It’s not very often that I take the Withnail original negs out of storage so it’s a special occasion today. A client has requested a specific image that will now get scanned and printed and I get to wonder about the longevity of film emulsion given that I made these images in 1986. I won’t be around in another 40 years to see if my digital images survive but I bet these Kodak Plus X negs will be… Time for a cheeky one,Cin Cin. MC
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, MC
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
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. 
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. 
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. MC
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,MCSometimes 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
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…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!
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
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/
I’m excited to announce that I am finally able to offer the 30 x 40” pieces from Iconic Photoshoot #1 & #2 again. These 2 contact sheets show the famous images together with the less well known ones and are great examples of how the synchronicity of the actors and myself achieved the final results. Shot at Uncle Monty’s cottage and outside of the boy’s flat during gaps in filming, the exterior flat location on Chepstow Villas was never featured in the film but has become a Withnail shrine due to this photo shoot.
These Giclee prints will be made in collaboration with master printer, Francois Le Blond. I withdrew these images from the portfolio some time ago because I couldn’t find a printer that I had confidence in to print in this large format. We made some trial prints last week and the results were stunning. These images are truly statement pieces.
Welcome to my new ‘Withnail & I’ photography site. Clearly I have set out to showcase my fabulous work of course but also to provide a safe forum where Withnail aficionados can visit to get updates on Withnail related events, catch up with my Withnail blog and even to answer the odd question or two. Let me know what you think in the comments.. Chin! chin! Murray. P.S. For all my other work visit my Website and Instagram. Links below: