This week, in the midst of celebrating the theatrical release of 56 Up (see my review), I heard some unfortunate news. Most of the Up series has recently gone out of print in the U.S. This should only be temporary, but at the moment you can’t buy a copy of First Run’s DVD box set that includes Seven Up!, 7 Plus Seven, 21 Up, 28 Up, 35 Up and 42 Up (nor the one that also includes 49 Up). The only installments available, to get separately, are 42 Up and 49 Up.
Of course, you can still currently view all of these documentaries by streaming on Netflix or Amazon. However, any true movie fan (let alone documentary lover) needs to physically own this monumental series, through which filmmaker Michael Apted (taking over from original director Paul Almond) has been following the lives of about a dozen individuals for half a century, since they were 7-years-old.
Fortunately, for one of you readers, Film School Rejects has one of the last remaining copies of the six-film box set (the one that goes up to 42 Up) to give away. And we’re going to have a bit of fun with this drawing by only qualifying those who do the following:
First, follow us on Twitter at the Official Film School Rejects Twitter Account (https://twitter.com/rejectnation), then provide us with a “7 Upload,” which simply involves you uploading a picture of yourself at age 7 (yes, you can simply pick a photo that you think places you at 7 if you’re not sure). Just tweet at the message “Hey, @rejectnation, check out my 7 Upload!”, and be sure to include the photo and the hashtag #7upload.
Don’t worry, this isn’t a contest in which we pick the kid we think is cutest. It’s just for us to all share how much we’ve changed (or stayed the same) between 7 and whatever age we are now, just as the subjects of the Up series do. Please do actually submit a real picture rather than Googling images of “seven-year-old kid.” Nobody likes a cheater.
The deadline for your “7 Upload” is this Thursday, January 17, at 8PM PST. The winner will be chosen at random for one copy of the Up Series DVD box set and announced next weekend.
Meanwhile, 49 Up is available from the First Run Features home video store and 56 Up is now playing in New York and New Jersey with more cities to follow (see the schedule here).