The Complete Up Series

The complete Up Series (7 Up to 56 Up). First Run Features did a great job in the transfer of all eight films and their soundtracks except for the audio for 56 Up. I heard a minor, random snapping sound on my copy so I ordered the 56 Up single disc version which is a different run and has different art on the disc. The replacement also had the same sound over the entire film. Someone told me they also heard the popping sound on their disc that they rented from Netflicks. I didn't see 56 Up in the theaters but I'm thinking the snapping might have been on the original soundtrack. If you notice the problem on your copy I figured out that the snapping sound is only on the left side so if you move all the sound to the right side speakers, the snapping sound entirely goes away. Overall, because of the minor problems with 56 Up, I give the complete series 4 3/4 stars and 3 stars for 56 Up by itself. I would say this should not stop anyone from watching/buying the complete set, I still highly recommend the series. The new and complete 7 Up to 56 Up series has the eight films on seven-discs (7 Up and 7+7 on the first disc) and they come in a nice, one-inch thick hard case. Six of the discs are a new run and match each other and only the 49 Up disc is different, which is from the 2006 single disc release. Special features include: a 29 minute interview with Roger Ebert and the director Michael Apted which was filmed in Roger's studio in 2006, audio commentary on 42 Up by Apted, photo galleries, filmmakers biography and a few random trailers (none of the trailers are on the Up series). It would have been nice if they had added an insert to this set but the cover art is very nice looking and on the back there is a very brief but detailed account of the series. Unfortunately, there are no subtitles for any of the films and English is the only audio option. 7-42 Up are filmed in full frame and 42-56 Up were filmed using digital cameras. 49 & 56 Up are widescreen format. 7 Up is the only all black and white episode. The 7 Up series is a fascinating study of human nature. My favorite episode is 21 Up because they really start to make good use of close ups and we begin to go deeper into their young adult lives. Suzy and Neil are the most fascinating to me and those two alone could have held my attention for the entire series. If you have never seen any of the episodes, you should consider watching them with some time in between each one. I would suggest watching one a week over 8 weeks and when doing so, think about how those who have been fans of these time capsules since the mid sixties have had to wait 7 years in between each new episode. The more time you have between each one, the more powerful they become. I would say that the 7 Up Series is one of the 10 all-time best dvd sets to ever be produced and is a must own for anyone who has a serious home video library. I can't see how anyone would go wrong in buying the set for $37.99 offered by Amazon, that's only $4.75 per episode. When this goes out of print (and it will go oop) the price of this set will skyrocket like it has in the past. So stop thinking about it and buy it. You will be glad you did. And if you can afford it, please buy an extra copy for you local library, school or a friend.

They have been admirable and generous to share their personal lives for a lifetime with such an immense audience and for that alone, the series deserves all the stars. They called it in the 1960's "a glance at Britain's future", and if it was so, she has many reason to be proud today. Out of the 14 people interviewed, all of them seem to have turned out to be honest people with decent values, doing their utmost in their own set of circumstances or challenges. And if by any chance you would find parts of the series redundant, then I would say that just looking at the first episode is worth the buy because the 7 yr old children each have such enjoyable individual personalities. Their unfiltered, colorful replies are fun and precious and make us realize just how much of our true selves we lose as we get older and start being too self-critical. But if you have read a few bad reviews about Michael Apted's interview style, I must say that there is some truth to them. The man has no tact, no diplomacy, no psychology and is often disrespectful towards his subjects although not necessarily consciously. And he missed out on what we could have discovered more if his set of questions had not remained so narrowminded. Luckily, two people admitted that they kept on participating only for the publicity it was providing to either their charity or music band... but it was after all through these projects that we had the chance to see their humanity. Despite this, the participants were patient and tolerant, and were quite nice to return every 7 years. The documentary, seeing a person grow from 7 to 56 within just a few hours view, is a unique experience.

Great transactions! As far as the series goes it is a fantastic portrayal of the lives of individuals as they develop from childhood through adulthood. Obviously there are some constraints on the episodes that leave a lot to be desired. For example, even though the episodes are 2 to 2 1/2 hours long you still feel like you're just scratching the surface of understanding each of these individuals and all of the changes they've gone through during their development. Also, the lack of ethnic diversity is unfortunate, but it also likely reflects the era and the context within which these episodes were begun. Perhaps my biggest disappointment with this series though is that the questions sometimes seem leading, such that it almost seems like the documentarian asks questions in such a way as to prove his hypothesis correct. However, overall I very much enjoyed the series and I think it is insightful and does a very good job of portraying the major milestones in the human lifespan - I would definitely recommend the series to anyone interested in watching development unfold over the course of a lifetime!

A masterpiece of documentary filmaking in anyone's book. As these people are essentially my same age, I have found each iteration fascinating despite being an American and not fully versed in the nuances of the UK's social class structure. Hadn't seen 56up (where this set ends) in a few years, and the complete series in more than a dozen years. Had forgotten that several moments from the early series, especially 14-21-28 are reprised in the latest couple; I presume that this allows for viewers being introduced to it in the latest episodes to be afforded a "catch up". From what I've been able to research online, 63up is being released in the US sometime next month (November '19) and there seems to be a bit of buzz about that being the end, as characters begin to pass away.

This is a fascinating series following the lives of these kids into adulthood, then into their senior years. Truly excellent!

Viewing this is not what I expected, and it's been a more profound experience than I imagined. I expected something that would be a bit more clinical and analytical, visiting the same folks every 7 years, and eventually coming up with some insights about the class system, education and perhaps some homilies about life happiness. But the shows are not academically ambitious in that sense, and yet succeed far beyond what I imagined. The format is uncannily simple. Apsted has interviewed the same subjects every seven years from childhood, and asks them very basic and simple questions about the opposite sex, their work or education, and their aspirations. (To be precise, Apsted worked on the first film, but was not the interviewer then.) There are 14 different subjects, although a few of them have been intermittent in their involvement, and they are drawn from every walk of life in English society, an orphan home, working class district, and upper class boarding school. I was surprised to learn that the original 7 up documentary was a one shot deal. Then 'seven plus seven' was made as a sort of 'where are they now' catch-up of the original series. If the subjects are a bit of a muddle after the first episode, don't be concerned; the characters will sort themselves out as the series progresses, and there are many flashbacks to prior episodes. This can be slightly repetitive in watching the series in one block, but one has to remember that the original episodes were constructed and viewed seven years apart, so the flashbacks would be important to the original television audience. Apsted has also made many fine movies over the years, but it seems that he has kept with the project because its stock and value have increased as time wore on. In the 2006 interview with Ebert he insightfully states that the series is really about 'life itself'. It's almost scary how 'real' these lives become in watching the entire series over the course of a couple of weeks; you have to remind yourself that you don't actually know these people. Introspection into one's own life is inevitable as a result. After watching any given episode, you wonder, and in fact, can't wait, to see how life turns out in seven years. There are more pleasant surprises than disappointments. I think I was concerned that the viewing experience was going to be dreary, but in fact, it has been the exact opposite. And finally, this is not 'reality television' as we have come to know it. There is so little in the way of effort to sensationalize and excite that it becomes something else: interesting, moving and profound. So, one question is the rather high price for the entire box. It's entirely worth it. For one thing, once we have finished seeing it, this box will be on loan to friends and family for some time. Almost everyone we know wants to see it. In my opinion, the price is well justified. Watch Roger Ebert's 2006 interview of Apsted on youtube, if you still have any doubts.

One of the best documentaries I've had the pleasure of watching, if not the very best! One of a kind! No trouble viewing the dvds in Canada (region free).

great documentary