Read what critics and journalists have to say about the POV film that aired on Monday, October 14 and will be streaming for free online until November 13, 2013!
In 1964, a group of British 7-year-olds were interviewed about their lives and dreams in a groundbreaking television documentary, Seven Up. Since then, in one of the greatest projects in television history, renowned director Michael Apted has returned to film the same subjects every seven years, tracking their ups and downs. POV, which presented the U.S. broadcast premiere of 49 Up in 2007, returns with 56 Up to find the group settling into middle age and surprisingly upbeat. Through marriage and childbirth, poverty and illness, the “kids” have come to terms with both hope and disappointment. Winner, 2013 George Foster Peabody Award for the ‘Up’ series.
“It is a mystery, this business of life. I can’t think of any [other] cinematic undertaking that allows us to realize that more deeply.”
— Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
“This unique enterprise, which began as a documentary experiment almost a half century ago, has grown into an inspiring testimonial to the unpredictability of the human spirit.”
— Joe Morganstern, The Wall Street Journal
“In 56 Up, the latest installment in Michael Apted’s remarkable documentary project . . . entire lifetimes race by. . . . One minute, a boy is merrily bobbing along. . . . In a lot of documentaries you might not care that much about this boy and what became of him. But . . . you will care, and deeply.”
— Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
“To see 56 Up is to be reunited with an old friend. Make that 13 old friends, together again for a documentary project the likes of which the world has never seen.”
— Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
“Compelling. . . . The series has won worldwide acclaim . . . for its affecting insights into the human condition and the influence of the British class system. . . . Over five decades, the Seven Up series has explored this in a way no home movie, family photograph or academic treatise could ever convey.”
— Maria Puente, USA Today
“Mesmerizing.”
— CBS News Sunday Morning
“Engrossing.”
— Sarah Rodman, The Boston Globe
“Watching 56 Up gives you the wonderful feeling of seeing a sociological experiment blossom into something novelistically rich and humane.”
— Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
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