49 Up (TV 2005)

In 1964, to explore the adage "Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man," World in Action filmed seven-year-olds. Every seven years, Michael Apted visits them. At 49, ... See full summary »

Directors:

Michael Apted, Paul Almond

Stars:

Bruce Balden, Jacqueline Bassett, Symon Basterfield

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Bruce Balden	...	Himself (as Bruce)
Jacqueline Bassett	...	Herself (as Jackie)
Symon Basterfield	...	Himself (as Simon)
Andrew Brackfield	...	Himself (as Andrew)
John Brisby	...	Himself (as John)
Suzanne Dewey	...	Herself (as Suzy)
Charles Furneaux	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Charles)
Nicholas Hitchon	...	Himself (as Nick)
Neil Hughes	...	Himself (as Neil)
Lynn Johnson	...	Herself (as Lynn)
Paul Kligerman	...	Himself (as Paul)
Susan Sullivan	...	Herself (as Sue)
Tony Walker	...	Himself (as Tony)

Storyline

In 1964, to explore the adage "Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man," World in Action filmed seven-year-olds. Every seven years, Michael Apted visits them. At 49, 12 agree to talk about family, work, their hopes, and the series. We also see footage from previous interviews. Some marriages seem stronger; some have ended. Being a parent or a grandparent dominates life's pleasures. Simon has found responsibility; John's charity work flourishes. Neil remains in politics, against all odds. Jackie leads the critique of a more deliberately-present Apted and the series' intrusiveness. None enjoy participating; all are reflective; several surpass expectations.

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Plot Keywords:

charity | politics | lawyer | metallica shirt | homelessness | 

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Taglines:

The latest installment in the groundbreaking 7 Up series

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

PBS [us]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 September 2005 (UK)

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$36,364 (USA) (13 October 2006)

Gross:

$238,073 (USA) (22 November 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Granada Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

180 min 180 min (2 parts)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

By the time this update was made, 12 of the original 14 children were still taking part, with Charles having dropped out at 21, and Peter at 28. Although John had dropped out at 42 he returned for this installment.

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Quotes

Neil Hughes: I see that life comes once, and it's quite short. You have to appreciate what's good in it. And if I could just tell a short story: I was just sunbathing and a butterfly landed quite close to me. It had beautiful wings, with deep red colors, and white sort-of circles on them... these creatures don't last very long. But it landed very close to me, it didn't seem frightened. It just seemed delighted opening and closing its wings, and just actually being beautiful for that period of time, enjoying...

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Connections

Features The Bill (1984)

User Reviews

A must see for all humans

Everyone in the world should have the treasured opportunity to watch these brave souls grow up before our eyes. I recommend all the films beginning in 1963. Certainly the class system is exposed as the monster it is, but I do find increased options for the children of the "less born to privilege", 49 year old subjects.

I love the reticence and modesty of the subjects in this film. They seem to grasp the massive cultural contribution they are making but prefer not to think about it. I applaud the subjects for saying that they want to drop out but I do hope they ultimately don't. In this day of fake reality TV, it is wondrous to see the power of the Real McCoy of documentary film/TV. I am close enough in age to the 49 ups. Through them I have a brilliant record of the world I grew up in and that of my English family. Bravo for an historic act of courage and generosity by all concerned.