as a privileged child while his father died when he was 9, Andrew finally revealed that the "Financial Times" line was something his father told him to say. Like for Jackie in the previous episode, we realize that the documentary format can't reflect the deep and complex aspects of reality, but doesn't social life work on the same flawed way? At least, they're able to be vocal about a few misconceptions.
Another happy twist was Peter's return after 28 years, he left the show after a massive press backlash following harsh comments on Thatcher's policy. He's back with another wife, playing in a musical band, and satisfied to have created at least something of 'valuable' durability. This episode is really one surprise after another as if Apted himself was aware of the artificiality of narratives and deconstructed the very format that structured the show.
Charles isn't shown anymore (I read that he sued Apted forcing him to remove his footage, what an irony for a fellow documentary maker) and even the order of appearances has been altered. We don't see the three "lower class" girls together anymore, Neil appears at the start and he seems very active as a District Counsellor and a religious clerk, and it's only at the end that we meet Tony. I used to consider Neil the "soul" of the show, but what would the "Up" series be without Tony, the cab driver who's apparently more famous in Britain than Buzz Aldrin?
Collecting the memories of his youth again, I find it very ironic that Tony had to gain "The Knowledge" to become a cab driver. In fact, this could refer to all the participants, they all gained a form of knowledge, even Simon confessed that he was too lazy to study and kept on looking for excuses. Acknowledging that is a form of knowledge. There's nothing more humbling than the passing of time and what we take for wisdom is simply the capability to say "What do I know?".
I tried to play the Sorcerer's apprentice when Paul's wife said the show kept them together, I was thinking of Nick and Peter's wives and maybe something seemed already shaky in their marriage, as if you could adapt the Jesuit maxim of a "show me a kid until he's seven and I'll show you the man" for a marriage at seven months. I think the consensus is that you can't predict what will happen to someone, but maybe there's a core-personality that never changes, and that can take many directions driven by life circumstances, for better or worse.
And that's just the way it is. Finally, after watching the final opus (so far); I went on reading their bios on Wikipedia and I was saddened by the death of Lynn in 2013. But was it a surprise? Wasn't it a miracle that none of the died in 49 years? Now, should it go on to 70? 84?
They've became a part of my life and now, for the next two years, I'll be missing the show and that "at the end of the day" sequence with that thrilling score at the end. Paraphrasing the original narrator, this has been quite a glimpse! And an experience I shall never forget!