Video: Tony Benn documentary review

When recited by legendary left-wing radical and late national treasure Tony Benn, it is a fitting start to director Skip Kite’s rousing feature-length documentary.

Benn, who died in March aged 88, was the longest serving Labour MP in history.

He was once Postmaster General and Secretary of State for Industry. He rallied with the miners during their 1980s strikes and was mauled by the tabloids.

When leaving Parliament in 2001, he quipped that he was retiring “to spend more time on politics.”

This kind of wit, charm and experience shines through in Will and Testament.

It features rare archive and personal footage alongside intimate, warm and revealing interviews with the man himself (never without his trademark pipe).

The war’s influence on his beliefs is made clear and he openly laments past mistakes. This highlights his conviction and contrasts him with those now holding office, who are so often thought of as self-serving “careerists”.

But though it has a political message, the film is foremost a homage to Benn’s spirit, casting its lens on his family life and commitment to what he believed was right.

Will and Testament is in cinemas from October 3.