Don McCullin is one of the legendary names in photo journalism, particularly for his indelible gut-wrenching war photos, but also for his work on humanitarian crisis such as the famine in Biafra. He was even the man responsible for the photos in Antonioni’s Blow Up.
Working first on the Observer and then for many years on the Sunday Times, McCullin’s harrowing images drawn from headlines and conflicts around the world earned him both many awards, but also the disapproval of governments around the world as he sought to expose the atrocities that frequently followed in the wake of armed conflicts.
This moving documentary, covering McCullin’s entire career, is not for the easily shocked, but while the images themselves are haunting, it is the lengthy interview with the man himself which makes for the most moving viewing. McCullin discusses the almost disabling effect on himself of a lifetime capturing atrocities committed by his fellow man, often in the name of peacekeeping or as a result of religious conflict. It’s a truly humbling documentary as McCullin describes the most horrible of experiences and yet also some incredible acts of individual compassion, all largely documented by his lens.
McCullin also fills us in on the political backdrop of his work, particularly angrily recounting how the British Government refused to allow him on the naval ships bound for the Falklands during the 80s war with Argentina, supposedly because they didn’t have space for him. McCullin suggests that it was no coincidence that this happened just at the time that Rupert Murdoch took control of the Times newspapers effectively grounding McCullin and forcing him, after almost 20 years, to finally retire from photographing war zones. A stunning document of a quite incredible life.