February 17, 2025
Seven Up!
I’m sure some of you out there are of an age and background to be aware of Michael Apted’s documentary film series that began with Seven UP!
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The series began in 1964, when a film crew selected at random 14 children they observed on outings to the London zoo in 1964. It was intended originally as a sociological study of children from different backgrounds. Although it was not originally envisioned as the first of a series, it went on to become one seven years later when Michael Apted picked it up and produced 7 Plus Seven and followed it up with others at seven year intervals, chronicling the lives of these fourteen individuals from childhood into middle age. I’m surprised now to see that the first of the series was produced before Apted took the series on (he later said that he wished the group had included more than just the four girls).
I was also surprised that the first was filmed in 1964, the year I graduated from high school; and the second was in 1970, the year I got out of the army. I know that Rachael and I followed the entire series other than the final one - the seventh one was just too uncomfortable for us, witnessing what had become of one of the group who was by that time essentially living on the streets. Now though I wonder if I didn’t see the second one with Carol Jo in 1971 when I was in graduate school in Seattle and we were living on Capitol Hill. We and our friends Denny, Dan and Curtis would all go together to see films at the Harvard Exit and then walk to a nearby cafe to discuss them over coffee and chocolate mousse.
What a remarkable film series and experiment though, and what a period piece - a work inconceivable now, in an era when you can’t just take photos of children (or adults for that matter) without asking permission first or taking care to respect their privacy and dignity. In any case, if you aren’t familiar with the series I can’t recommend it strongly enough. I’m with Roger Ebert, who placed it on his list of the top ten films of all time.
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Seven months of travel? Seven countries visited? Seven lost wallets? The suspense is killing me!
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