The Daily Circuit

Michael Apted, director of the "Up" series, on his latest installment

10:20 AM, February 5, 2013

LISTEN

The latest installment in director Michael Apted's "Up" series opens in Minneapolis later this week. "56 Up" continues what started as a television special looking into the British class system in the mid-1960s.

Inspired by the Jesuit saying, "Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man," Apted and a British television crew spoke with 14 seven year-old children from a wide range of backgrounds and social classes.

The original film was 45 minutes and was never thought of as a series, but every seven years Apted has made it his mission to check back in with any of the original subjects willing to talk. "56 Up" features 13 of the original subjects. The series has followed a prep-school boy and girl, the son of a rural farmer, and the child of a homeless family.

Watch the trailer for "56 Up":

The series goes from the wide-eyed dreams of children to their mono-syllabic, adolescent selves. Careers come and go, as do husbands and wives. Parents begin to die, while a new group of children and even grandchildren have emerged. The films have garnered a loyal audience who have grown up along with its subjects.

"56 Up" opens this Friday, Feb. 8 at the Lagoon Theater in Minneapolis, and you catch up on previous installments on streaming sites like Netflix.

Apted and Nick Hitchon, University of Wisconsin engineering professor and one of the subjects followed in the movie, join The Daily Circuit Tuesday, Feb. 5 to discuss the films.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE "UP" SERIES

Taking Family Seriously in 'Up' Series (NY Times)

What "56 Up" reveals (The New Yorker)

Michael Apted: 56 Up and still going strong (The Guardian)

Checking In Again With The '7 Up' Kids (NPR)

comments powered by Disqus
Listen Now

MPR News Radio

Hourly Newscast

The Daily Circuit Blog

Economy, Business & Jobs:

Op-ed pick: The Senate’s guest worker program will provide a flexible workforce

"The size of the guest-worker program is designed to adjust automatically in response to changing U.S. labor needs, growing in good years when the economy needs more foreign workers and shrinking when more Americans are out of work."

News & Trends:

3 things to buy at the farmers market this weekend

After we taped the Friday Roundtable, I asked the panelists what we should pick up at the farmer’s market this weekend. Stephanie Meyer recommends morels. Amy Thielen says to buy dandelion greens if you can find them. Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl’s a fan of rhubarb: Here’s what you can do with rhubarb. I like to cook…