Churchill’s Bodyguard (Documentary Mini-Series)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: C- Episodes: B+
We have
already covered some strong documentary works on Winston Churchill, but Churchill’s Bodyguard (2005) offers the
twist of extensive documentation and stories from the #1 man who was his
bodyguard. Comprised of a lucky 13
hour-long broadcast-slated shows, the engrossing work (611 minutes in all!)
does manage the impossible in uncovering a new angle on the key world leader
and results in a vital document that is simply archival.
Walter H.
Thompson was Churchill’s security head for 18 years and met all the key figures
of the time from Lawrence Of Arabia to Hitler to Stalin to FDR and many
others. Thompson himself is seen in all
kinds of stills and film footage, but this series has Dennis Waterman doing his
voiceovers and actor John Tradewell as his on-camera equivalent.
From
there, the series is painstakingly detailed and ambitious in bringing to life
the world history and how it starts out with two very different men from very
different backgrounds, some more pronounced in a caste-system obsessed England
that has not changed much in 100 years on that level. Producer/writer Jonathan Martin knows this,
pulls no punches and knows how to run with this. The shows are:
- Walter Meets Winston
- Lawrence & Walter Save The Day
- Nearly Killed In New York
- Indian Nationalist Assassin
- Nazi Super Sniper
- Dangerous Travels
- Surviving The Blitz
- Attack At The Flying Boat Dock
- Winston's Double
- Suicide Attack
In Tehran
- The Kiss Of
Life?
- The Sewer Bomb
- Love Him To
Death
Just by
that, you can see he was in more constant danger than is usually talked
about. All is well told, even after so
much of it rolls along so smoothly and swiftly.
Churchill’s Bodyguard is ultimately
one of the strongest documentary mini-series on the market and a highly of TV
on DVD this year.
The 1.33
X 1 image is varies in quality wildly, with the most interesting part being
film going back to the 1910s! All
footage looks as good as it can and the editing is good. The Video Black in the black and white is
solid and colors can vary throughout. The
Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo is good for such a compilation work and audio is as
clean as can be expected for Dolby compression.
The only extras are historic stills, but they are of better quality than
usual, so that is a plus.
- Nicholas Sheffo
