The Churchills (WGBH)
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: D Episodes: B
Though this 150-minuters long documentary mini-series from
PBS and WGBH is called The Churchills, this 1996 production is
especially devoted to the life of Winston Churchill and shows his amazing life
in particular with a mix of stills, new interviews and archival film
footage. Early on, he shows his
willingness to be extreme by vilifying Mahatma Gandhi, so when he is as vile
about Adolf Hitler, people think he is grandstanding. Too bad, because he was not and would have to take on Hitler and
much more as he rose to power as Prime Minister in Britain’s darkest hours.
It turns out he became Hitler’s number one target,
especially while Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain was trying to appease
Hitler and too many in Europe were treating him as if he were respectable. The better-known history of World War II
kicks in and the series concludes with Winston Churchill’s final years. Despite immediate rejection after the war
and health problems, he still managed to guarantee his legacy and this
three-part program narrated by Ian Holm is always compelling. Almost a decade later, it may be the best
title on the family and the man on DVD to date.
The full frame 1.33 X 1 image is not bad for its age,
originating on analog video, but some of it might be in the PAL format. Most is professional NTSC, while the sound
is Dolby Digital 2.0 in simple stereo at best.
Sadly, there are absolutely no extras, though there may have been room
for something, but WGBH might not have wanted to take risks with the
performance of the disc on players and left this a basic release. The series is rich enough to hold its own.
- Nicholas Sheffo
