We had to disappoint a number of Withnail punters this year as we sold out of this image as a mounted limited run so we decided to make it available as an 11 x 14” limited edition 100. Please note that these won’t be available for dispatch until January 2024. Chin chin, MCWine stains not included...
We’re getting to the end of another year which surprisingly wasn’t spent in Berlin but Budapest where I shot ‘Alien: Romulus’ for Scott Free Productions and was reunited with my pal Cailee Spaeny who you’ll starring in ‘Priscilla’ and ‘Civil War’ very soon.
The spectre of Withnail loomed large this year and I got to photograph Richard E. for the poster of ‘Death of a Unicorn’ in Budapest. The last time I photographed his handsome chops was for Richard Curtis on ‘About Time’ and although we don’t see each that regularly the years melt away when catching up on who’s done what in Withnail World!
It turns out that we have been busy this year… Bruce has finished writing his theatrical production of ‘Withnail & I’ which should have its premiere next year in Birmingham. Any casting suggestions?
Titan Books published Toby Benjamin’s Withnail and I book ‘From Cult to Classic’ which is the definitive account of the film and features interviews with all of us who haven’t shuffled off and allows me and my images to bask in the sun once again.
The cover of the book is a black and white photograph of Iconic PhotoShoot #2 on the steps outside Withnail’s flat and I thought it quite decent so I have made it the Christmas small mounted print for 2023 with a very limited run. (Wine stains not included!)
I hope you all survive another year, with all this worldwide devastation there’s little to stop us reaching for the gin before noon..
Chin chin, MC
It's all in the name
With these bloody actors on strike I haven’t had many victims to photograph but I’ve finally had time to sort my Withnail archive out. I realised that this piece of genius doesn’t have a title. I’m looking for suggestions, if I pick your pathetic attempt you’ll receive an 11 x 14” print of it. Results will be announced here on Sunday. Feel free to add your suggestions in the comments below or on FB. Cin cin, MC***UPDATE***. The winner is Philip James with ‘Are You the Actor?’ We’ll be in touch to get a print sent out to you. 
Pour a glass and enjoy the link...
When Toby approached me about being part of this book frankly, I was sceptical. I’ve had many of these books pitched to me over the years and they pretty much all run out of steam, money or interest.
I’ve seen the proofs for this one and I think it’s the definitive source for Withnail fans and I can hazard a guess that this will be the last boom that so many of us will contribute to.
Get a ticket and hear Bruce and get your book signed, there’s plenty of boozers nearby! MC****UPDATE****
I was sorry to miss this fabulous event. It is always a pleasure to hear Bruce talk about Withnail. My excuse on this occasion was a bit more meta in that I was photographing Richard E. Grant in Budapest. Pour a glass and enjoy the link. MCLink to Q&A below:
UNCLE MONTY'S SUMMER SOIREE
It’s time again for the annual Withnail screening at Sleddale Hall aka Uncle Monty’s Cottage. This fabulous annual event has been hosted by Picnic Cinema and provides a brilliant opportunity for fans of Withnail to get together and behave inappropriately. Let’s hope it doesn’t rain.. Chin Chin! MCCRABS
Our lovely friends at Rebel Reel are having a screening of our favourite film at Dungeness Beach so if you fancy hanging out with people who are mainly from London and critiquing some of my work why don’t you drag your lazy arses there… MCChristmas comes early for Withnail fans
Having just approved the layouts for this book, I can honestly say this is the definitive book on our beloved ‘Withnail & I’ I encourage you all to pre-order on the Titan website. Sadly not free to those that can afford it. MCAuthorised by author and director Bruce Robinson, who provides an exclusive foreword, Withnail & I: From Cult to Classic charts the extraordinary journey of a beloved cult film from being ‘just thoughts really’ to becoming a permanent feature in any list of the Best British Films ever made.
For the first time the surviving players have been interviewed for this book about their parts in the making of the movie, and the lasting effect it had on their lives. Bruce Robinson offers detailed insights into his creative process and influences, while new interviews with the film’s stars Richard E Grant and Paul McGann provide personal insights into the impact that making and living with Withnail & I had.
Illustrated throughout with never-before-seen photography and archive material, and featuring contributions from famous fans like Sam Bain, Margaret Cho and Charlie Higson, this is the definitive, must-have book on Withnail & I.
RELEASE DATE 5th September 2023
Come play with us Danny....
Not Withnail related….but I am proud to be part of this amazing book about the making of ‘The Shining’ which was the film that began my career… MCIn 1966 Stanley Kubrick told a friend that he wanted to make “the world’s scariest movie.” A decade later Stephen King’s The Shining landed on the director’s desk, and a visual masterpiece was born. This definitive compendium of the film that transformed the horror genre features hundreds of never-before-seen photographs, rare production ephemera from the Kubrick Archive, and extensive new interviews with the cast and crew. Available to purchase on the Taschen website.
Where's My Radio Show?
If anyone fancies listening to me rabbit on about my career and Withnail & I. Tune into Janice Forsyth’s show on BBC Radio Scotland- through BBC website. Tomorrow 13:30 March 20th.UPDATE: You can have a listen here…
Withnail goes to Edinburgh…
GALLERY CLOSE, EDINBURGHMARCH 16-APRIL 16TH 2023www.gallery-close.comExcited to let you all know that I am having an exhibition of my Withnail Photographs at the Close Gallery in Edinburgh. It’s not some dodgy insider job it’s a pure coincidence we share a surname. There will be all of your black and white favourites and few deeper cuts. 
PORTRAITS OF CINEMA
I had a fantastic weekend in Seattle giving an Artist talk at the Leica Store in Bellevue. I always enjoy answering questions that people may have about my prior work and sharing some of the funnier moments. It was a great turnout particularly considering it wasn’t raining and was a beautiful Autumn day. There was only 1 person who was aware of Withnail so I had to do a quick overview which is hard without a glass of wine in your hand! MC 
What a piece of work...
In January Alex Garland called me out of the blue and asked to meet. Now, this is filmmaker I have wanted to work with so it was a bloody good start to 2022. His project is about two photojournalists in a combat zone. I got to give Kirsten Dunst and Cailee Spaeny a photographer’s insider tips and appeared as a grizzled war photographer alongside them, hopefully I’ll make the cut… My Hunger Games family reunited in June for ‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ in Berlin with a new cast of players. As one of the very small group who worked on all of the movies it’s a very special assignment for me. But before departing my studio I discovered an image of Richard from the Hamlet scene in Regents Park. It’s never been published so I thought it would be in good taste to release it into the world as our festive offering. Hopefully it will provide some distraction from all the shit that keeps raining down!They are not selling Boris wigs in Woolworths just yet so Chin Chin my dears.MCAnd the Winner is......
Sorry about the delay in announcing the competition winner but I had to go to New York by mistake and got snowed in. I had the most marvellous time reading everyones suggestions and it was bloody hard to pick just one but here it is… Simon Whittle in a rare moment of sobriety came up with thIs beauty. 'A Weekend’s Indulgence' which will be known for ever more as the title of the photograph. It was a hoot doing this perhaps we’ll do another one in the future. We’ll be in touch with Simon to get his address. Chin Chin. MCDeep Dive into the Archive...
Having been invited to exhibit my Withnail images again, my hand was forced into a deep dive of the black and white negatives shot in 1986.This entailed anchoring myself at a light box with a bottle or two for a few days with a 1960’s soundtrack. It’s been a while since the originals were taken out of the archive and it unlocked some great memories and unearthed some overlooked gems. Here’s a taster to enjoy, it’s untitled as yet, and I’ll be adding some additional photos to the website very soon.Chin chin,MCDown & Out in Paris..
Sometimes it seems remarkable to me that I am here writing this missive again and there are still people at the other end of the internet line. Although, I am very probably more often than not in junk mail folders!As luck would have it I am back with Keanu again and this time he is fighting his way to glory as Mr John Wick. My life has a curious way of repeating itself apparently…For this year’s festive release I thought that I would print a greatest hit. It is one of my most popular images in the Withnail portfolio and it is signed, mounted and ready to drop into a standard 10x8” frame for those who are too cheap to get it custom framed!I’ve only made 25 of these due to still being able to maintain gainful employment and being knackered after 19 weeks of night shooting.Just thoughts as always.MC
Sometimes I love social media...
…An old crew member got in touch and sent me this picture of my good self photographing Paul in Kensal Rise with hairdresser, Sue Love overseeing just before the wrecking ball hit and Jimi kicked in. Why he took the picture god only knows …but I’m happy to have it. MC
Brave New World
I’ve done a few interviews of late, I guess online rags have got some time on their hands, and the most common thing that they want to know is how my work has changed since moving from film to digital.This has pressured me into analysing my work process which I loathe doing but the truth is that the digital world has transformed my shooting process and not always for the best.Whilst the new world has placed control of my imagery back into my hands allowing me to delete, colour treat and effectively becoming the laboratory, it has taken away some of the purity. Cartier-Bresson’s ‘Decisive Moment’ has been eroded I fear.Withnail is a good example as I still have the original negatives and know that I shot about 1600 black and white images over the course of the filming days I covered. To give this some perspective, on ‘The Matrix 4’ which I recently completed I was submitting between 600/1000 images per day. The two films are entirely different of course, one had a budget of $200 million and the other was a bowl of rice and a bag of nuts but in some ways maybe when working with film we were more focused knowing we didn’t have an unlimited supply of ones and zeros to fall back on.I managed to capture the essence of the ‘Tea Room’ scene in 45 frames, lord only knows how many I would rack up today. Just thoughts as always…PRE-ORDER ICONIC PHOTOSHOOT #1
I am currently printing and have just released Iconic Photoshoot # 1 as a limited edition 11 x 14” print. Edition 1/100 is available so get in quick if you want the first one. The 11 x 14” prints are £150 and available in the Shop now. Cheers!
2020 in the rear-view mirror..
What a bloody year! It’s difficult to know where to start as we’ve all got our own stories, highs, lows and in between.
I began the year innocently, as we all did, in San Francisco on ‘The Matrix’ with Lana Wachowski at the helm and I have to say that I would never have put a shilling or two on shooting Neo and Trinity at this point in my career. To say it has been a remarkable experience would not do justice to any of the creatives involved but you can make your own minds up next December.
After the US we travelled to Germany in March to continue production at Babelsberg Studios but then the pesky pandemic kicked and I was sequestered in Berlin which turned out to be piece of good fortune for me except for the fact that my cameras were locked down at the studio for 4 months but my chums at Leica DE took pity on me and loaned me some cameras to keep me quiet.
I’m writing this with the impending chaos of carnets and packing ahead before a return home to, hopefully, a better 2021, and have printed 25 prints in 5x7” size of a lovely personal moment of the boys between takes in Regents’ Park mounted and signed and ready to drop into an 8x10” frame. For no particular reason I’m offering them at £45 including shipping which, for those paying attention, is cheaper than last year!
Blessed are the vaccine makers.
Chin chinMurray
Unexpected fan
An actor pal of mine sent me this article from a while back which I was surprised and happy to read. It still surprises me the way Withnail & I touches people’s hearts. MC
https://www.redonline.co.uk/reviews/what-to-watch-tonight/a516310/jack-whitehall-my-favourite-thing/
