Seven Up! (1964) (TV)

Director:

Paul Almond

Release Date:

5 May 1964 (UK)

Genre:

Documentary | Short | Biography

Plot:

A group of British children aged 7 from widely ranging backgrounds are interviewed about a range of subjects...

Plot Keywords:

Interview | Children | Poor Child | Group Of Children | Social Issues

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Derek Cooper	...	Narrator (voice)
Wilfrid Thomas	...	Narrator (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bruce Balden	...	Himself (as Bruce)
Jacqueline Bassett	...	Herself (as Jackie)
Symon Basterfield	...	Himself (as Simon)
Andrew Brackfield	...	Himself (as Andrew)
John Brisby	...	Himself (as John)
Suzanne Dewey	...	Herself (as Suzy)
Charles Furneaux	...	Himself (as Charles)
Nicholas Hitchon	...	Himself (as Nicholas)
Neil Hughes	...	Himself (as Neil)
Lynn Johnson	...	Herself (as Lindsay)
Paul Kligerman	...	Himself (as Paul)
Michelle	...	Herself
Susan Sullivan	...	Herself (as Susan)
Tony Walker	...	Himself (as Tony)
Peter Davies	...	Himself (uncredited)

Directed by
Paul Almond

Produced by
Tim Hewat	....	producer (uncredited)

Film Editing by
Lewis Linzee		(uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
David Samuelson	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Other crew
Michael Apted	....	researcher (uncredited)
Gordon McDougall	....	researcher (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Granada Television

Distributors

• First Run Features (2004) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

7 Up! (International: English title) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

39 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | Latin

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Granada Television

Quotes:

Neil Hughes: When I get married I don't want to have any children because they're always doing naughty things and making the house untidy.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The 50 Greatest Documentaries (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

What Would I Do

Preparatory

I get most all of my films by recommendation and this is universally the most recommended to me of those I haven't seen. The series I mean. I suppose it wouldn't make any sense at all to see them out of order so as with everyone, we all start here.

To do that, we have to place ourselves in several other worlds. I'm an American. Though I spent a few years in school in the UK, We came home when I was five and I have few memories. For Americans, England — at least the pre-Thatcher England — was a sort of fairy- tale place where privilege was sprinkled here and there and strongly supported on the backs of the relatively poor remainder because by such tax they helped define what it meant to be British.

There aren't many blanket statements that can be made of the US — and this is less true now — but it is still true that Americans define themselves in large measure against this tradition. The idea of class immobility seems a perversion of nature.

Naturally, that's at the center of how this experiment starts. I'm sure the filmmakers never intended to follow these children as markers (more than representatives) of the collapse of privilege. Not the injustice and wealth, but the willingness which Brits poured into protecting a country (twice!) against barbarians so that their rich could continue pulling the traditions along.

So start here, fellow voyager. This first installment is completely without merit except in how it sets the starting point for a voyage through the transformation of an old two-class system to a "modern" two-class one, seemingly only for the amusement of the rest of the world.

Perhaps it would have been more interesting to have selected all girls.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.