UK Press Photographer/Photojournalist. All images © Jim Wood - All rights reserved.
Saturday 28 April 2012
Friday 27 April 2012
Top Twenty Films Featuring War Photographers/War Correspondants...
Here is my list of the top twenty films featuring war photographers, war correspondants. There are many lists of this type on the net I noticed but hopefully mine will be more informative than the rest...not neccessarily in order of favourites as I spent ages thinking about which were my favourites and couldn't decide, so I am posting them in a chronological order of when they are set...I have included a link for each if you want more more info, there are multiple links for the same people but they all go to different places so check them all out...
The Public Eye
Set in America during the Second World War this movie is based upon the work of New York photographer Weegee aka Arthur Fellig, who documented nocturnal activity on the streets of New York developing his plate's in the boot of his car.
Flags Of Our Fathers
Set during the Second World War, this film is based upon the U.S. invasion of Iwo Jima and the men who raised the flag as depicted in the now famous image taken by U.S war photographer Joe Rosenthal. Although not primarily about Joe Rosenthal this is an amazing atmospheric movie.
Rear Window
Set in the period it was made this one...1954...based upon the relationship between Ingmar Bergman and Robert Capa. Although not distinctly about Capa, it attributes Capa's attitude to war photography to that of the main character. made by Hitchcock definately a must see.
The Quiet American
Adapted from the Grahame Greene novel of the same name. Only loosely based around events that occured during the French-Indo-China in the 50's, but still it is an amazing film
The Year Of Living Dangerously
Based during the 1965 Indonesian political revolt against President Sukarno. Although not based on any real journalists it is a top notch film.
Frankies House
Based on the career of Tim Page, this was an amazing film, staring with his big break in Laos in 1964 to his final wounding in Vietnam in 1969 which invalided him out of the war and left him a hemiplegic. He still searches for his best friend Sean Flynn whose kidnapping is portrayed in another film on this list.
Full Metal Jacket
Set in the Vietnam War during the 1968 Battle of Hue. This is not specifically based on an actual war photographer but the whole film is imbued with a war correspondants view of war. Co-written by Michael Herr who wrote the voice overs for Apocolypse Now and the authur of Dispatches. which mentions many of the war photographers including Tim Page and Sean Flynn, who Herr was good friends with. The film attributes things said by the photographers during the war to characters in the film. For instance "Hey lil' school girl I'm a lil' schoolboy" was one of Tim Page's phrases.
Apocolypse Now
Vietnam again. Although we all know this isn't about photographers or journalists...I have included it in my list due to Dennis Hopper's outstanding performance as the "harlequin" photojournalist on Kurts' island. According to the "Hearts Of Darkness" documentary Coppolla based this part on an article he had read about Sean Flynn . We now know that alot of the influence for the character came from Michael Herr who wrote the voice-over for the film..."the wigged out crazy photographer...camera gear adorned with freak parphenalia, beads, scarves..." in "Dispatches" which Coppolla read, was Tim Page. Coincedently in his second tour of Vietnam during the winter of 1968 Page spent a week on one of the boats featured in Apocolypse Now with a colleage wearing armoured vests and pumping out repressive M16 fire into the river banks and then spent time on the forbidden island of Phu Quoc, from 1967 to 1972, a P.O.W detention camp of 40,000 inmates during the war covering 400 hectares.
The Road To Freedom
Set at the end of the Vietnam War, this film is based on the story of Tim Page's best friend's Sean Flynn and Dana Stone, war photographers who were kidnapped by the Khymer Rouge in 1970.
All The Presidents Men
This film follows Woodward and Bernstein as they expose the conspiracy surrounding the Watergate affair in 1973. Although not a war film I just had to include this as it is so amazing.
The Killing Fields
Based on the plight of Dith Pran who was kidnapped in Cambodia in 1975, untill his release in 1978 when Vietnam overthrew the Khymer Rouge. The film shows his friendship with American journalist Sidney Schanberg, and American photojournalist Al Rockoff, apparently Rockoff was unhappy with the way he was portrayed in the film being unable to help Pran forge an I.D so he could leave with his family on a U.S chopper. In reality the fake I.D was made successfully but Pran chose to stay on with Schanberg to help cover the evacuation.
Under Fire
Set during the last days of the Somoza regime in 1979 Nicaragua. Though the story is largely fictional, part of the film was inspired by the actual murder of ABC reporter Bill Stewart and his translator Juan Espinoza by National Guard forces on 20 June 1979. The incident was caught on tape by ABC cameraman Jack Clark, who was simply shooting some footage for "incidental" use, and who caught the entire episode on tape. The footage was shown on national television in the United States on both ABC and all the other US news networks and became a major international incident that undermined what remained of President Somoza's international support. This incident was the final straw for the Carter Administration in its relationship with Somoza, and it also marked the beginning of the fall of the Somoza regime, which occurred less than a month later, on 19 July 1979. The main character is based on French photojournalist Olivier Rebbot.
Salvador
Set in El Salvador in 1980, this film is based on the experiences of Richard.D.Boyle and his friend John Cassady, based on John Hoagland . Apparently this is the film that fuelled the dreams of a young Zoriah Miller .
Spy Game
Although more of an old fashioned "Bourne" film this is set in Bierut in 1982, where a young C.I.A officer works under cover as a photojournalist.
Triage
Based on a novel written by war correspondant Scott Anderson set in the late 1980's in Kurdistan.
Harrisons Flowers
Based on a novel written by French war photographer Isabel Ellsen set during the Yugoslavian war in 1991.
The Bang Bang Club
Based on the real life The Bang Bang Club working in South Africa in the mid 1990's
Veronica Guerin
Set in Ireland during the "trouble's" with the I.R.A, when a journalist was murdered waiting at traffic lights in 1996.
The Hunting Party
Based on the work of Scott Anderson who also wrote "Triage", this film relates the real life incident when he and some other photographers tried to track down Radovan Karadzic in 2000 during a reunion in Yugoslavia.
A Mighty Heart
Based on the real events of 2002 when American journalist Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and murdered in Pakistan.
The Public Eye
Set in America during the Second World War this movie is based upon the work of New York photographer Weegee aka Arthur Fellig, who documented nocturnal activity on the streets of New York developing his plate's in the boot of his car.
Flags Of Our Fathers
Set during the Second World War, this film is based upon the U.S. invasion of Iwo Jima and the men who raised the flag as depicted in the now famous image taken by U.S war photographer Joe Rosenthal. Although not primarily about Joe Rosenthal this is an amazing atmospheric movie.
Rear Window
Set in the period it was made this one...1954...based upon the relationship between Ingmar Bergman and Robert Capa. Although not distinctly about Capa, it attributes Capa's attitude to war photography to that of the main character. made by Hitchcock definately a must see.
The Quiet American
Adapted from the Grahame Greene novel of the same name. Only loosely based around events that occured during the French-Indo-China in the 50's, but still it is an amazing film
The Year Of Living Dangerously
Based during the 1965 Indonesian political revolt against President Sukarno. Although not based on any real journalists it is a top notch film.
Frankies House
Based on the career of Tim Page, this was an amazing film, staring with his big break in Laos in 1964 to his final wounding in Vietnam in 1969 which invalided him out of the war and left him a hemiplegic. He still searches for his best friend Sean Flynn whose kidnapping is portrayed in another film on this list.
Full Metal Jacket
Set in the Vietnam War during the 1968 Battle of Hue. This is not specifically based on an actual war photographer but the whole film is imbued with a war correspondants view of war. Co-written by Michael Herr who wrote the voice overs for Apocolypse Now and the authur of Dispatches. which mentions many of the war photographers including Tim Page and Sean Flynn, who Herr was good friends with. The film attributes things said by the photographers during the war to characters in the film. For instance "Hey lil' school girl I'm a lil' schoolboy" was one of Tim Page's phrases.
Apocolypse Now
Vietnam again. Although we all know this isn't about photographers or journalists...I have included it in my list due to Dennis Hopper's outstanding performance as the "harlequin" photojournalist on Kurts' island. According to the "Hearts Of Darkness" documentary Coppolla based this part on an article he had read about Sean Flynn . We now know that alot of the influence for the character came from Michael Herr who wrote the voice-over for the film..."the wigged out crazy photographer...camera gear adorned with freak parphenalia, beads, scarves..." in "Dispatches" which Coppolla read, was Tim Page. Coincedently in his second tour of Vietnam during the winter of 1968 Page spent a week on one of the boats featured in Apocolypse Now with a colleage wearing armoured vests and pumping out repressive M16 fire into the river banks and then spent time on the forbidden island of Phu Quoc, from 1967 to 1972, a P.O.W detention camp of 40,000 inmates during the war covering 400 hectares.
The Road To Freedom
Set at the end of the Vietnam War, this film is based on the story of Tim Page's best friend's Sean Flynn and Dana Stone, war photographers who were kidnapped by the Khymer Rouge in 1970.
All The Presidents Men
This film follows Woodward and Bernstein as they expose the conspiracy surrounding the Watergate affair in 1973. Although not a war film I just had to include this as it is so amazing.
The Killing Fields
Based on the plight of Dith Pran who was kidnapped in Cambodia in 1975, untill his release in 1978 when Vietnam overthrew the Khymer Rouge. The film shows his friendship with American journalist Sidney Schanberg, and American photojournalist Al Rockoff, apparently Rockoff was unhappy with the way he was portrayed in the film being unable to help Pran forge an I.D so he could leave with his family on a U.S chopper. In reality the fake I.D was made successfully but Pran chose to stay on with Schanberg to help cover the evacuation.
Under Fire
Set during the last days of the Somoza regime in 1979 Nicaragua. Though the story is largely fictional, part of the film was inspired by the actual murder of ABC reporter Bill Stewart and his translator Juan Espinoza by National Guard forces on 20 June 1979. The incident was caught on tape by ABC cameraman Jack Clark, who was simply shooting some footage for "incidental" use, and who caught the entire episode on tape. The footage was shown on national television in the United States on both ABC and all the other US news networks and became a major international incident that undermined what remained of President Somoza's international support. This incident was the final straw for the Carter Administration in its relationship with Somoza, and it also marked the beginning of the fall of the Somoza regime, which occurred less than a month later, on 19 July 1979. The main character is based on French photojournalist Olivier Rebbot.
Salvador
Set in El Salvador in 1980, this film is based on the experiences of Richard.D.Boyle and his friend John Cassady, based on John Hoagland . Apparently this is the film that fuelled the dreams of a young Zoriah Miller .
Spy Game
Although more of an old fashioned "Bourne" film this is set in Bierut in 1982, where a young C.I.A officer works under cover as a photojournalist.
Triage
Based on a novel written by war correspondant Scott Anderson set in the late 1980's in Kurdistan.
Harrisons Flowers
Based on a novel written by French war photographer Isabel Ellsen set during the Yugoslavian war in 1991.
The Bang Bang Club
Based on the real life The Bang Bang Club working in South Africa in the mid 1990's
Veronica Guerin
Set in Ireland during the "trouble's" with the I.R.A, when a journalist was murdered waiting at traffic lights in 1996.
The Hunting Party
Based on the work of Scott Anderson who also wrote "Triage", this film relates the real life incident when he and some other photographers tried to track down Radovan Karadzic in 2000 during a reunion in Yugoslavia.
A Mighty Heart
Based on the real events of 2002 when American journalist Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and murdered in Pakistan.
Monday 16 April 2012
Friday 13 April 2012
Tuesday 10 April 2012
Dogs Of England...
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| At first I thought this was a dog...but as I got closer I realised I was wrong... |
Monday 9 April 2012
Saturday 7 April 2012
Dogs Of England
...For dog-like snaps...
Wednesday 4 April 2012
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