Monday, December 4, 2006 - Now they are 49

At the risk of appearing  to turn this blog into Film 2006 here's another movie review.  I really thought this was worth adding to my blog since I have followed the 'Up series' since originally seeing it on World in Action in the UK from 14 or 21 Up, I can't really recall. I have the boxed set of all the documentary series' which follows a group of people taken from a cross section of British society starting in 1964, then catching up with them every seven years.

  To me this should be adopted by schools as required watching for all  children and teenagers. Developmentally and socially it is just as important as Shakespeare, Dickens, Austin, Bronte or Orwell's books are amongst many of the UK's school ciriculum's.

 The documentaries highlight the impact that people's choices in life have on them juxtaposed with their social background and status, from their earliest childhood years through teenage, early adulthood and now through maturity and late middle age, the footage provides a powerful tool for young people unsure what direction to take in life. Some children started life out  in orphanages, others in private, expensive boarding schools and everywhere in-between.

As far as the latest movie goes I found it  both poignant and a little depressing. Poignant to once more be updated on the people's lives, almost like seeing old friends again. Depressing as the wide eyed children and exubarent youths have now become overweight, balding and in some cases sick adults. The expectancy and adventure shown in previous episodes, even as recently as 42 up seven years ago have now become complacency, accepting their lot in life, good, bad or indifferent. Too mature to make drastic changes many now live vicariously through children and/or grandchildren.

 I guess the underlying depression I felt as I watched this installment unfold is due to the fact that I  myself am 42 whilst viewing this episode, and it  seems even more relevant that  life is short, I'm not far away from my very own '49 up episode' myself. The film allowed not only short reflection on the lives of the characters, but on my own mortality too I suppose.

The one common theme that left an impression on me was the importance of family as a recurring theme in most of the men and women's lives, not just how they had faired financially and socially.

Please watch this episode and the whole series if you have a chance, perhaps it might be an overstatement to say that it's too important to miss, but that would only be a slight exaggeration on a true piece of television documentary history.