Walking into the screening of SMASH HIS CAMERA I didn’t know what to expect out of this documentary about Ron Galella, known as the godfather of modern day paparazzi photographers. I knew the man had been famously punched in the mouth by Marlon Brando; so that was a story that was going to at least be entertaining to see unfold. Beyond that though, I don’t really care for the kind of intrusive tactics paparazzi use to get their shots, so I wasn’t sure if I wanted to spend that much time examining the life of one of their kings.
Walking in with that prejudice against paparazzi made the documentary that much more interesting because it really does try to chip away at that feeling most of the general public have about what they do. Most of the film is a debate about what art is and what privacy is, and whether or not the celebrities involved really hate the attention of the paparazzi cameras, or in some way secretly desire or need them. It’s an interesting argument from both sides and throughout the film when you see some of the iconic shots from Galella’s portfolio, you can’t help but call them stunning pieces of art; even if you know damn well how he got them. Does thirty plus years take a nuisance form of opportunistic livelihood and turn it into a cultural time capsule that makes the means worth the end? I’m not sure. There is a lot of beautiful photographic work out there that didn’t have people feeling like their privacy was being squashed. But, there is something about what Galella was able to capture in nature that is different from your typical photograph that even lead Andy Warhol to compliment the man and praise his photographs as being some of the best art photos in the world.
When you see the gigantic warehouse full of Galella’s prints, that span decades of pop culture entertainment, you can’t help but feel a sense of awe at the icons he was able to capture in their native environments. You see the beauty of his predominately B&W photography, the lucky (or skilled?) compositions he was able to snatch out of the air of people like Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Elizabeth Taylor, Steve McQueen, Andy Kaufman, Jacqueline Kennedy, just to name a few.
The documentary didn’t do much to change my attitudes towards the parasitic nature of the paparazzi, but the fact remains, if you can at all separate the man that takes the photos and the way he acquired them from the art itself, you’d be hard pressed not to say in some form that these photos captured these people in a way that no posed photo or pre-arranged photo shoot ever could. I really enjoyed seeing the debate that is presented in this doc, and I’ve heard a lot of people call Galella slime that know him. The doc presents the side of Galella that one could definitely judge as grotesque, even with all of his pet bunnies. It also attempts to show a very human side to Galella and the fact that he’s almost a man-child and truly doesn’t understand what he is doing is wrong. It does go into a very strange and dark place when talking about his obsession with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. At first it seems like your typical paparazzi vs. mega personality, cat and mouse relationship. But, it eventually turns into something more obsessive on Galella’s part; beyond work, into a darker attraction or relationship fantasy. By the way, the Marlon Brando bit I’d heard about was worth the wait. They build that incident up perfectly and then the “punch-line” is quite amazing. The photographs of Galella’s mouth after the incident with Brando will either horrify you, or leave you with a sense of deep satisfaction.
Overall SMASH HIS CAMERA feels as balanced in its presentation of Galella and his work, as the sentiments towards him are split in the arts world. I walked away disgusted by his methods and what his job represents, but really wanting to buy some of his prints.
