More famous than Buzz Aldrin

56 Up

Crit

You know, I've watched these films in a really telescoped time period, so these kids really grew up fast! Now they're almost my age, bu they're never going to get any closer. I can't decide whether that's a good thing or a bad thing.

I thought there was going to be a bombshell in this installment, when director Michael Apted paired poor little rich girl Suzy and farmboy Nick, but no, the pairing isn't romantic--each remains married to the same spouse as at 49 (in fact, there was no change in marital status among the subjects from 7 years ago, and one theme in this segment could fairly be settlement into late middle age)--but they had been in touch via email since a couple of episodes ago, and Apted obviously wanted to play with expectations and actuality of the two children from distant classes.

Apart from that tease, the biggest surprise is the return of Liverpudlian Peter for the first time since 28. After his criticism of the Thatcher government in that film, he suffered such "malice" that he declined to participate further, and his self-proclaimed reason for coming back is simply to promote Good Intentions, a folk music trio including his wife. Peter's childhood mate Neil is still all but indigent, but has become more active politically and in his church.

Bruce, I must finally acknowledge, seems unambiguously heterosexual, and as he approaches 60, his sons approach their teens. Andrew and John and Symon and Paul are enjoying their grandchildren. The East Enders all relish their grandchildren as well--Lynn and Tony each have one living in the house (Lynn's was born at 2¼ pounds) while a daughter tries to arrange her life to take the child back--and each provides an interesting gloss to the marital status theme: Jackie and her adult sons are dealing with the double blow of cancer in the father of two of them and his mother; Sue has been "engaged for 15 years"; and Lynn, married at 19, has now been with the same man for two-thirds of her life. Sadly, her job as a children's librarian, tenuous for 3 films, finally ended in the continuing cutbacks. "I'm not political," she says, "but I don't think any of them know what they're doing. There's no left wing Labour Party anymore; Tony Blair saw to that." Gosh, I hope she's not driven away by the same people who harassed Peter.

Finally, Tony, whose infidelities were alluded to earlier, apparently has had a relapse or two, but he acknowledges gratefully that Debbie has always forgiven him, and the look on his face when, near tears, he says he still loves her is just the look of marvel he had when we first heard of her, without knowing her name, when, at 21, he said he'd tried three of the "four Fs," but "I couldn't forget her."

Will there be a 63 Up? Well, maybe Suzy, who declared in 49 that she was finished, should answer that: "I feel a ridiculous sense of loyalty to it, even though I hate it."