Movie Description
In 1964, Granada Television created a documentary about 14 seven-year-old boys and girls from both wealthy and poor families in England. The idea was to see if there was any truth to the the Jesuit saying "Give me a child until he is seven, and I will give you the man." Director Michael Apted decided to film these same children every seven years, capturing all of their hopes, dreams, and most personal moments. The fourth installment in the series, 28 UP, shows how some of the children have achieved their every desire and, more tragically, how others remained lost and unfocused. Constructed so that it can be followed even if the previous films haven't been seen, 28 UP is a stunning record of ordinary people making their way in the world. Although the series was designed to reveal how much one's fate is determined by one's class background, the films have become much more: a poetic meditation on mortality, choice, and the human condition. Apted considers it his crowning achievement; one of the longest-running film projects in history, the series has inspired similar programs around the world. The next films available in the series include 35 UP and 42 UP.
Notes
Paul Almond directed the first SEVEN UP documentary, produced by Granada Television. Apted was hired as an assistant to find the children. The documentary was originally supposed to be only a one-time project. It aired on WORLD IN ACTION, a half hour show like 60 MINUTES. It was Apted's idea to continue the documentary every seven years. Each film in the series begins with the original WORLD IN ACTION title sequence.
The first installment of an American version of the series was produced for television in 1993.
For the film's American theatrical release, 28 UP was paired with with the original film, 7UP, which ran 40 minutes and was prepared by Paul Almond and Apted.
Featured in 28 UP are: Bruce Balden, Jackie Bassett, Simon Basterfield, Andrew Brackfield, John Brisby, Peter Davies, Susan Davis, Charles Furneaux, Nicholas Hitchon, Neil Hughes, Lynn Johnson, Paul Kligerman, Suzanne Lusk, and Tony Walker.
Of the original 14 subjects, two--John and Charles--decided not to participate in 28 UP.
Only four of the subjects are women, each of whom settled into domestic life very quickly. Apted feels that he has missed the rise of feminism in his documentary series. He has tried to redress this by making other films--COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER, GORILLAS IN THE MIST--that deal with more independent women.
"I love these people, and I want the best things to happen to them, but I want drama in these films, too. I remember when I was doing this last film, I kept thinking, 'My God! No one divorced! All still alive!' But I'm delighted, of course."--Apted in interview with the HOUSTON CHRONICLE (January 25, 1986).
"I think Peter and Neil are the most interesting of them all. . . . Peter and Neil were representatives of the middle class and I wish now there had been more of them, for in many ways they are the saddest group of all in England today. The expectations of the '60s and '70s have led to the dire economic situation of the '80s, and it's the middle class that's taken the worst of it. They didn't have jobs waiting for them, as the children of the upper class did, and they didn't have unions to fight for cost-of-living increases. The social cuts by the Thatcher government have left these people with nothing. They've been hung out to dry."--Apted, in interview with the HOUSTON CHRONICLE (January 25, 1986).
Neil received many letters after 28 UP. Many people even offered him jobs, which he refused.
The film screened at the 1985 New York Film Festival and the American Film Festival, where it won an award.
28 UP won a British Television Award in 1985.
Editorial Reviews
Included in the New York Times "10 BEST FILMS OF 1985"
New York Times - p.II, 19 - Vincent Canby (12/29/1985)
"...Tremendous poignancy....[Apted brings] a dimension of wisdom and insight to the earlier footage..."
Maslin
"...Besides its canny mix of personalities and Apted's gifts as an interviewer -- now emphatic, now dangerously blunt -- what makes 28 UP so mesmerizing is its fluidity..."
Los Angeles Times - Sheila Benson (01/10/1986)
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