Walter H. Thompson appears at Winston Churchill?s side in nearly every wartime newsreel?tall, gaunt, and always hawk-eyed. As the great man?s personal bodyguard for nearly 18 years, Thompson saw history unfold firsthand. A... more »t times, his vigilance and quick thinking helped shape it. Based on the complete, uncensored manuscript of Thompson?s memoirs?uncovered only after his death?this 13-part documentary gives you a behind-the-scenes look at Churchill?s life and leadership. Thompson shadows his boss everywhere, from Cairo to Yalta to the Western front. With his eye for character-revealing detail, he takes the measure of T.E. Lawrence, Adolf Hitler, Franklin Roosevelt, and Joseph Stalin?not only as leaders, but also as men. And he vividly recounts attempts on Churchill?s life by Nazi commandos, IRA terrorists, and other would-be assassins, some never before disclosed. Using archival newsreel footage, historically precise reenactments, and Thompson?s own words, Churchill?s Bodyguard puts you inside the skin of a working-class Scotland Yard detective who experienced the 20th-century?s great events as both witness and participant.« less
Genres:Television, Documentary Sub-Genres:Television, Documentary Studio:Acorn Media Format:DVD - Black and White,Color,Full Screen DVD Release Date: 11/14/2006 Release Year: 2006 Run Time: 10hr 11min Screens: Black and White,Color,Full Screen Number of Discs: 4 SwapaDVD Credits: 4 Total Copies: 0 Members Wishing: 1 MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated) Languages:English
"The title may lead you to believe that this is a biography of an obscure Scotland Yard detective. The videos are much more. They are a unique biography of Winston during his adult life with emphasis on his 1920-1945 period. They also contain large amounts of history of the countries occupied by Britain. It contains hours of newsreel coverage of his activities with narative which describes things that are not mentioned by book writers. I prize this set of DVDs with the same passion for my book collection of Gilbert biographies.
Some more information to improve your appreciation of the program series, back around 1990 the US government released the Venona code word decripts of the code breaking efforts in the war. It was revealed that the top three advisors to president Roosevelt were Soviet agents. This explains how the US encouraged the Soviets to occupt Eastern Europe as they would not be challenged."
Poorly produced
J. Zartman | 01/11/2008
(2 out of 5 stars)
"Interesting information spread out over too many sessions. The first two episodes in particular have a paucity of story line and pictures to work with and the hype for what we we're about to be told amounts to way more than the telling itself. In every session, the modern color footage interspursed with the black and white original is all blurred so that it makes your eyes ache to watch it. We are shown the legs and feet of two actors walking along the street a number of times in every session, as well as a pen writing the last lines on a piece of paper (it is supposed to be Walter writing in his memoirs.) Occasionally we get a map with a journey shown in a snaking red line, which is sometimes helpful, sometimes confusing, and often repeated. When we are shown an old photograph, the camera usually focuses on the person's stomach and slowly pans up to the face, and really their stomachs are not at all interesting. Sometimes confusing newsreels are included that are connected to Churchill only in a round-about fashion, such as riots in India when he was in New York. The subject matter deserves better treatment."
Churchils Bodyguard
Anthony Bowler | 03/25/2009
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Good watching and interesting. Probably need to view it again to gain full impact. Best to watch the various segments at intervals, rather than all at once. Otherwise, there can be a "sameness" about the whole thing."
A little disappointing
T. Richards | Belleville IL | 12/18/2009
(2 out of 5 stars)
"This documentary shows me I've become spoiled with modern production value, but you can't blame the producers here. This thing is really old. It is mildly interesting for Churchill buffs, has some neat film cuts, but it is otherwise very over-dramaticized and superficial. Not a real historical record, I learned very little about Churchill and the time period. I'm sorry I bought it."
Fascinating stuff
J. D. Kinzer | Rome Ga USA | 07/01/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"
Very interesting production featuring lots of information I haven't encountered before. Surely Churchhill and Thompson were meant to come together at this perilous time! Good production values. First rate!