http://www.cbsnews.com/news/reel-life-the-mesmerizing-saga-of-56-up-16-09-2013/
“Seven Up” is a british documentary first aired in 1964 that followed various seven year olds from different economic and social classes. Intended to be a commentary on the Britain’s class system, the film revealed another interesting perspective; how much where one comes from shapes their views on life. The results were so fascinating that the filmmaker Michael Apted decided to continue the series, returning each seven years to check up on the lives of the children-turn-teenagers-turn-adults.
So how does this apply to us? This picture allows us to look at people’s lives over time and how they evolved, much in the way that we have been doing in this class. While not scientific, the study here is comparable to those stories we have looked into. When someone’s story is told, other people identify with it, or at least with some elements of it. What made the film so compelling to such a wide range of audiences was everyone connected to it in some way.
I thought it would be both interesting and concise to look at the segment from CBS’s Sunday Morning that shows the longevity of the project and outside interviews on it. It’s really curious and cute, take a look!
Bethany, I truly enjoyed this clip. I need to make it a point to see the entire film.
As I was watching it, I couldn’t help but feel sad at the director’s conclusion that those children who came from lower class backgrounds had a smaller view of their world and their place in it as compared to the children who came from higher class backgrounds. The study, in a sense, shrinks the world for I’m sure most people want to believe that they can overcome their beginnings in their pursuit of happiness.