Like all the other PBS documentaries I've seen on DVD and streaming, this one does not have any captions of any sort. This is frustrating because I have a deaf daughter AND because there are several French-speaking people in the film with heavy accents--and captions sure would have come in handy. It's really a shame, as the PBS films are great but somehow no one bothered to caption them!
This film is about the Marquis de Lafayette. It goes by the assumption that he's pretty much forgotten today, though I think this may be overstating it a bit--as most Americans have forgotten almost ALL the leaders of the American Revolution except, perhaps, Washington and Franklin! The main thrust of the film is his career during the American Revolution but also talks about how he was able to avoid the guillotine during the French Revolution, as he was one of the few aristocrats who was in favor of a representative government. He was a truly fascinating man, though a lot of the story concerning his relationship with George Washington is oddly glossed over all too quickly--and it is up to other documentaries to tell this fascinating and very touching story (he was almost like Washington's step-son--and they truly adored each other).
"The Lost Hero" consists of narration, various interviews, pictures and recreations. Oddly, in a few cases they show the folks recreating events AND show the film crew as well! Why would they show Lafayette's wife writing a letter as a boom microphone operator stands behind her?! This is odd and took me out of the moment. Still, it's very good and very well made--and well worth seeing.
By the way, if you find the narrator's voice familiar, it's John Cullum--who was a regular on "Northern Exposure".