Michael Apted, who has died aged 79, was a British movie director who – like Ken Loach and Ken Russell – earned his stripes working on TV. from 1964, was, to quote a comedy of the era, not so much a programme, more a way of life. Then it was updated every seven years, finally spanning 56 years. Here too Apted showed a sinewy sense of class and background – though it was America, not Britain, which enabled him to create a movie which showed someone breaking free of it all. Like the children in his unforgettable TV masterpiece, Apted grew up and grew away – but maybe not so very far, and his movies always showed how class, family and country shaped who we are.

Source: The Guardian January 08, 2021 22:32 UTC