Critic's Grade: A+

In the opening scene,all the children are together at a Zoo,in front of the Polar Bear exhibit.The poor kids throw things at the bears which brings an indignant:"Stop this! At Once!!" from John,one of the upper class kids.
Recently a similar scene was enacted at the San Francisco Zoo,in front of the Tiger exhibit,with rather more dramatic consequences:the tiger decided to jump out and eat his tormentors.
JOhn at age 7 seems like a precocious Margaret Thatcher.
At the age of 28 John temporarily opted out of the series because he felt the documentary was rigged to give the impression that everything was handed to him.He pointed out that he worked his way through College and sweated and studied for his grades.
What nobody in 1964 considered as legitimate or relevant was the possible role of genetics in why some kids did better.There is no area of knowledge which has changed more radically in importance in the academic world since 1964 as the role of genetics-over environment-in development.
The most spectacular example is Neil,who starts out as by far the happiest
and rapidly develops some nervous disorder.
At ages 14,21,and 28 Michael Apted interviews Neil in a clinical,patronizing manner,implying that his family or he are responsible for something having gone wrong.Now we know that Neil's disorder can be located in a specific gene mutation.
Tony is a scruffy ruffian at 7 and despite a hard beginning ends up as one of the best adjusted family men of the lot.He drives a London cab but he likes it and he likes his wife.
The most spectacular jump is made by Nick,who starts out like a turtle,so shy he hid his face and refused to answer.He ends up a professor of nuclear physics at the University of Wisconsin.Nick has the build and confidence of an athelete as an adult.Nick says it is much easier to get things done in the US,which is not as hidebound as the UK.
Video of Paul at 7 is described by his Australian wife as "pathetic".It really seemed that something has crushed the life out of him.Everything changed when his father moved him to Australia and he got to live in a middle class suburb.
THe overall message I got was that if you are born in the UK,the smartest move it to emigrate to the US or Australia.

All Reviews by Fred Landis
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