McCullin

What is a war photographer?  An intrepid professional who heroically puts himself in harm's way to capture the perfect photo of a conflict situation?  Or a sleazy voyeur addicted to the adventure of war?  In McCullin, we see both sides of Don McCullin, the British war photographer considered to be the best ever.  We view a retrospective of his powerful war photographs and we hear him reflecting on whether he was just a war junkie chasing the adrenalin of being in danger.

What incredible photographs!  The chronicle of the 60-80s: Cyprus, the Congo, the Biafran-Nigerian revolution, Lebanon, Viet Nam, Northern Ireland, Cambodia.  Working for the Sunday Times and its proprietor Lord Beaverbrook, McCullin had the support and freedom to chase the big stories, to be featured in the Sunday Times magazine.  With Murdoch's purchase of the Sunday Times, those days were over as the Sunday Times magazine moved to fluffy lifestyle rather than gritty hard news.  McCullin lost his job.  Like so many people, when the merry-go-round stopped, he questioned his past career, wondering whether he should have helped more often than just recording. He told us how some of the horrific situations had affected him, but he did it in a flat dead voice, betraying no emotion.