Michael Apted, director of the "Up" series, on his latest installment
The latest installment in director Michael Apted's "Up" series opens in Minneapolis later this week. "56 Up" continues what started as a television special looking into the British class system in the mid-1960s.
Inspired by the Jesuit saying, "Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man," Apted and a British television crew spoke with 14 seven year-old children from a wide range of backgrounds and social classes.
The original film was 45 minutes and was never thought of as a series, but every seven years Apted has made it his mission to check back in with any of the original subjects willing to talk. "56 Up" features 13 of the original subjects. The series has followed a prep-school boy and girl, the son of a rural farmer, and the child of a homeless family.
Watch the trailer for "56 Up":
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The series goes from the wide-eyed dreams of children to their mono-syllabic, adolescent selves. Careers come and go, as do husbands and wives. Parents begin to die, while a new group of children and even grandchildren have emerged. The films have garnered a loyal audience who have grown up along with its subjects.
"56 Up" opens this Friday, Feb. 8 at the Lagoon Theater in Minneapolis, and you catch up on previous installments on streaming sites like Netflix.
Apted and Nick Hitchon, University of Wisconsin engineering professor and one of the subjects followed in the movie, join The Daily Circuit Tuesday, Feb. 5 to discuss the films.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE "UP" SERIES
Taking Family Seriously in 'Up' Series (NY Times)
What "56 Up" reveals (The New Yorker)
Michael Apted: 56 Up and still going strong (The Guardian)
Checking In Again With The '7 Up' Kids (NPR)
