Yeah Neil is the real focal point of the series, because his life has been the strangest of them all. The others all had lives that panned out relatively normally, really. I found 49up SO DEPRESSING, for reasons others stated above. Regrets and resignation and rapid aging. It really makes me down about my own mortality.
― Trayce, Monday, 25 June 2007 06:45 (5 years ago) Permalink
havent read the thread but this gets kindof brutal to watch multiple "episodes" or whatever in a row (most are on netflix watch it now btw). constantly seeing the flashbacks to everyone at 7 is like being shown home movies of someone elses kids over and over again
― johnny crunch, Tuesday, 8 April 2008 22:09 (5 years ago) Permalink
I did this a few months ago. I think it's worth it, although because there are so many flashbacks in each one, it gets sort of repetitive after a while: by 42-Up I was able to recite particular interview answers verbatim.
-- jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, September 14, 2005 7:13 AM (2 years ago) Bookmark Link
― jaymc, Tuesday, 8 April 2008 22:24 (5 years ago) Permalink
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/9206960/Seven-Up-Now-we-are-56.html
back next month (apologies for the Torygraph link). i hope Neil's alright.
seems like almost the entire thing is on You Tube atm in episode-by-episode feature length chunks.
― piscesx, Friday, 20 April 2012 01:28 (1 year ago) Permalink
BOM BOM BOMMMMM. tonight. so psyched for this!apparently thirteen of the original fourteen participants are involved; i am thinking this includes the kid of the kind of private-school-three who stopped participating and then went on to become a documentarian for channel four.
― blossom smulch (schlump), Monday, 14 May 2012 10:20 (1 year ago) Permalink
I have bad news for you
― o s– man (Autumn Almanac), Monday, 14 May 2012 10:27 (1 year ago) Permalink
anyway yes, excellent news
― o s– man (Autumn Almanac), Monday, 14 May 2012 10:29 (1 year ago) Permalink
I missed out quite a few updates, and the kids are quite interested in the concept.
― Mark G, Monday, 14 May 2012 10:34 (1 year ago) Permalink
i watched the whole thing in a couple of weeks a year or so ago. so amazing. as valuable a document on thatcherism as there is, too.
― blossom smulch (schlump), Monday, 14 May 2012 10:36 (1 year ago) Permalink
the poor people did come rushing in iirc
― Autumn Almanac, Monday, 14 May 2012 10:40 (1 year ago) Permalink
All are still alive, though.
― Mark G, Monday, 14 May 2012 10:45 (1 year ago) Permalink
What does everyone think of John's comments here?
― aonghus, Monday, 14 May 2012 10:57 (1 year ago) Permalink
That's an hour-long show!
― Mark G, Monday, 14 May 2012 11:00 (1 year ago) Permalink
Oops, that didn't work quite the way I thought it would. I mean, what does everyone think of John's comments starting at 51:29 of the above video?
― aonghus, Monday, 14 May 2012 11:02 (1 year ago) Permalink
Let's be charitable:
John was shackled to a portrait of himself at 7 that was "all poor peopple are smelly and should be (etc)" from the first episode. I can believe he had a life of priv and fast-track, and felt for more than one reason he had to make good for his previous 'entitleness' attitude. (to be fair, during the first ep they had a party for all 14 participants and he was all "actually, they were all jolly good fun and nice" etc)
So, don't know what 'comments' you are referring to, but he has latterly been very "this programme is the cross I have to bear" ...
― Mark G, Monday, 14 May 2012 11:03 (1 year ago) Permalink
I mean these comments in particular: "I suspect that why this program is compelling and interesting for viewers, and I quite see why it is, is because really it's like 'Big Brother' or 'I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here', it is actually real-life TV and with the added bonus that you can see people grow old, lose their hair, get fat. Fascinating, I'm sure, but does it have any value? That's a different question."
He phrased it in a rather blunt fashion. The program certainly has more value than 'Big Brother', for instance. But there could be an element of truth in what he says. The show started out with more of a sociological aim and ended up being more about human interest. On the other hand, human interest isn't necessarily a bad reason to watch a show.
― aonghus, Monday, 14 May 2012 12:15 (1 year ago) Permalink
So, there you go.
― Mark G, Monday, 14 May 2012 13:01 (1 year ago) Permalink
Just thought it was an interesting statement that got me thinking. The series itself and its aims, much like the people featured on it, has changed at lot over the years. I don't think that's a bad thing. There must be something of value in it for me since I've sat down and watched every episode so far. I'm nervously looking forward to tonight's episode, in the sense that I feel it will probably be very interesting but also contain some depressing truths about life's difficulties.
― aonghus, Monday, 14 May 2012 16:01 (1 year ago) Permalink
It's rare that you're able to witness the progression of a person's life outside of real time. Even if you're not seeing the whole picture (e.g. six-year chunks of missing time, the inevitable subjectivity of editing choices, etc.), the contracted nature of that presentation gives one a bit more perspective on the effects that class and environment and expectation have on how a person's life unfolds. I think it's an extremely worthwhile endeavor for that fact alone, but it's also just really engaging to see where these folks are after some time has elapsed.
― Bob Bop Perano (Deric W. Haircare), Monday, 14 May 2012 16:15 (1 year ago) Permalink
Just got back from 56 Up. I watched the 7 through 49 all in the span of about two weeks seven years ago, so this was the first one where I really felt time pass along with all of the participants. Man, it made me really emotional. The series is about not just the main interviewees but also their spouses, their parents, their children, their neighborhoods, their workplaces and friends.
― pun lovin criminal (polyphonic), Wednesday, 27 February 2013 06:22 (2 months ago) Permalink
I've been holding off on this until I catch up with 49 Up. Saw 28/35/42 when they came out; I wrote about buying a box set I can't play (because of formatting) on another thread. The theatre that's been playing 56 ran the whole series a couple of months ago, but I couldn't get out that weekend. I really don't want to skip from 42 to 56.
― clemenza, Wednesday, 27 February 2013 13:00 (2 months ago) Permalink
there's enough recapping in every edition that you can probably cope ok
― ( ͡° ͜ʖ͡°) (sic), Wednesday, 27 February 2013 13:59 (2 months ago) Permalink
Yes. It's not the gap that bothers me as much as, will I even take the time to see 49 Up if I skip ahead to 56? I know that parts of 49 will be incorporated into 56.
― clemenza, Wednesday, 27 February 2013 14:39 (2 months ago) Permalink