42 Up

Michael Apted's renowned series tests the maxim by returning every seven years to 14 British children originally profiled in 7 UP (1964). He began the series seeking to confirm the class distinctions were alive and well in England.

And while their accents are a dead give-away as to who studied ballet and who drives a cab, there are also remarkable similarities--as youth gives way to middle-age, parents die, and children prepare to leave the nest.