Richard Linklater’s recently declared plan to shoot a movie version of “Merrily We Roll Along” over a 20-year period, much like he shot “Boyhood” over 12 years, is being rightly hailed for its chutzpah.
But he’s still got nothing on Michael Apted, who has essentially been directing the same movie since 1964, a record for ambition in filmmaking continuity that no one’s likely to break in any of our lifetimes.
The latest installment in Apted’s ongoing documentary narrative is “63 Up,” ninth in a series that began with “Seven Up!” and has proceeded like clockwork in following the same group of British subjects every seven years.The producers never had any plans for a sequel, much less eight, when “Seven Up!” premiered on ITV in England 55 years ago and unexpectedly became such a national sensation that regular follow-up appointments were deemed required.
At the time, Apted enchanted viewers
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