Donald McCullin, CBE Hon FRPS (born 9 October 1935, Finsbury Park, London, England) is an internationally known British photojournalist, particularly recognized for his war photography and images of urban strife. His career, which began in 1959, has specialised in examining the underside of society, and his photographs have depicted the unemployed, downtrodden and the impoverished. (from wiki)
A fantastic documentary from his start photographing the people of Finsbury Park, to Civil War in Cypress, The Congo, Vietnam, Lebanon. It was a different before (photo)journalists were officially "embedded" and they took photos of what the saw and encountered, not just what they were shown. His accounts of what he saw are harrowing and he himself was scared he was becoming a "war junkie", seeing so much devastation that it started to not effect him. He talks of the people, soldiers, mercenaries he encountered. As well as the interview for the documentary, old snippets of interviews are used from news pieces to his appearance on Parkinson.
He speaks very openly and comes across as very honest and humble and you can clearly see how everything he has seen in his photographic life has effected him. When it finished, it didn't seem anywhere near the 90minute running time, always a good sign especially when it comes to documentaries. This is a must see for all, not just photographers, it really shows how much of the horrors of war just one man captured.
He now lives in the English countryside and takes landscapes, a far cry from his days of putting his life on the line to show the world the horrors of war.
Saw this in the cinema, like you said really doesn't seem like 90mins. Will definitely get on Blu-Ray soon.
ReplyDeleteGot it on DVD, but havent got around to re watching it yet.
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