POV Community Engagement & Education DISCUSSION GUIDE 56 Up A Film by Michael Apted www.pbs.org/pov TABLE OF CONTENTS CREDITS 3 Introduction Writer 4 Potential Partners Faith Rogow, PhD 4 Key Issues Insighters Educational Consulting 4 Using This Guide 5 Background Information Guide Producers and Background Research, POV 10 Selected People Featured Eliza Licht in 56 Up Vice President, Community Engagement & Education, POV 13 General Discussion Questions Aubrey Gallegos 14 Discussion Prompts Coordinator, Community Engagement & Education, POV Taking Action 21 Emma Dessau 22 Resources Associate, Community Engagement & Digital, POV 24 How to Buy the Film Kristiana Reyes Intern, Community Engagement & Education, POV Design: Rafael Jiménez Eyeball Copy Editor: Natalie Danford DISCUSSION GUIDE 56 Up |2 INTRODUCTION In 1964, a group of British 7-year- olds were interviewed about their lives and dreams in a ground - breaking television documentary, Seven Up . Since then, in one of the greatest projects in television history, director Michael Apted has returned to film the same subjects every seven years, tracking their ups and downs. POV , which presented the U.S. broadcast premiere of 49 Up in 2007, returns with 56 Up to find the group settling into middle age and surprisingly upbeat. Through marriage and childbirth, poverty and illness, the “kids” have come to terms with both hope and disappointment. As an outreach tool, 56 Up is the ultimate in “reality television,” inviting viewers to look at the lives of others to find out what we can learn about ourselves and our society. This update raises fa - miliar series questions about the determinism of socioeconomic class and whether or not adult lives can be predicted by what happens in early childhood. In Jackie, Lynn and Sue at age 7. adding grandchildren to the mix, Photo courtesy of First Run Features the film also raises new questions about how personal ex - periences and external events influence what is passed along to subsequent generations. As was the case with its prede - cessors, 56 Up is a fascinating portrait of the human experi - ence. DISCUSSION GUIDE 56 Up |3 POTENTIAL PARTNERS KEY ISSUES 56Up is well suited for use in a variety of settings and is 56Up is an excellent tool for outreach and will be of spe - especially recommended for use with: cial interest to people looking to explore the following topics: • Your local PBS station • Groups that have discussed previous PBS and POV • aging films relating to human development, including • anthropology 49 Up, An American Family, The Family Album • childhood and An American Love Story. • class mobility • Groups focused on any of the issues listed in the • developmental psychology Key Issues section • divorce • High school students, youth groups and clubs • documentary film • Senior centers and communities/living facilities for the elderly • domestic relationships • Faith-based organizations and institutions • ethnography • Cultural, art and historical organizations, • family dynamics institutions and museums • health and illness • Civic, fraternal and community groups • human development • Academic departments and student groups at • love colleges and universities • marriage • Community organizations with a mission to • modern history promote education and learning, such as local • politics libraries • reality shows • socioeconomic class • sociology • United Kingdom USING THIS GUIDE This guide is an invitation to dialogue. It is based on a belief in the power of human connection, designed for people who want to use 56Up to engage family, friends, classmates, colleagues and communities. In contrast to initiatives that fos - ter debates in which participants try to convince others that they are right, this document envisions conversations un - dertaken in a spirit of openness in which people try to understand one another and expand their thinking by sharing viewpoints and listening actively. The discussion prompts are intentionally crafted to help a wide range of audiences think more deeply about the issues in the film. Rather than attempting to address them all, choose one or two that best meet your needs and interests. And be sure to leave time to consider taking action. Planning next steps can help people leave the room feeling energized and optimistic, even in instances when conversations have been difficult. For more detailed event planning and facilitation tips, visit www.pbs.org/pov/outreach DISCUSSION GUIDE 56 Up |4 BACKGROUND INFORMATION Listed below are some of the events that provide context John, Andrew and Charles in 7 Up. for the comments and experiences of the film’s subjects, Photo courtesy of First Run Features organized by year of interview. 1964 The Beatles sang “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” and millions of women in England and America swooned over John, Paul, George and Ringo. Muhammad Ali (still known by his birth name of Cassius Clay) was crowned heavyweight champion of the world and Mary Poppins packed audiences into movie theaters. While Martin Luther King, Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, another future Nobel Peace laureate, Nel- son Mandela, was sentenced to life in prison in South Africa. Harold Wilson was the prime minister of Britain in 1964, and Lyndon B. Johnson had recently become the president of the United States after the assassination of President Kennedy in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963. After a U.S. destroyer was allegedly attacked off the coast of North Viet- nam, the U.S. Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolu- Symon in 7 Up. tion, giving Johnson the power to conduct military Photo courtesy of First Run Features operations and escalate the war in Vietnam. DISCUSSION GUIDE 56 Up |5 BACKGROUND INFORMATION Neil in 14 Up. Lynn in 14 Up. Photo courtesy of First Run Features Photo courtesy of First Run Features 1971 1978 1971 saw further escalation of both the war in Vietnam and The participants in the Up series were 21 years old. Disco protests in the United States against the war. The New York reigned supreme, and the world's first “test-tube baby”— Times began publishing the Pentagon Papers, revealing se - Louise Brown—was born. Jimmy Carter was the president of cret U.S. involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1971; 60 per - the United States and cent of Americans opposed the war; and the Weather James Callaghan was Underground allegedly bombed the U.S. Capitol to protest the prime minister of the war's expansion into Laos. Meanwhile, Bangladesh de - England. Music from clared independence from Pakistan, General Idi Amin took Grease and Saturday control of Uganda and Switzerland finally granted women Night Fever domi - the right to vote. In popular culture, the Beatles broke up, nated the charts, The the ground-breaking sitcom All in the Family debuted and Deer Hunter won the sleekly designed Corvettes roamed the highways of Amer - Academy Award for ica. Best Picture and the - atergoers made Annie Hall and Animal House two of the year’s most popular films. Lynn in 21 Up. Photo courtesy of First Run Features DISCUSSION GUIDE 56 Up |6 BACKGROUND INFORMATION Tony in 28 Up. Suze in 35 Up. Photo courtesy of First Run Features Photo courtesy of First Run Features 1985 1992 Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan led Great Britain and George H.W. Bush was coming to the end of his first and the United States, respectively, in 1985, while behind the Iron only term as the president of the United States and John Curtain, Mikhail Gorbachev became the general secretary of Major served as the prime minister of England (1990-1997) the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. In Britain, a bitter, and leader of the British Conservative Party. The European protracted miner's strike ended with the Conservative gov - Union was founded with the signing of the Maastricht Treaty. ernment defeating the National Union of Mineworkers and Rioting broke out in South Central Los Angeles after the ac - going on to privatize major national in - quittal of the police officers who dustries. In America, Bruce Spring - were videotaped beating African- steen’s Born in the U.S.A. topped the American Rodney King. Madonna re - charts, The Cosby Show was the most leased the controversial coffee table popular series on television and book Sex; the Princess Diana biogra - Rambo: First Blood Part II nearly phy Diana: Her True Story was a swept the Razzie Awards with Worst bestseller on both sides of the At - Picture, Worst Actor, Worst Original lantic; and Wayne’s World was one Song and Worst Screenplay honors. of the most popular movies of the year in America. Tony and his family 35 Up. Photo courtesy of First Run Features DISCUSSION GUIDE 56 Up |7 BACKGROUND INFORMATION Nick in 42 Up. Tony in 49 Up. Photo courtesy of First Run Features Photo courtesy of First Run Features 1999 2006 Bill Clinton, the president of the United States, was im - George W. Bush, president of the United States, Tony Blair, peached and then acquitted by the U.S. Senate on charges prime minister of England and Saddam Hussein, the presi - of perjury and obstruction of justice. Tony Blair was the dent of Iraq, dominated the news in 2006. The war in Iraq, prime minister of Britain, and the Euro currency was intro - supported by the United States and by Britain, continued on, duced. Amid overblown threats of cascading computer fail - and Hussein, who had been captured and deposed in 2003, ures and widespread disaster when the new millennium was executed in December 2006. In sports, French captain began, billions of dollars were spent world - and soccer icon Zinedine Zidane head-butted wide on Y2K computer upgrades. Mean - Italian defender Marco Materazzi in the final while, the file-sharing service Napster minutes of the World Cup championship quickly became popular by enabling users match, while top athletes such as cyclist to share copyrighted music.