Watching the documentary “Tish” about British photographer Tish Murtha the lyrics of John Lennon’s “Working Class Hero” are most appropriate. “A working-class hero is something to be.” Although the late Tish Murtha now has a permanent exhibition of her photos at the Tate Museum in London she never reached the status of a working class hero instead dying in poverty of a brain aneurysm on 13March2017 one day before her 57th birthday.
Tish grew up in Elswick, Newcastle a dying industrial centre full of derelict buildings and high unemployment. Not only was Elswick dying a slow death the entire working class of Britain was dying despite the pious moralism and hackneyed work schemes of Thatcher and Tony Blair’s New Deal.
Tish’s daughter Ella takes us a journey of discovery about her late mother through interviews with curators, photographers, friends, teachers, family members and her handwritten captions on the back of her printed photos. Tish was a fiery and highly determined documentary photographer at a time when commercial photographers ruled the roost. She focused not on “posh history” but on the working class which was before her eyes and was the reality that she lived in.
Her story is sad if not tragic as she was penalized by her focus on working people and issues related to their class whether it be the red-light district of Soho, working class marching bands, the closure of the Vicker’s ship building yards, pub life and working-class degradation. The story is a fascinating one but the rich texture of pictures, particularly those of children say more than a photograph’s intrinsic beauty. Tish had a goal in taking her photographs which was to make a statement in the hope that it would improve the life of the British working class.
Ella Murtha has published three volumes of Tish Murtha’s photographs.
The documentary is directed by Paul Sng.
You may watch the trailer here https://vimeo.com/933326555.
Limited theatrical release in Ontario commencing 17May2024.
RKS 2024 Film Rating 94/100.
A Bird's Eye View of Fashion, Food, Travel, Culture, Beverage and Curiosity 