With the 20th anniversary of Princess Diana's untimely death, there was a spate of documentaries from around the world, most especially from The UK and The U.S. Some were as long as four hours long (ABC), others which tried to tell her utterly complex tale in an hour or less. But this particular documentary (which aired on Channel 4 in The UK, and on the NatGeo Channel in The U.S.) is the best and most intimate look into the mind of this compellingly fascinating woman. It relies heavily on the audio tapes from Diana's secret interviews for her secretly self-authorized "autobiography" (though at the time of the book's release, it was much-denied that she had anything to do with the book). Hearing Diana speak of the horrendous world she'd been sucked into, it's easy to see how a weaker person than her would have crumbled under the pressures of living under a paparazzi microscope--trapped in a loveless marriage in which Prince Charles (who comes off as a first-rate cad who did no less than trick Diana into being his "broodmare," to carry on the royal lineage. One almost feels as if Diana is speaking from the grave--and her revelations are sometimes shockingly intimate. This documentary also relies on a voice actress, to recreate some of Diana's own words--a device that can sometimes tarnish a documentary. But in this case, Heather Long captures Diana's speech patterns and accent to a "T"...sometimes, it's hard to tell actually "who" is speaking, she's that good. The research, editing, writing...this is a first-rate look at "the woman" rather than "the phenomenon". It would be hard to imagine a more incisive, respectful and honest portrayal of this complicated, sometimes perplexing woman. For admirers of the late Princess, it is satisfying to see that she is finally being reassessed and being given her due for changing the British Royal Family--seemingly, forever. EXCELLENT DOCUMENTARY!
