I'll admit that while I'm not really a fan of people in general (I think there are to many of us and most take the world we live in for granted), but individually I think they're fascinating. I often find myself people watching when I'm out and about, and more than just entertaining myself with some of their quirks (or shopping habits), I wonder what their lives are like. Or in the case of older people and rude jerks, I wonder what there lives were like. The former because they lived in a time so much different from mine and the latter to perhaps make me understand what happened in their lives to make them rude jerks. Years ago, I heard of a film series where director Paul Almond interviewed around fourteen 7-year old kids. They came from all walks of life and from different parts of England. They were asked about how they viewed their lives and what they though the future would hold for them.

By its description it might seem on the surface to be little more than a version of Art Linkletter's 'Kids Say the Darndest Thing", but in reality it was much, much more. Seven years later, director Michael Apted (who was a researcher on the original film) took the helm of a follow-up film and interviewed the same children at 14. But that wasn't the end. Every seven years, Apted returned again and again and interviewed the same people (no longer children) at 21, then 28, then 35 and so on. The most recent of these films is called "49 Up" and I believe will be available on DVD later this year.

But in the meantime, First Run Features is offering the first six films in a DVD set, and I was finally able to watch these films for myself. And to say that they are fascinating would be a huge understatement. Through these films we are privy to an almost fast-forward look at the lives of real people growing up. Each film allows us to see the changes as opinions become more mature. And later films begin to deal with the disappointment and disillusionment a few of them feel when faced with the reality that their lives did not go as they planned.

Over the course of the series a few of the interviewees drop out, mostly because they do not wish to be a part of such a strong social commentary and others simply because they prefer their privacy and anonymity. To be honest, I don’t know if I could have been a part of something like this, but there are times that I wish more parts of my life were recorded in order to track my own changes. I imagine myself at 14 and feel that I am no different now than I was then. More grown up to be sure, but with a lot of the same opinions that I had then. But since I don’t have that, watching these films has made me a little more aware of my own dreams as a child and a little more critical of those I did not follow. Fortunately, there is a bright side where I can enjoy the ones I did follow.

In some ways, this documentary series is a lot like a precursor to the reality shows of today… but with one difference. They are interesting, and not in any way staged. When you hear that these are real people, they really are. Where some American viewers might have a problem is that life in England has a lot of differences from life here. Some may find it difficult to identify with some of the changes these people go through that are based on England's somewhat strict caste system. What they fail to realize is that we live under the same type of nonsense here, with all sorts of social castes affecting the psychological development of some children.

Another rather interesting thing for more in watching this series is it also gives viewers the opportunity to see how the filming style changes over the years. The earlier films are rather rough, with each movie improving in terms of film stock and style.

"The Up Series" offers little in the way of extra features, but honestly it doesn’t need them. You'll finds some photo galleries, but the meatiest feature is found in Apted's commentary on the final film, "42 Up." He talks at length about how the series came about, but more importantly about his relationships with the subjects. It was interesting for me to learn about his involvement with this as I am such a fan of his mainstream films, which include "Coal Miner's Daughter" and "Gorillas in the Mist."

I cannot recommend "The Up Series" enough if you are even remotely interested just in the evolution of 'a man' as opposed to the evolution of man as a whole. I feel in some ways I have become invested in the lives of these subjects and am anxiously awaiting the release of the next in the series.

Directed by: Michael Apted
Starring: Bruce Balden, Jacqueline Bassett, Symon Basterfield, Andrew Brackfield, John Brisby, Peter Davies, Suzanne Dewey, Charles Furneaux, Nicholas Hitchon, Neil Hughes, Lynn Johnson, Paul Kligerman, Susan Sullivan and Tony Walker
Extras: Photo Galleries, Audio Commentary by Director Michael Apted on "42 Up"
Studio: First Run Features
Release Date: 10/19/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give The Up Series an A.