Director
Michael Apted
Featuring
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)
The Movie
Starting off as a single documentary, the Up docu-series has become one of the most celebrated documentary series of all-time. Capturing a place on Roger Ebert’s “Great Movies” list, the film has a simple concept that’s executed brilliantly. Michael Apted has revisited the lives of a group of people since they were seven years old every seven years, documenting their lives as they progress.
Forty-two years after Seven Up debuted, Apted is back with the cast of characters in 49 Up. Catching up with most of the same group of people, it’s a character study about the lives of ordinary people over the years. Letting the cast talk about their lives in a frank and honest manner, it’s been an extraordinary journey through the lives of average people that continues the high quality with this latest edition.
It’s an incredibly fascinating documentary, like the rest of the series, as we see real people in real situations talking about things in a frank and earnest manner. It’s interesting to see these 14 people over the years and how they’ve grown and changed, as the film incorporates archival footage to keep new viewers in the loop while keeping fans of the series up to date. While the film’s only black mark could be the fact that the complete story isn’t accessible without having viewed the other films in the series, it’s easy to walk into their lives even lacking knowledge of the prior films.
49 Up isn’t brilliant for any reason in terms of storylines, et al. It’s great because of its simplicity. There’s nothing dramatic or special about them, but the people are presented in clear and uncompromised views and Apted lets their stories come out in their own words. He combines the archival footage with them currently, letting the changes that life has brought about to them show up organically.
The Audio
Presented in a Dolby Digital format, the film doesn’t require much audio except for the dialogue. That comes through loud and clear.
The Video
Presented in a widescreen format, 49 Up looks good but isn’t going to push the boundaries of modern television. While the previous films interspersed with 49 Up show plenty of grain in comparison, the video is good enough to come through clearly but isn’t spectacular.
The Extras
Roger Ebert Interview with Michael Apted is a unique feature as the world’s premier film critic talks to Apted about the film series. Originally intended as a one-time documentary, it’s interesting to see Ebert (who placed the Up documentaries on his “Great movies” list) discuss the film as both a fan on the series as well as a critic with the man behind the best documentary series in cinema’s history. It’s interesting to hear Apted talk about the differences in technology and how the film series has changed over the years.
A Filmmaker Biography and two photo galleries are included as well.
The Inside Pulse
Continuing the work that has followed a group of people since 1964, 49 Up is a fascinating documentary about the lives of some rather ordinary people. While the DVD isn’t loaded with extras, the main feature itself is worth viewing if only to catch up on the lives of people who we’ve seen since childhood.
