The eventful and controversial life of Lord Cochrane, British daredevil who fought in the navies of Chile, Peru, Brazil and Greece.
There was a tip that the Scottish Bruce Adam received from his grandmother as a child and many years later he unexpectedly served to cement business.
"If you're ever in Chile, say your name is Adam Bruce Cochrane, a relative of Lord Cochrane."
I never forget.
So when half of the audience was falling asleep in a seminar on renewable energy in Chile, used as a wildcard the words of his grandmother.
"I'm great grandson of Lord Cochrane" he said.
The crowd suddenly awoke. Many applauded, was approached at the end of the talk, he was interviewed by local media.
He discovered that great great grandfather whom he owed a hint of nobility and which granny told her stories, was a kind of rockstar war of independence of this small country the end of the world.
The story reached the ears of a journalist and documentary filmmaker Gilberto Villarroel. It was the beginning of a curious adventure.
"I found it very interesting that 200 years later one of his relatives was related to Chile, with new technologies and green enterprises, because Lord Cochrane also had a streak of inventor".
Chile and Scotland met and the idea of a documentary by the places that made his great great grandfather a historical figure: Chile, Peru, Brazil and Greece.
It was five years of work, covering 65,000 kilometers in seven countries and 16 cities on two continents, that gave rise to "Lord Cochrane, Captain of Sea and War," a miniseries of three chapters directed by Christian Aylwin, about the life of one of the most controversial British nineteenth century, which opens in Chile this weekend.
Look at the trailer of the documentary (in English with Spanish subtitles)
Who is Lord Cochrane.
Those who saw the film "Master and Commander" (Master and war in Latin America), will have no difficulty imagining the peculiar personality of Lord Thomas Cochrane. Captain Jack Aubrey, played by Russell Crowe, is inspired by him.
Cochrane was born in Scotland in 1775. His family, wealthy once, had spent most of his fortune in ventures of his inventor father.
When he turned 12, the Cochrane officially were ruined and his uncle, commander of the British navy, enlisted him as a crew member of warships.
Thus, by accident or rather by necessity, he began a naval career of a man who will eventually fought in the emancipating heroic deeds of Chile, Peru and Brazil.
He had a meteoric career.
The same year he was appointed midshipman met Horacio Nelson, who later became the hero of the Battle of Trafalgar, in which the British army triumphed over Napoleon's fleet and prevented their advance towards the island.
" 'Forget maneuvers, always directly attacks', advised Nelson", tells BBC Villarroel.
He applied at sea and in life. And in both he earned him great triumphs as well as enemies.
The admiration of Napoleon.
In full Napoleonic wars, Cochrane fame began to become reckless.
Did not know the word impossible, that is one of the main values that instilled the Chilean Navy "
Rolando Drago, Chilean Ambassador to UK.
"I did not know the word impossible, that is one of the main values that instilled the Chilean Navy" (which was one of the founders), tells BBC World Rolando Drago, Chilean Ambassador to the United Kingdom.
The embassy organizes every year a gala ceremony on May 21, day of the naval glories in Chile, in Westminster Abbey, the same where the princes marry and funerals of the royal family are made. There, inside the Abbey, he is buried Cochrane.
One of his most outstanding adventures was on the island of Aix, France.
The French fleet was blocked, but the British did not decide to attack. So they sent the boldest of his captains to take over.
"Cochrane arrives there and organized a night attack boats explosives. They start to burn the French ships. When we recorded there, people told us that the explosion was so great that the night became day. They could have destroyed the Armada French "says Villarroel.
