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Bert Bridgman

Camera

Desribed by his colleagues as "the leader in capturing New Zealand scenery on film from 1923 to 1954", Bert Bridgman began his career as a cameraman in the days of silent film, and later directed centennial feature One Hundred Crowded Years. He served as a war correspondent in the Pacific for the National Film Unit, and was chief colour cameraman at the time of his death in October 1954.

Come hell or high water, the perfectionist in Bridgman wanted the best and nothing else; he professed to believe that if the war were left to him it would be a much better show. Stanhope Andrews, in his 1944 book Close-Up of Guadalcanal