In Apted’s ’42 Up’: Hints of the Children They Once Were

In 1963, filmmaker Michael Apted, then early in his career, assembled 14 7-year-olds representing a cross section of British society and interviewed them about their lives and their dreams. The British TV result was the internationally acclaimed “7Up.” Every seven years since, Apted has caught up with them to make another installment. The latest, “42 Up,” opens a one-week run at the Nuart.

Time is truly on Apted’s side because the passing of time not surprisingly brings a richer, deeper perspective with each new segment. The project allows Apted to dip into past segments to trace the growth of these individuals in a uniquely revealing and compelling manner--and at the same time making it unnecessary to have seen the earlier chapters to comprehend and enjoy the latest entry.

The big news is how encouraging “42 Up” is. Remarkably, all 14 are leading productive lives. Yes, most but not all are getting plump and paunchy, but the majority is happily married with children. By and large the upper-middle-class children knew early on what they wanted to do with their lives and proceeded to do it without undue obstacles. The working-class youngsters had decidedly fewer choices and opportunities, and some feel they settled for less while having worked very hard for whatever affluence and security they have accrued.

On the whole they are a likable, articulate group of staunch citizens, the bedrock of a solid society. Some find it quite enough to do the best they can for their families, but others are committed to helping others as well. On the whole the group seems to believe that there is more across-the-board opportunity in Britain now, but that the class system is still very much in place.

Although all are of interest, several individuals stand out. One is Lynn, who at 21 was a chain-smoking cynic but at twice that age has become an especially reflective woman, a dedicated wife and mother and parochial school librarian. She has learned to live with an inoperable but apparently benign brain tumor, accepting her doctor’s opinion that she will probably die of something else when her time comes. She speaks out on the lack of values in modern life, “the lack of respect for anything.” Both her two lifelong friends are divorcees: Jackie, a loving single mother of three young boys who is impoverished but far from defeated; and the very attractive Sue, who has raised two children largely on her own.

Of a group of three public school boys--which in Britain means private school--two no longer participate in the series. Even at 7, John, who in fact has become the highly successful barrister he intended to be, came across as a ferocious snob, while Charles, another series dropout, now produces science documentaries for British TV. Andrew, a solicitor also clearly programmed for success at 7, realizes that while his life, which includes a happy marriage, has unfolded according to plan, he nonetheless owes much to good fortune.

Still, like John and Charles, he regards the series as something of an intrusion, which, he says frankly, he wouldn’t wish on his children. (The group collectively seems ambivalent about how participation in the series has affected their lives, though many note that it does force them to take stock of themselves every seven years, like it or not.)

Not surprisingly, Apted leaves the most atypical member of his group, Neil, to the last. Even as a child Neil radiated a special sensitivity that was soon manifesting itself in an increasingly intense temperament and personality. By 28 Neil was homeless, and, at 35, in retreat in the Shetland Islands. What he’s doing with his life at 42 seems therefore astonishing, yet remarks he made earlier in his life actually pointed in the direction he has finally taken--one too dramatic to be revealed here. Very much a work in progress, Neil has strayed farthest but has emerged from a long odyssey as perhaps the wisest and most reflective of the group.

Apted has said that his initial impetus was to discover whether there was any truth to the old saying, “Give me the child at 7, and I will show you the man.” Now that he has completed six installments, it would certainly seem that there is truth to that belief, for you can see a great deal of the children they were in these now-middle-aged men and women. This holds true even for Neil--perhaps especially so.

* Unrated. Times guidelines: adult themes, suitable for mature older children.

‘42 Up’

A First Run Features release of a Granada Television production for the BBC. Producer-director Michael Apted. Executive producers Ruth Pitt, Stephen Lambert. Cinematographer George Jesse Turner. Researcher Melanie Archer. Editor Kim Horton. Running time: 2 hours, 20 minutes.

Exclusively at the Nuart through Thursday, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd., West Los Angeles, (310) 478-6379.