Review of 21 Up (1977) by Jack S — 15 Nov 2008
Still totally fascinating, but this one started to bum me out a bit. Even at the tender age of 21, the youthful zest has been drained out of many of the films' subjects. They seem older than 21 (though perhaps "knowing" them as 7 and 14 year olds makes their aging seem that much more dramatic).
Two of the three solidly middle-class girls are married at 21 and are....solidly middle class. The little troublemaker who dreamed of being a jockey actually became one...for three races. The worst of the upper-class twits seems even worse now.
The black kid just seems lost. And oh that one Liverpool kid. Drugs weren't mentioned, but my was he shaky. And shiftless. But there are positive signs too: Our missionary kid really seems like a terrific, caring person.
The upper-class boy who seemed a bit rebellious at 14 looks even more so now. The upper-class girl has loosened up. The kid who moved to Australia seems to have a good head on his shoulders, as does the Liverpool kid's old buddy.
In general the university students seem better adjusted and "younger." And maybe 7 yr olds do know best: the Australian kid is shown "building a house" and as an adult that's what he does; meanwhile the farm kid wanted to be an astronaut, at 14 he said he had no interest in physics, yet at 21 he's studying.
..physics! 28 Up here we come.
This review of 21 Up (1977) was written by Jack S on 15 Nov 2008.
21 Up has generally received very positive reviews.
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