Documentaries & Biographies > D Documentaries & Biographies

Advantages: Educational, entertaining, charming
Disadvantages: With Fred? Don't be so soft! (IE None)

Fred Dibnah's Industrial Age is a wonderful DVD. It is packed with great programmes made by Fred Dibnah for the BBC, and is released by Beckmann (www.beackmandirect.com) who are based on the Isle of Mann. The first programme is Wind, water and steam. Fred talks of early uses of these power sources. He takes us to Saxtead Green Post Mill, which is in Suffolk and then in typical Fed style, we find ourselves haring off up the length of England all ...
...their crafts. Of course, Fred demonstrates his own skills (which are many and very varied) showing examples of his own restoration work. He also chats with friends about how important he felt conservation work of our industrial heritage was. Mill and Factories. This programme demonstrates how fortunate Britain was that Fred Dibnah was born and raised in Bolton, one of Britain's greatest industrial towns. It was once home to King Cotton, with hundreds ... Read review

Advantages: a great documentary
Disadvantages: you'll need tissues

Kindertransport, an attempt to remove as many young children from the clutches of the Nazis as possible. It tells a grim story, as do all documentaries about the holocaust, but if also lifts the spirit (unless your canadian). I have to explain myself, children were accepted by a number of countries, primarily Britain and the USA, however a number of countries were, less than helpful, you'll have to watch it. The film also closely examines specific ...
...Richard) family. The most upsetting thing is that almost all of the parents that sent their children away never saw them again. All in all a fascinating story, that will produce many tears, but ultimately shows the strength of the human spirit. It has to be one of the top ten world war II documentaries. Summary: buy it, watch it, make sure you bring tissues (yes, even the fellas). ... Read review

Advantages: Great use of footage, analysis from experts and pieced together wonderfully
Disadvantages: None

'When We Were Kings' is a documentary by Leon Gast, centred around the 'Rumble in the Jungle', the boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, which will undoubtedly go down as one of the most famous sporting events in history. Held in Kinshasa, Zaire, the event generated massive interest from all around the world. The documentary focuses primarily on Muhammad Ali, who at this point in his career, and with Foreman's dominance in the boxing ...
...the fight. Ali's charisma, personality and charm meant he was always going to be the man the fight centred around. 'When We Were Kings' charts the build-up to the fight, utilising interviews with experts in the boxing field, members of the media who were in Zaire at the time of the fight, and natives of Zaire as well as interviews and press conferences with the two boxers involved. It tells of us how the natives felt a connection with Ali and supported ... Read review

Advantages: Tells you important Dates
Disadvantages: -

...myself," he once said, "but I couldn't speak for the millions they killed." In 1986, he succeeded in having gypsy representatives included on the Holocaust Memorial Council in Washington DC. His biggest disappointments were his failure to secure the capture of Gestapo chief, Heinrich Muller, and Auschwitz doctor, Josef Mengele, who died in Brazil in 1978. Simon Wiesenthal died in the Austrian capital, Vienna, aged 96. Mr Wiesenthal died in his sleep ... Read review

Advantages: More detailed than the TV series
Disadvantages: Not everyones taste

...of the first trip that Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman made together on motorbikes. The DVD i am reviewing is the 2 disc set which contains both unseen and extended footage. The trip took a long time to play and ultimately was a journey from London to New York via Europe, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Siberia, USA and Canada. The DVD covers the entire television series. The way the two discs are split is disc one conatins episodes ...
...disc has the remaining episodes on , namely 4, 5, 6 and 7. The total running time is about 6 hours so ideally you wont want to watch them in one sitting. The extras are the unseen material, the photo gallery and the exclusive post trip interview. The DVD's start with the planning stage where they have to trial possible motobikes that may be suitabel for a trip like this, they settle on either a KTM or BMW. Those that have watched the series will ... Read review