Movies featuring real-life photographers don't always hit the right notes, but new Netflix movie H for Hawk gets Fleet Street legend Alisdair Macdonald spot on
Brendan Gleeson plays the real Daily Mirror shooter, whose actual pictures anchor this Claire Foy grief drama
Though movies about real photographers don't always capture the essence, the new Netflix film H for Hawk delivers on that front brilliantly. The story doesn't revolve around photography itself but follows the life of English academic and naturalist Helen McDonald, portrayed by Claire Foy. Her journey through grief after losing her father to a sudden death was the catalyst for learning to train and bond with a bird of prey. However, her father's story, a renowned photojournalist, is equally captivating.
Alisdair Macdonald, played by Brendan Gleeson, spent 26 years photographing for one of Britain's major newspapers, the Daily Mirror, and was instrumental in launching Today, Britain's first full-color national paper. His work included capturing the Beatles' performances since 1963, including their French Olympia shows, and continuing to photograph individual band members after their breakup in 1970. He even received a World Press Photo award in 1989 for a humorous image of a worker fleeing a burst water main.
These details and more are subtly integrated into the film, enhancing the emotional depth of Helen's sense of loss and grief. The climax of the film features Helen delivering a touching eulogy to her father, built around a slideshow of his actual photographs, many of which are still part of the Getty archives today. These include images such as Mask of Tutankhamun, George Harrison and Paul McCartney taking photos of John Lennon in Paris in 1964, Michael Caine in London in 1964, and his own personal projects, like photographing bats swooping to drink at home using infrared beams over ponds.
While the film is primarily about Helen and her relationship with birds, allusions to her father's photography are incidental, serving to underline his profound impact and unique approach to his craft. Despite being a film about the daughter rather than the father, H for Hawk rightfully celebrates Alisdair MacDonald's work and his dedication to photography.
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