HISTORY . I ~ I ’)()CUMl’-NTARY SERIES direction and most of all I _ x any startling r(}\'(}lall()ltf$ FIRSTI :ESRS7OJNI 7 30 ,. Scottish Fri 5Jui about each suhiect It Channe ’ un u’ ' pm .... T“ " 10.30pm, .. covers. Host Bruce Errol Morris’ First Person, to be precise. ‘4‘
Those nzrteteen—t'xhatet er programmes have got a lot to answer for. Since when did a randon‘ selection of C-irst cele'nntles hecorne experts in providing definitive cultural analysis? \"tlhen those 'hurnorous' personal anecdotes provide explanation for a country 's
Morton's worthy links are at odds wrth the lightweight tone of a progran‘rne which has all the depth of a ll\."(} minute Scott/sh Passport filler «Maureen UlrS)
ALSO ON
Battle for the Atlantic «’BBCQ. Sun 7Jt/l. Sip/7n The U—Boat peril that gave Churchill the \tvrlires. Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future Channel :3. Sat (5 Jul. 8.55am; Con‘puter anrn‘ated version of the space pilot fron‘ the pages of Fag/e con‘rc. Future Sex: Internet lClra/rnel -.’. Mon 8 Jul. 72. Islam; Not so sure the internet's the future of sex. Check out
Who he? Why, Morris is an American documentary filmmaker who’s fascinated with eccentrics, from Fred A Leuchter Jr, the execution equipment specialist also known as Mr Death, to the robot bug builder of Fast, Cheap & Out of Control. And with his 1988 film, The Thin Blue Line, Morris made documentary history when, during the course of investigating the case of a death row prisoner, he uncovered new evidenced which led to the man being pardoned.
His First Person series of one-on-one interviews with yet more eccentrics sees Morris employ his self-built ‘interrotron’, a frightening sounding device which allows simultaneous eye-to-eye contact between the interviewee, the interviewer and the camera. Morris invented this piece of B-movie sci-fi gadgetry as a
The CIA’s Chief of Disguise; or is it?
means of closing the gap between him and his subjects.
And it does a pretty good job if episode one of the series, ‘The Little Gray Man’, is anything to
go by. The man in question is Antonio Mendez, the CIA’s former Chief of Disguise. Back during the Vietnam War Mendez disguised a black American intelligence officer and his Asian mole so
as they could meet in Laos in safety to exchange military secrets. He dressed them up as the Hollywood stars Rex Harrison and Victor Mature, respectively.
Think that sounds nuts? Well, Mendez recalls his first ‘undercover op’ when, as a teenager, he snuck into a rival street gang’s party by arriving with a male friend as a couple (Mendez wore wig and dress). Mendez honed to perfection his skill for disguise — to the point that he could make himself gray (ie uninteresting) enough to avoid confrontation without make-up of any sort - around the time things got serious for him and he was sent into Cold War Russia, where the KGB fed foreign spies feet first into furnaces.
Although you don’t see much of Morris during the interview, it’s clear he’s as crazy as his subjects, which may explain why he gets them to be so candid with their barmy stories. I look forward to the episode, ‘I Dismember Mama’. (Miles Fielder)
i.'.".'./v./.suckrrfuckcorn Queer as Folk 188C CltO'Ct}. Sun 7 Jul.
1 1.30pn‘: Arnerrcar: version of the popular British drama series. The Secret Life of the Office {BBCZ Wed ti) Jul. Elpnt: What goes on nehrnd the closed doors a car rental company.
history. then it's been taken too far.
Scott/sh Legends is it‘- concerved front the outset. The six-part documentary senes highlights tour legends every episode. allolti'tg a full five minutes to Nessie. Jrn‘ Reid. Burke and Hare and more. It lacks insight. of
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