Is This The Real Life? Documentaries You Love

[clarissamaebean]

Mar 16, 2005 19:55:07 GMT -4 vacationland said:

I've been fascinated by the Up series of documentaries directed by Michael Apted ever since I saw the first 3 in a cultural studies class back in the '80s. The last one was "42 Up" and I think--if they're still filming them--that "49 Up" should film this year?

For those who haven't seen or heard about them, it's a series of British documentaries that began filming in 1964. Taking the Jesuit saying, "Give me a child until he is 7 and I will show you the man" as a jumping-off point, Apted filmed a group of 7-year-olds, intending to test the theory by continuing to film them every 7 years thereafter, to see if their 7-year-old selves are reflected in their adult selves. Of course, by observing something (or someone) you can't help but change it; still, it's compelling stuff.

It's fascinating to see these people (some of the original subjects dropped out in later years) essentially grow up on film. The children were deliberately chosen for their varied social/class backgrounds and economic and family circumstances. They ranged from a couple of boys growing up in an orphanage to middle-class kids to the children of the landed gentry. They were urban, suburban and rural.

In some cases, it was clear that societal position and economic status was, at least in some regard, destiny. There were also surprises, as one of the kids ultimately develops fairly serious mental illness and has a life that went in directions nobody could've predicted.

It's amazing to see how strongly personality seems fixed at an early age in some kids; scrappy, cheerful little Tony at 7 is shockingly similar to scrappy, cheerful adult Tony, for example. Others who were unbearable as teenagers become well-adjusted, likeable adults.

One thing that the series makes clear is that doing what you like for a living has a lot to do with your ultimate happiness, regardless of economic or social status.

The way the films are structured, you see the subjects weighing in on various subjects in virtually side-by-side comparisons, separated only by age; it's like watching one of those old Disney films with the flowers unfolding in fast motion, only with people. Very cool, and worth a watch!

Fans of the “Up” series, it’s here! It’s here! The next installment, “63 Up,” will be released November 27!

[Alexis Machine]

I just finished watching The Sweatbox on youtube, a movie by Trudie Styler about how Disney started making a movie called Kingdom of the Sun. Disney scrapped the entire movie after the script failed to come together and they restarted almost from scratch and made The Emperor's New Groove. The lack of guidance and direction is frustrating - at one point Sting was working on the soundtrack and had no real idea of the plot of the movie, the animators were stressed out by the rumors flying around the company, and the whole thing is fascinating. Also, I wish Eartha Kitt had done more animated movies. She was a really charismatic presence.

[Deleted]

I finally watched Five Foot Two. Yeah, Gaga def seems a little exhausting to be around, but still good people.

[laurenj]

I don't know how I stumbled on it, but I've been watching this documentary on mass shootings on Showtime, but it's been really interesting in unexpected ways.

For example, there's a 20-something man who was killed in the Aurora movie theater shooting because he threw himself over his girlfriend. He's held up as a hero by the media but as his parents are interviewed, it's crystal clear that his dad resents the girlfriend for his son's death. At some point, the mother is discussing the fact that the girlfriend asked to take the son's name, and the dad's face is so tellingly blank.

Similarly, there's a couple that survived the Pulse nightclub shooting, where they were no longer dating at the time, but went as "friends" and one half of the couple called another couple as a buffer and that couple (or one half of the couple, it's hard to tell) was killed. Every single interview is so uncomfortable to watch because the talkative half of the now-reunited couple seems SO hung up on the person who was killed, while his now-partner sits silently by.

Also, there was an interview with a Columbine survivor who is insistent that he isn't a victim and that therapy is a fraud, but he fully stops with trembling lips as he talks about it.

I guess for me, the main takeaway was that we look way too much at the handful of people who appear to be "fine" after a really traumatic event, and it's way too easy to disregard the ripple effects. But those tiny moments were so fascinating and so revealing and I really think whoever shot this did a good job focusing on those small details.

[Ripley]

Last night, TTMR and I watched “The Way I See It,” a documentary about Pete Souza. He was Obama’s Chief White House photographer. It was so good. I didn’t realize that Souza was also one of Reagan’s White House photographer too. Souza had a lot to say about the office of the President. And of course the photos were wonderful. The part about Sandy Hook was especially poignant.

[scarlet]

FYI "The Way I See It" is being rerun tonight at 10 PM EST on MSNBC if you're interested.

[scarlet]

Oct 17, 2020 15:15:27 GMT -4 Ripley said:

Last night, TTMR and I watched “The Way I See It,” a documentary about Pete Souza. He was Obama’s Chief White House photographer. It was so good. I didn’t realize that Souza was also one of Reagan’s White House photographer too. Souza had a lot to say about the office of the President. And of course the photos were wonderful. The part about Sandy Hook was especially poignant.

Watched this morning and it really is wonderful. I agree about the part re Sandy Hook--especially hearing the one father of one of the children speaking about Obama's compassion that day.

I also thought the contrast between the photo taken right after Bin Laden had been killed vs. when Trump had Qassim al-Raymi killed was startling. Real emotion vs. posed couldn't be made more clear.

[Ginger]

It's referenced a few times back in this thread, so I just thought I'd mention I finally watched the "Up" series thanks to quarantine and Britbox. "63 Up" strangely has not been released in the US, so I had to import a DVD of it from the UK. Nick (nuclear physicist) and Tony (cab driver) continue to be the most compelling characters.

This felt like the most relevant episode to current events. Spoilers:

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}Nick had (has? I keep looking for updates no the internet) throat cancer so he was more reflective than usual. Tony and his wife have lost a huge chunk of their income to Uber. Tony not surprisingly voted "leave" in Brexit but now regrets it and now says he's re-thinking having voted Tory his whole life. Paul and Symon (the two from the "Boy's home") finally talked at length about what being raised in an institution did to them. The posh woman (can't even remember her name) who never had anything interesting to say about anything mercifully dropped out of the series. And posh John, as always, continues to deny that being born into privilege had anything to do with his ability to follow the exact path that was already laid out for him at age 7 (boarding school, Oxbridge, successful barrister).

I think one more "70 Up" if they make it will be a good ending to the series. It might start to get depressing just watching them die off one by one.

[eclair]

I'm going to look for the latest Up series, thanks Greecies!

Ginger, I was trying to reveal your spoiler and I accidentally quoted you, then I deleted it. If you get a notice that I quoted you, that's what happened.

[Smilla]

I just watched a scary/depressing doc titled Missing 411 about disappearances of children in the wilderness. It's shocking to me that (as the film reveals) we have no formal list of people who went missing in national parks here in the U.S., and that the National Parks people claim it would cost 1.4 million dollars to create one.