Withnail and I Photography Show

About

Murray Close enjoys a stellar career as a film stills photographer capturing crucial stills from the world of cinema in some of the biggest box offices smashes.  Cruise, Keanu, Pitt, Lawrence, Nicholson, McConaughy, Clooney, Walberg and countless others have all been shot by Close.

Born in Canada and educated in the UK, it was whilst studying music that an introduction to none other than Stanley Kubrick lead him to a three year assignment on ‘The Shining’, the horror film starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall. This master class would influence his work from that point on.

As a film stills photographer, his first shoot on a full length feature film was on the low budget Withnail and I.  It helped launch the careers of Murray as well as Richard E Grant and Paul McGann and is considered a British cult classic. However Murray’s photographic work could have been lost forever. The negatives sat in a lab facing closure and could have been destroyed. Thankfully they were spotted, retrieved and returned to their rightful owner.

Murray has collaborated with Clint Eastwood and Steven Spielberg which meant relocating to Los Angeles where he resided until an invitation from Alfonso Cuarón in London to contribute to 'Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban' for Warner Bros and subsequently ‘Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire’ & ‘Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix.’

Murray has gone on to work on films such as Mission Impossible, Jurassic Park, The Hunger Games, Harry Potter and The Matrix as well as countless others. He has a ‘close’ association with Jennifer Lawrence and worked on the entire ‘Hunger Games’ franchise and he has since continued to work with its Director, Francis Lawrence on ‘Red Sparrow’ and most recently for the up coming series, ‘SEE’ and ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes’ in 2022. Close recently finished production on ‘Civil War’ with Alex Garland.

Within the industry Close was recently awarded the Society of Camera Operator Still Photographer Lifetime Achievement Award (2016) & Publicists Guild of America Excellence in Unit Still Photography for Motion Pictures Award (2019).

This is a rare chance to see the work from Withnail and I ‘in the flesh’. Signed, limited edition prints are available for sale starting at £150 - £950 and represent a very good investment for fans and collectors alike.

The exhibition is free and runs from 16th March 2023 until 15th April 2023. Wed – Sat.

Please note opening times can vary so please call if travelling. 07740 870579.