A service that represents the ultimate in modern convenience; to be a good person by paying someone else a few dollars to do something good on your behalf. The modern woman is not slow to extol the efficaciousness of this service, having already dispensed with cooking, cleaning, and child care in much the same way.
Here are my impressions, in no particular order, of the seminal 1964 "7 Up" after just having watched it.
Spoilers follow:
- We don't gain a lot of insight into the children at this point, having few liberties at this age to develop or express anything particularly idiosyncratic, so most of what is evident about them at this age is their class status, which is unmistakable. The upper and middleclass children are quite articulate, whereas the working/under class children seem to be very lacking in verbal skills. Though they are all seven years old, reading a transcript alone one would easily assume at least five years age difference.
- In terms of verbal dexterity the only exception in the middle class group is Nick, who would later go on to become a nuclear physicist, suggesting that the centres of his brain that facilitate maths and spatial skills developed far in advance of those centres that govern linguistic skills.
- Also the working class children are manifestly ugly, with Tony looking malformed and brutish, while the three lower class girls, Jackie, Lynn and Sue somehow already suggesting premature aging in their features and style.
- One significant difference from 1964 to today is revealed in the panning shots of large groups of children, there are few, if any, fat kids. Most likely this is due to increased meat consumption, particularly of the steroid fed livestock, thanks to the rise of take-away food chains.
- The greatest cultural difference across the decades is that in the early 60s upper and middle class children watched television, while the working class children are not asked about their television watching habits, presumably because at this time TV was too expensive for their families. This has completely reversed today with television being an almost entirely working class entertainment medium, while the rich kids moved onto videogames.
- Also not surprisingly it is the working class kids who express the greatest racial tolerance, believing that black people are the same as white. Suzy the upper class girl expresses a natural vehemence towards ethnics. The only notable exception to this dividing line is the middleclass Bruce, albeit in a condescending way, who wanted to be a missionary to go to Africa to teach them how to be civilised.
Overall the merit of the 1964 "7 Up" is really to establish our cast so that we can see how they develop in later installments when they have had the time and wherewithal to determine their own course in life.
They also strike me as an inspired, even noble, use of the film medium. No other art form can capture so well the look in an eye, the feeling in an expression, the thoughts that go unspoken between the words. To look at these films, as I have every seven years, is to meditate on the astonishing fact that man is the only animal that knows it lives in time.
i agree. asking them about girlfriends and things like that seemed a little pointless to me.
it will be interesting to see the editing in later episodes where i'm sure they will intercut the kid's opinions from the early years in with the more adult opinions. I'm sure there will be similarities.
The first episode should have been longer, i found myself trying to put names to faces constantly.
Still, very enjoyable. I'm sure 21 and onwards will be quite emotional and engaging.
My review.
Here are my impressions, in no particular order, of the seminal 1964 "7 Up" after just having watched it.
Spoilers follow:
- We don't gain a lot of insight into the children at this point, having few liberties at this age to develop or express anything particularly idiosyncratic, so most of what is evident about them at this age is their class status, which is unmistakable. The upper and middleclass children are quite articulate, whereas the working/under class children seem to be very lacking in verbal skills. Though they are all seven years old, reading a transcript alone one would easily assume at least five years age difference.
- In terms of verbal dexterity the only exception in the middle class group is Nick, who would later go on to become a nuclear physicist, suggesting that the centres of his brain that facilitate maths and spatial skills developed far in advance of those centres that govern linguistic skills.
- Also the working class children are manifestly ugly, with Tony looking malformed and brutish, while the three lower class girls, Jackie, Lynn and Sue somehow already suggesting premature aging in their features and style.
- One significant difference from 1964 to today is revealed in the panning shots of large groups of children, there are few, if any, fat kids. Most likely this is due to increased meat consumption, particularly of the steroid fed livestock, thanks to the rise of take-away food chains.
- The greatest cultural difference across the decades is that in the early 60s upper and middle class children watched television, while the working class children are not asked about their television watching habits, presumably because at this time TV was too expensive for their families. This has completely reversed today with television being an almost entirely working class entertainment medium, while the rich kids moved onto videogames.
- Also not surprisingly it is the working class kids who express the greatest racial tolerance, believing that black people are the same as white. Suzy the upper class girl expresses a natural vehemence towards ethnics. The only notable exception to this dividing line is the middleclass Bruce, albeit in a condescending way, who wanted to be a missionary to go to Africa to teach them how to be civilised.
Overall the merit of the 1964 "7 Up" is really to establish our cast so that we can see how they develop in later installments when they have had the time and wherewithal to determine their own course in life.
Also check out Roger Ebert's review.
agree
i agree. asking them about girlfriends and things like that seemed a little pointless to me.
it will be interesting to see the editing in later episodes where i'm sure they will intercut the kid's opinions from the early years in with the more adult opinions. I'm sure there will be similarities.
The first episode should have been longer, i found myself trying to put names to faces constantly.
Still, very enjoyable. I'm sure 21 and onwards will be quite emotional and engaging.