By: debbie lynn elias
Although combat journalists/photojournalists have been a recognized and vital part of the world going back centuries, since the inception of the Iraq War, the world has become more intimately familiar with these men and women placing themselves in harms way as they embed with combat troops in an effort to not only “get the shot”, “get the story”, but tell the truth of the world in which we live. Thanks to the explosive use of social media and immediacy of information – even more so than when we just had “the web” – war correspondents and journalists have become household names. The world mourned the loss of one of the most notable, Tim Hetherington – a man who took us to Liberia, Rwanda, Afghanistan and finally, Libya – and showcased the “Fab Four”, Greg Marinovich, Joao Silver, John Carter and Ken Oosterbroek, and their 1994 exploits in war torn South Africa during apartheid in The Bang Bang Club. A common thread in today’s combat journalist is youthful exuberance, enthusiasm and often an unspoken need to be in that place and at that time, often preempting and superceding safety, as was the case with photojournalist Robert King and his exploits in war torn Bosnia, Rwanda, Iraq, and even still to this day. SHOOTING ROBERT KING is an intimate portrait of King, from his days as a naive young lad in 1993 Sarajevo to the reflective, contemplative and accomplished man that he is today, giving us insight into the heart and mind of what fuels the fire of a combat journalist.
As the world is learning, thanks to Angelina Jolie’s In The Land of Blood and Honey, while there were young, enthusiastic journalists in Bosnia believing the war was “the” story of the day, the world for the most part silently sat back unaware. One of those eager young journos, however, was Robert King. Determined to make a name for himself and “show” the world, recent art school graduate 24 year old King traveled to Sarajevo with a camera, arrogance and $800 in his pocket, not to mention a lot of inner demons. This is where King’s story begins. Or does it?
As has long been commonplace, journalists often ending up shooting each other when in the field. Camaraderie and friendships develop and the saged and experienced often take a parental tone with the “newbies”. Such was Richard Parry who was taken by Kingfs innocence and ignorance from the start. For the next fifteen years, Parry would capture King on camera as they travelled the world from one conflict to the next, making for an indelible character study. But nothing is as striking as those initial 1993 images of King contrasted to his own recent reflections on his life and career.
Over the years, we see King emotionally beaten down by “colleagues” only to rise up, stand tall and keep on plugging. We see his joy when he nabs a front page commission from The Guardian in 1993 only to be fired by his photo wire service. Through film footage and Kingfs own photos, we are privy to his foibles and failures, and his carefree and careless approach to life, which as King reflects, seems a lifetime away from the successful, respected photographer he now is. We patiently listen as King poignantly talks about his own demons; demons which helped to make him as a good as he is professionally; demons which give him the eye to see the truth in the world. And while we watch time pass through Kingfs own photos, we are reminded of the brevity of life and the need to live it to its fullest.
Directed by Richard Parry, SHOOTING ROBERT KING is compelling portrait of a man who has helped to not only show us the world, but to tell the stories of those who canft while shaping his own story and legacy. Moving us through the decades with footage of King, much of it shot over the years by Parry and producer Vaughan Smith, we travel the world starting with Bosnia and move onward into Chechnya, Rwanda, Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan and even Mexico, watching horror unfold. But within the horror of war, there is always the survivalist’s sense of humor in addition to his own self-destructive tendencies. Political intrigue also rears its ugly head as we hear first hand of situations where only staged photos of happiness and generosity are permitted.
Judiciously editing 15 years of footage and photographs into a balanced portrait, Parry meets up with King today in King’s Tennessee home where he reflects on his life during a hunting trip with Parry and Smith. Listening to King is both fascinating and heartbreaking as we see a man who, despite all that he has done, is still unsatisfied, still searching and still shooting.
Directed by Richard Parry. www.shootingrobertking.com
DVD EXTRAS:
Definitely a documentary worth having if for no other reason – the extras! Some of the “extra” highlights include:
- 15 minute featurette Riding Shotgun With The Gun which takes us to Juarez, Mexico with King to investigate the ongoing murders which have been happening for several years.
- The Making Of adds humor and heartache, not to mention how and why Parry and Smith chose King as the subject of this documentary.
- Deleted Scenes
- News reports of black market activities uncovered by Parry and King in Sarajevo.
- Slideshow of King’s war photographs (worth their weight in gold).
