McCullin

I must confess I only stumbled across this riveting and powerful but relatively unknown documentary because my local independent cinema was showing it. McCullin did actually receive a BAFTA nomination for best feature length documentary and this was fully justified. I cannot recommend this film enough; it is truly fascinating and extremely well put together that the 90 minutes of its running time just fly by. Not only is this superbly edited, but the music also enhances the mood and atmosphere.

Don McCullin himself is uncomfortable with the title of 'war photographer' and throughout his interview he gives fascinating accounts of his life and what effect witnessing the horrifying experiences that he did affected him. This documentary also serves as an insightful documentary into some of the conflicts of the second half of the twentieth century.

McCullin's firsthand accounts of what he witnessed gives harrowing but fascinating insights into scenes some of us can only imagine. As with all wars, the main victims are those innocent civilians stuck in the middle and McCullin's descriptions of such people really put life into perspective and the luxuries that we all take for granted. This is at times uncomfortable and sobering viewing, but only due to the raw honesty of McCullin's stories and photos. McCullin himself also emerges as not only a fascinating man, but a man of integrity and honesty. We could only imaging what witnessing some of the horrific events that he did would do to us psychologically and it is genuinely fascinating as he reveals what it did to him. This film also serves as a reminder to an irretrievable bygone era of journalism and does make us pose some questions about the integrity and honesty of 21st century journalism, especially photojournalism. As Don McCullin himself says: "Photography is the truth if it's being handled by a truthful person."

This is an extremely honest and genuinely powerful documentary that not only provides insight into a fascinating man, but also the horrifying truth about the effects war can have on nations and innocent civilians. This is unforgettable and devastating, and though not an easy watch at times, one I would thoroughly recommend.

The Review: To be honest I have a soft spot for documentaries in general (despite my reputation as a lover a tat & blockbusters). So whilst I'm often impressed, I'm rarely wowed. But with a powerful story and captivating subject matter, Mccullin managed to do just that. And more.

The story: Celebrated photographer Don McCullin worked for The Sunday Times from 1966 to 1983, at a time when the newspaper was widely recognised as being at the cutting edge of international investigative photo-journalism. During that period he covered wars and humanitarian disasters on virtually every continent: from civil war in Cyprus, the war in Vietnam and the man-made famine in Biafra to the plight of the homeless in swinging sixties London.

Simply put McCullin is one of the most interesting films I have seen this year and certainly one of my top 5 favourite documentaries of all time.

Don McCullin is a fascinating subject from the start, open and honest about his time on the front line yet haunted by what he has seen and done (or not), a personal conflict the filmmakers capture perfectly.

McCullin arrives care of the producers of Award winning Senna. Which gives a long way to explaining the style the film takes and the successes it shares. A near perfect mix of archive footage, contemporary interview, and (naturally) his photographic work to tell a story that spans not just decades but some of the bloodiest and most heinous moments of modern history, all captured in their horrific detail by McCullin and in turn the filmmakers. And be warned this film shows some of the most horrific and disturbing of these images, from dying children to the true horrors of conflict, making it at times a very unsettling watch.

A run time that doesn't allow the film to hang around, backed up by some excellent editing make this technically interesting as well but none of this would count for anything (much like Senna before it) without the man at it's core.

So a brilliant, captivating film of a brilliant and captivating man and one of my Top 5 (maybe 3 ) films of 2013 so far.

A must see.

Reviewed By: Phil Hobden

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