I Am Martin Parr: a love letter to renowned British photographer

I Am Martin Parr is an intimate film directed by Lee Shulman that delves into the life and work of the renowned English photographer known for his candid and often humorous depictions of modern society. Peter Dench finds out more, with details on the London premiere and viewings below…

Creating I Am Martin Parr

‘I did make the film with the idea that if you didn’t know who Martin Parr was, you knew nothing about photography, that you would find this film interesting,’ says British director Lee Shulman from his home in France where he’s lived for over 20 years. Shulman has received awards for directing 100+ adverts globally. In 2017 he established the art initiative The Anonymous Project, collecting and preserving unique colour slides from the past 70 years taken by amateur photographers.

After bumping into each other at Shulman’s installation, The House, at the 2019 Rencontres d’Arles, a bond developed with Parr. They went on to collaborate on the book Deja View (Hoxton Mini Press 2021) which pairs Parr’s images with archive images from the Anonymous Project. When Shulman first saw Parr’s work he wasn’t sure if he liked it. He is now an unabashed uber-fan. ‘He’s up there with Paul McCartney. For me, he’s one of those people who’s really created something. Photography will never be the same again and he does it without any ego.’

black and white wedding photo bride greeting woman — Wedding at Crimsworth Dean Methodist Chapel, Hebden Bridge Calderdale, 1977 © Martin Parr / Magnum Photos

The 67-minute film launches into a montage of Parr images to White Riot by The Clash, an intellectual punch in the face which sets the tone. It ends with Baggy Trousers by Madness. ‘I grew up in that music, so for me, those two songs are really important, that’s how I see Martin, he’s a punk, a sort of child punk. Even though you see this sort of middle-class, white guy, he just doesn’t care. Madness are the words to Martin’s film photos for me. Baggy Trousers and all these kinds of songs, they felt like they were Martin’s world.’ The acquisition was expensive but Lee refused to do the film without them and the investors relented.

Before the Madness we go on a road trip with Parr and Shulman. In the spirit of a summer camp, they basically jumped in a van and spent a good part of a year on a road trip across England revisiting locations from Parr’s career, including New Brighton, Merseyside, where Parr shot his seminal series The Last Resort, capturing English holidaymakers. At the time it was both influential and controversial, sparking debates about its portrayal of the working class. Parr would often ruin filming by smiling or talking to friend Shulman who often had to hide away, delivering instructions to the hand-held cameraman through an earpiece.

Parr, who’s recently post-cancer, is filmed transiting frame after frame pushing his Elite Care walking frame, occasionally using it to sit down and observe. The technique gives the film great rhythm and energy. Parr is always going somewhere. Shulman says, ‘He’s just a force of nature. He never stops. I was running with the camera, because you can’t keep up. We lost him all the time.’

man and woman at a table in a restaurant sat infront of pastel pink wall i am martin parr film — New Brighton, England, 1983-85 © Martin Parr / Magnum Photos

Uncomfortable reality

Wearing his social camouflage of untucked patterned shirt, soft shoes or sandals, sun hat and half-grin, Parr often becomes one of his own photographs. The film’s high colour grade intentionally matches a Parr colour photograph. The construction of the film is linked by wry archive chapters of Britain which add another layer. Scenes of an idealised Britain of fishing, rowing, golf, horse racing, tea in the garden and royal pageantry contrast with Parr’s uncomfortable reality of what life is actually like.

Parr says, ‘I love Britain, of course, because we all love the country we come from, part of my role is, if you like, to define my relationship to being British and being here… trying to show the yin and yang of British society, and to show it as I find it, as opposed to some idea of it being romantic or good or bad, and to try and show both things.’

Visual legacy

The film explores Parr’s transition from black & white to colour photography in the early 1980s (considered bold and unconventional at the time) and themes around class, cruelty, snobbery, greed, humour, politics and Parr’s overriding visual legacy, leisure. Parr was both accessible and elusive, preferring to let his work speak for itself while subtly conveying his political views through his photos. It highlights his journey to join Magnum and establish his foundation. It offers behind-the-scenes access to his creative process and the philosophy behind his distinctive style.

Parr is the voiceover of the film, he isn’t conventionally sat down and interviewed. More formal contributions are delivered by photographers, curators, staff at the Martin Parr Foundation, Madness bass guitarist Mark Bedford and David Walliams, co-creator of television’s Little Britain. Parr’s wife Susie reveals Parr can’t swim.

woman with curly hair posing with hand on hip i am martin parr — New Brighton, England, 1983-85 © Martin Parr / Magnum Photos

Grayson Perry provides eloquent and erudite Parr commentary. ‘The humour is just so important, so underrated. Culture is biased against humour, and yet humour is what keeps it in check. There’s so much what I call performative seriousness in art, where people think that misery is somehow more important in art than humour. And he has inveigled his way into our visual unconscious, now. That is the mark of a true genius. You know that he’s had such a strong vision and he’s able to technically convey that over such a vast, sort of, oeuvre. He’s made a way of seeing which not many people get to do.’

From a Parr fan it was never going to be a critical film. It’s a homage and love letter to Britain which has global appeal. A film about what it means to be obsessed. Shulman says, ‘Some artists change the way we see the world. Martin, for me, is that person. His vision and style have become a new language in the way photography has evolved. He is a mystery and I wanted to understand what consistently drives him to take great images.’

As the film credits and montage of Parr autoportraits roll, is it Parr’s swan song? ‘You appreciate the ability to photograph even more after cancer, because that’s one thing that really sobers you up. Makes you realise… your family, things you take for granted beforehand, you know are so much more appreciated in the post-cancer world. So it’s been a real motivation for me to do more work.’