Search - Secrets of the Dead - Umbrella Assassin on DVD


Secrets of the Dead - Umbrella Assassin
Secrets of the Dead - Umbrella Assassin
Actors: Liev Schreiber, Joann Fletcher, Addison Bain, Martin Biddle, Linnda R. Caporael
Genres: Television, Documentary, Mystery & Suspense, Military & War
NR     2006     1hr 0min

At the height of the Cold War, the KGB used one of the most ingenious and unobtrusive weapons to murder an outspoken Bulgarian dissident. The Umbrella Assassin investigates the cloak and dagger world of Cold War espionage ...  more »

     
?

Larger Image

Movie Details

Actors: Liev Schreiber, Joann Fletcher, Addison Bain, Martin Biddle, Linnda R. Caporael
Creators: Colin Case, David Flett, Graham Veevers, Terry Doe, Jay Taylor, Julian Rodd, Mark Elliot
Genres: Television, Documentary, Mystery & Suspense, Military & War
Sub-Genres: Television, Documentary, Mystery & Suspense, Military & War
Studio: Pbs (Direct)
Format: DVD - Color,Widescreen
DVD Release Date: 11/14/2006
Release Year: 2006
Run Time: 1hr 0min
Screens: Color,Widescreen
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Total Copies: 0
Members Wishing: 2
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Languages: English

Similar Movies

Hamlet
Director: Michael Almereyda
   R   2001   1hr 52min
Inherit the Wind
Cliffs Notes Version with Book
Director: Stanley Kramer
   PG   2007   2hr 8min

Similarly Requested DVDs

Rooster Cogburn
...and the Lady
Director: Stuart Millar
   PG   1998   1hr 48min
   
Clerks - The Animated Series Uncensored
   UR   2001   0hr 22min
   
Young Guns
Director: Christopher Cain
   R   2001   1hr 47min
   
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Special Widescreen Edition
Director: Chris Columbus
   PG   2002   2hr 32min
   
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Widescreen Edition
Director: Jim Sharman
   R   2002   1hr 40min
   
Red Dragon
Widescreen Collector's Edition
Director: Brett Ratner
   R   2003   2hr 4min
   
North to Alaska
Director: Henry Hathaway
   NR   2003   2hr 2min
   
 

Movie Reviews

Pleasantly informed
Jeffery Mingo | Homewood, IL USA | 08/10/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)

"A defector mysteriously dies and the puzzle pieces indicate that Red Bulgaria was to blame. I knew nothing about the facts behind this DVD, but I was pleasantly surprised and informed. This is an interesting mix of forensics, history, and Cold War politics. From the jump, they call the situation "Jame Bond-ish" to grab viewers' attention. The work had interviews in English, French, Bulgarian, and Russian. Perhaps viewers may want to see this work alongside the documentary about East German Olympic doping.

This actually made me ponder more thoroughly the role of journalists. The one person who seemed to be keeping this case alive was a British journalists who must have been fluent in some Eastern European languages. The work never explains if a publication was funding him or how he had the means to pursue this matter. Later, in a cheesy staged scene, a Dutch journalist is shown raising similar questions, but it's never explained why they care in a post-Communist, present EU context. Maybe some journalists just latch onto things in an addictive manner. Maybe they are pressed to find the few areas where they can claim expertise.

The family rightfully said, "We just wish Bulgaria would admit what they did and apologize." However, there's is a funny moment when a nurse is heard saying, "Hey! These guys are in their 80s! Stop pestering them!" I see both views. Bulgaria of the 1970s is not the one that exists today. Will we ever move past Cold War Communism if we keep bringing it up? Should new capitalist Bulgarian leaders have to spend time apologizing for the past when those countries are quite poor and have a heap of current problems that need attention five minutes ago? Again, I sympathize with the family, but I also see how there's little corrective action that can take place at this point."