Michael Apted Movies
Receiving his early education at City of London School, Michael Apted went on to study Law at Cambridge University. By the age of 22, however, he was gainfully employed as a director at the BBC, laboring away on the popular soap opera Coronation Street. While working on the documentary series The World in Action, he collaborated with Paul Almond on the 1963 telefilm 7 Up, in which 14 seven-year-olds, drawn from every social level in London, were interviewed concerning their lives, innermost thoughts, and aspirations. Apted followed up with his subjects on his own every seven years, charting their progress and grilling them concerning their hopes for the future, resulting in the subsequent Seven Plus Seven, 21 Up, 28 Up (which incorporated footage from the earlier installments), 35 Up, and 42 Up.While he never completely abandoned the documentary form (certainly not with several TV awards to his credit), Apted has also kept busy with dramatic features, beginning with the bizarre cross-dressing World War II yarn The Triple Echo (1973). His 1974 Stardust, a quasi-documentary of a Beatles-like rock group, gained Apted a following on the midnight-movie circuit. Of a more mainstream nature were his subsequent biopics Coal Miner's Daughter (1980), the story of country singer Loretta Lynn; Gorillas in the Mist (1988), charting the life and violent death of conservationist Dian Fossey; and Thunderheart (1992), the saga of Native American activist Leonard Peltier (a subject also covered in Apted's 1992 documentary Incident at Oglala). His 1994 feature Nell, a distaff variation of François Truffaut's The Wild Child (1970), found acclaimed actress Jodie Foster in the challenging role of a childlike forest dweller forced into society following the death of her protective mother. And while Apted's later work edged closer to the mainstream with such thrillers as Extreme Measures (1996) and the James Bond vehicle The World Is Not Enough (1999), the avid documentarian remained faithful to his roots with 42 Up and Me & Isaac Newton (both also 1999). Carefully balancing his efforts, the tireless director received winning reviews for the wartime thriller Enigma in 2001 shortly before stepping behind the camera for the Jennifer Lopez revenge flick Enough (2002). Apted also served as executive producer of The River Rat (1984) and Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), and, along with several other directors, played a cameo role in Spies Like Us (1985). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2010
Upon returning to Narnia to join Prince Caspian for a voyage on the majestic royal vessel known as The Dawn Treader, Lucy, Edmund, and their cousin Eustace encounter merfolk, dragons, dwarves, and a wandering band of lost warriors. As the edge of the world draws near, their remarkable adventure at sea sails toward an exciting, yet uncertain, conclusion. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Barnes, Georgie Henley, (more)
Michael Apted's documentary Married in America 2 follows up on the nine soon-to-be-wedded couples he interviewed five years previously for the first film in this ongoing series. He revisits each of the couples, quizzing them about how married life satisfies, surprises, and challenges them. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 2007
Acclaimed director Michael Apted (Nell and The World Is Not Enough) explores the social impact and transformative power of soccer by juxtaposing footage from the 2006 World Cup matches with deeply personal stories of how a simple sport helped six people to meet and overcome some of life's greatest obstacles. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2005
Caesar (Ciarán Hinds) sends the gruff Mark Antony (James Purefoy), back to Rome to serve as People's Tribune. Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) and Pullo (Ray Stevenson) accompany him, and are charged with returning Octavian (Max Pirkis) to his mother, Atia (Polly Walker). Invited to dine at Atia's home, Vorenus expresses his strong belief in the divinity of the Republic, while, prompted by Octavian's astute appraisal of Caesar's mindset and the state of the empire, Titus proclaims that he would follow Caesar if he rebelled against the Republic. Vorenus returns home to his wife, Niobe (Indira Varma), whom he has not seen in more than eight years. He finds her cradling an infant, and immediately assumes the worst. She tells him that the baby is his grandson by his eldest daughter, who is now 13. Pullo spends his first day in Rome whoring and gambling, and runs into some trouble deep in Pompeian territory. Pullo murders a man who cheats him at dice and is critically injured in the ensuing melee. He makes his way to Vorenus' home, and Vorenus brings in a doctor who performs a gruesome operation on Pullo's skull. As he recovers, Niobe confides in Pullo, telling him how much she's missed her husband, but bemoaning the lack of affection Vorenus has shown his family since his return. Antony meets with Pompey (Kenneth Cranham) and members of the Senate at Atia's house, and insults them with Caesar's demands, according to the general's plans. Pompey decides to issue an ultimatum to Caesar in the Senate, and enlists the reluctant Cicero (David Bamber) in his cause. Caesar is ordered to surrender or be declared an enemy of the Republic. The senators are counting on Antony's veto, but pandemonium erupts before Antony can say his piece. Caesar decides to march on Rome. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- 2005
As HBO's Rome opens, Gaius Julius Caesar (Ciarán Hinds) is reaching the end of his war against Gaul, and his popularity in the republic has reached a new high, arousing the concern of Pompey Magnus (Kenneth Cranham) and others in the senate that he will attempt to seize power. During the ultimate battle, a Centurion, Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd), upbraids one of his men, Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson), for breaking ranks. Pullo is later flogged and jailed for his disobedience, and misses out on some sacking. Caesar gets word that his daughter, married to Pompey, has died during childbirth. Both Pompey and Caesar see this as a further threat to their longstanding alliance. Caesar sends word to his conniving niece, Atia (Polly Walker) to offer Pompey a new bride on Caesar's behalf. Atia chooses her own daughter, Octavia (Kerry Condon), despite the fact that Octavia is already happily married. Atia convinces her to divorce, and offer herself to Pompey. Meanwhile, in Gaul, Caesar's standard, a golden eagle, is stolen, and he tasks Mark Antony (James Purefoy) with its recovery. Caesar also manipulates his young friend, Brutus (Tobias Menzies), the son of Servilia (Lindsay Duncan), his erstwhile lover, to report back to Rome that the eagle's been stolen, so that his enemies there will think Caesar is weak. Atia sends her son, young Octavian (Max Pirkis), to Gaul to deliver a white horse to Caesar, before the great man arrives back in Rome and everyone is giving him gifts. Octavian's party is assaulted, the horse stolen, and the boy abducted. Vorenus, assigned by Antony to the seemingly futile task of tracking down Caesar's standard, selects Pullo to assist him. The two have a stroke of amazing luck when they come across the party that captured Octavian. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Karl Johnson, David Bamber, (more)
Filmmaker Michael Apted returns to the director's chair to catch up with the subjects he has been following since the 1963 telefilm 7 Up with this sequel to 1999's 42 Up. In the seventh installment of the long-running documentary series, Apted continues to follow the lives of everyone from aspiring jockey and part-time actor Tony to teacher Bruce and barrister John -- who returns to the series following a self-imposed exile that preceded 42 Up. While many of Apted's subjects seem to have settled into a comfortable existence, sharp-tongued Jackie and once-troubled Neil inject a bit of liveliness into the mix by recalling their colorful pasts and questioning the director's motivations with the Up series. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2005
Caesar (Ciarán Hinds) crosses the Rubicon into Italy with a single legion, which the overconfident Pompey (Kenneth Cranham) sees as a suicidal act. Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) and Pullo (Ray Stevenson) are sent ahead to Rome, to post Caesar's proclamation on the Senate door, but are told to return if they meet resistance. While the distraught Vorenus asks Pullo for marital advice, the father of Niobe's (Indira Varma) child, her brother-in-law, Evander (Enzo Cilenti), goes to see his son, and Niobe tearfully throws him out. Vorenus and Pullo surprise some of Pompey's troops, who run away. Pompey and his allies are panicked when they realize how quickly Caesar is advancing on the city. Pompey needs four days to amass enough men to fight him off, and Caesar is only two days away. Pompey tells Cato (Karl Johnson) and the rest of the senators that they'll have to retreat, gather strength, and then take the city back from Caesar. A proclamation is made that any noblemen staying in the city are allying themselves with Caesar and will be considered enemies of Rome. This causes a conflict for some. Brutus (Tobias Menzies) and his mother, Servilia (Lindsay Duncan), hide out in Atia's (Polly Walker) home while mobs loyal to Pompey run rampant in the streets. But Brutus decides that despite his friendship with Caesar, he must obey the proclamation and leave the city, while Servilia chooses to wait for her erstwhile lover. Atia, irritated by Octavia's (Kerry Condon) continuing relationship with her ex-husband, Glabius (Roberto Purvis), decides to take drastic action. Vorenus and Pullo intercept a group of Roman soldiers dressed in civilian garb who are fleeing the city with a very important wagon. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
Director Michael Apted's Inspirations (1997), which explored the nature of creative talent, laid the groundwork for this film in which he investigates scientific brilliance. Apted interviews seven noted figures from divergent fields, including elderly pharmaceutical chemist Gertrude Elion, bestselling author and theoretical physicist Michio Kaku, and MIT linguist Steven Pinker. With wit and radiate intelligence, they discuss their obsessions, observations on life, and the mental processes that brought about their own noted discoveries. Me & Isaac Newton was screened at the 1999 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
In 1964, England's Granada Television produced a documentary called 7 Up, in which 14 seven-year-old British children from a wide variety of social and economic backgrounds were interviewed about their ideas and opinions on the adult world. In 1971, director Michael Apted tracked down the same youngsters for a follow-up, 7 Plus 7. Since then, Apted has revisited his subjects every seven years in a series of remarkable films that allow us to watch these children grow into adults before our eyes. In the sixth film in the series, we visit eleven of the now middle-aged kids (three have chosen not to participate), as they settle contentedly (for the most part) into mid-life and contend with the growing maturity of their own children and, in some cases, the infirmity and death of their parents. Tony, who once dreamed of being a jockey, now drives a cab, does a bit of television acting, and admits to being unfaithful to his wife. Suzy, who at 21 was bitter and cynical with no intention of having kids, is now a happy mother who works part-time as a bereavement counselor. Neil, who has struggled through years of mental illness, poverty, and homelessness, was elected as a Liberal Democratic representative to the Hackney council in London and seems to have found stability. Paul, who was raised by divorced parents and suffered from poor self-esteem as a child, now has a fine home in Australia and has been happily married for 23 years. And Simon, a West Indian immigrant raised in a children's home, is happy, middle-class, and raising a four-year-old of his own. Ironically, Apted's latest installment in this compelling but low-key ongoing project was set for international release within months of the highest-profile film of his career, the James Bond adventure The World Is Not Enough. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Michael Apted (Gorillas in the Mist) directed this Walter Mosley script adaptation of Mosley's short story collection, Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned. Ex-con Socrates Fortlow (Laurence Fishburne) returns to L.A., looks for work, becomes friends with Right Burke (Bill Cobbs), is told he's too old for a construction job, helps youngster Darryl (Daniel Williams), and romances cafe-owner Iula Brown (Natalie Cole). Socrates provides a moral uplift to the neighborhood, while Burke's voiceover narration has a Sunset Boulevard twist. The TV movie premiered March 21, 1998 on HBO. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laurence Fishburne, Bill Cobbs, (more)
British filmmaker Michael Apted explores the creative process in this 100-minute documentary examining seven very different talents in action: David Bowie recording with his band; pop artist Roy Lichtenstein (1923-97) painting in his studio; Montreal choreographer Edouard Lock discussing modern dance; dancer Louise Lecavalier, a member of Lock's company; Japanese architect Tadao Ando; Seattle glass artist Dale Chihuly; and New Mexico clay sculptor Nora Naranjo-Morse. Ando's voice is dubbed into English. Shown at the 1997 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tadao Ando, David Bowie, (more)
- 1996
Boris Grebenshikov, popular folk singer, spoke for his generation in the same way as did his American counterpart, Bob Dylan, to whom the Russian musician has been likened. This documentary tells the story of his life and music, which was banned in his native land. An interview with the singer gives insight into his personal and political beliefs, and musical influences. The film finds him at work in Los Angeles, New York, London, and at home again in the city then called Leningrad. He is accompanied in the musical numbers by Annie Lenox and Dave Stewart. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
- 1995
This documentary from British director Stephen Frears represents England's entry in the British Film Institute commissioned series, "Century of Cinema," designed to be a collection of the personal opinions of renowned international filmmakers concerning the cinema of their native countries. Frears is joined by four other notable British directors who sit 'round a table sipping tea while discussing the past, present and future of English films. Included is Alexander Mackendrick, who died before this film was released. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
In Blink, a woman regaining her eyesight after a double cornea transplant operation glimpses the killer of her upstairs neighbor and then must fight for her life as the killer stalks her. Emma Brody (Madeline Stowe), a musician in an Irish folk-rock band was blinded as a result of childhood abuse by her mother. Her doctor, Ryan Pierce (Peter Friedman) performs an operation to restore her vision, but soon Emma is suffering from retroactive hallucinations in which she sees things that have happened hours, or even days, before. As she was the only witness to the murder, her credibility soon comes into question, but she is believed by Detective Hallstrom (Aidan Quinn) who has been tracking what he believes to be a serial killer. Hallstrom also believes that Emma may hold the key to the murderer's motives. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Madeleine Stowe, Aidan Quinn, (more)
An impoverished African American teen, raised in a grim and desperate Brooklyn project finds himself forced to set aside his dreams in order to face the realities of daily survival. This well-wrought and disturbing portrait of a young man's life was penned by New York Times reporter Dena Kleiman. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1992
In 1963, director Michael Apted and then-partner Paul Almond chronicled the lives of 14 seven-year-olds for British television; they returned to the same group at intervals of seven years for updates, of which this is the fifth. It's possible to watch this film without having seen the other chapters (28 Up and 42 Up are the only other installments in circulation), because Apted offers thumbnail flashbacks with each interview. Several of the original subjects declined to be filmed for 35 Up (the film acknowledges them with reference to their most recent appearance in the series), and several others express ambivalence about participating. Two trios of friends from the original film -- John, Andrew, and Charles, and Jackie, Lynn, and Sue -- are interviewed collectively; the women seem to be still close, but it's not clear if the men are. Most of the subjects are married and raising children (and most have moved from London to the suburbs or the country); there are a few divorces, and one woman has chosen to be a single parent. The film saves its most fascinating figure, Neil, for last. In 28 Up, he was a university dropout, living a nomadic existence on the coast of Scotland. In the present film, he has moved to the Shetland Islands, where he's involved in local theater and taking medications for his psychological illness. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide
- 1992
Hypnotic regression prompts a pair of sisters to recognize that they've been abducted by aliens. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Crenna, Mare Winningham, (more)
- 1989
Eurythmics and the Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde join Boris Grebenshikov as he attempts to bridge the gap between Soviet rock and American popularity. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1984
While working on the BBC television documentary series The World in Action in 1963, director Michael Apted, in collaboration with Paul Almond, produced a feature-length study of 14 seven-year-old Britons. Titled 7 Up, the film drew its on-camera personnel from every part of the social strata. Apted and Almond invited the kids to expound extemporaneously upon their feelings, desires, and aspirations. Seven years later, the same 14 people were rounded up for Seven Times Seven, which brought their individual histories up to date. And so it went until 1991, with Apted, now working solo, updating his original 1963 documentary every seven years. In 1984, all existing chapters were bundled together into the British miniseries 28 Up. By far, the best of the updates, as well as the most optimistic, 28 Up was later boiled down to a 113-minute feature film. In both its series and featurized form, 28 Up is a fascinating social document; those who like cushioning themselves against disillusionment, however, are advised to bypass 35 Up (1991), wherein the 14 middle-aged subjects are a lot more fearful about their future than they'd even been before. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1980
In this provocative British drama, a young Yorkshire woman discovers a radioactive leak at the nuclear power plant where she works. At first, her lover encourages her make public her find, but when the resulting pressure gets too strong, he leaves her to fight alone. Despite her pleas and insistence, no one believes her story. The frustration eventually causes the crusading woman to go insane. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Francesca Annis, Tom Bell, (more)
- 1979
What happened when best-selling mystery novelist Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days back in 1926? The British Agatha "answers" that question. Vanessa Redgrave is cast as Ms. Christie, who vanished from her home not long after her husband (Timothy Dalton) informed her that he was leaving her. Nearly two weeks later, after being the subject of a nationwide search, Christie showed up none the worse for wear at a health spa in Yorkshire, insisting that she could remember nothing of her experiences during her disappearance. According to scriptwriters Kathleen Tynan and Arthur Hopcraft, Christie was located before her return by American reporter Wally Stanton (an uncomfortable-looking Dustin Hoffman), after enjoying a brief romantic fling with the authoress. The journalist decided to keep his discovery a secret. Another plot wrinkle concerns Christie's plan for revenge against her errant husband -- a scheme with all the earmarks of a Miss Marple or Poirot whodunit. Agatha represented former TV director Michael Apted's matriculation to A-pictures with major stars; he fared better with his subsequent endeavor, Coal Miner's Daughter (1980). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dustin Hoffman, Vanessa Redgrave, (more)
- 1977
This Michael Apted-directed crime melodrama features Stacy Keach as Jim Naboth, a Scotland Yard cop on the skids, suffering from depression and alcoholism. He is summoned by Foreman (Edward Fox), a British security expert whose wife Jill (Carol White) and daughter are being held hostages by kidnappers until Foreman pays the crooks a million-dollar-plus ransom. Jim has to marshal his forces and regain his clarity to save Foreman's family. The pressure is even more intense for Jim, since Foreman's wife, Jill also happens to be his former spouse. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stacy Keach, Freddie Starr, (more)
