The UP Series

A big undertaking!  John and I have committed to watch all of the DVDs of this series, one of the most fascinating I've ever come across.

If you haven't seen or heard about this project, it's a series of documentary films that have followed the lives of fourteen British children since 1964, when they were seven years old. The children were selected to represent the range of socio-economic backgrounds in Britain at that time, with the assumption that each child's social class predetermines their future. Every seven years, the director, Michael Apted, films new material from as many of the fourteen as he can get to participate.

The first film, from 1964 in black and white, features the individuals as joyful seven-year-olds, and the second in color as mostly broody adolescents.  We're currently watching the third installment from 1977; the participants are now young adults.

And the series continues...according to Wikipedia, filming for the next installment in the series, 56 Up, is expected in late 2011 or early 2012.