49 Up

2005 Documentary

Filmmaker Michael Apted returns to the director's chair to catch up with the subjects he has been following since the 1963 telefilm 7 Up with this sequel to 1999's 42 Up. In the seventh installment of the long-running documentary series, Apted continues to follow the lives of everyone from aspiring jockey and part-time actor Tony to teacher Bruce and barrister John -- who returns to the series following a self-imposed exile that preceded 42 Up. While many of Apted's subjects seem to have settled into a comfortable existence, sharp-tongued Jackie and once-troubled Neil inject a bit of liveliness into the mix by recalling their colorful pasts and questioning the director's motivations with the Up series.

Director: Michael Apted

Reviews

  • I am not British, was born 14 years before the subjects, and yet by now identify intensely with them, because some kinds of human experience -- teenage, work, marriage, illness are universal. You could make this series in any society.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    19 January 2013

  • 49 Up is a precious document, and must viewing.

    Lisa Schwarzbaum - Entertainment Weekly

    19 January 2013

  • No matter their wealth or social status, these people share disappointments and elations and a sense that life, in the end, may be what life is about.

    Ty Burr - The Boston Globe

    19 January 2013

  • If you haven't gotten hooked already on Michael Apted's series--collectively, one of the great documentaries in the history of the cinema--you should prepare yourself for the latest installment, 49 Up.

    Michael Wilmington - The Chicago Tribune

    19 January 2013

  • Michael Apted's landmark films documenting the lives of a disparate group of Brits in seven-year intervals have always been fascinating from a sociological perspective. But the latest installment proves that they are undeniably brilliant cinematically as well.

    Frank Scheck - The Hollywood Reporter

    19 January 2013

Awards

  • Best Editing Factual

    BAFTA Awards (2006)

     
  • Best Documentary

    Chlotrudis Awards (2007)

     
  • Best Non-Fiction Film

    New York Film Critics Circle Awards (2006)

  • Best Documentary DVD

    Satellite Awards (2006)