Search - Secrets of the Dead - Umbrella Assassin on DVD

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."