Smash His Camera

It was so surprising to end up mostly liking Ron Galella after watching this documentary. I started the film with the idea it was going to be about a jerky paparazzi photographer, a creep who stalked famous people with no remorse. Probably, if the film was made decades ago, my thoughts of Mr. Galella would have stayed intact; but watching him as an elder man in his late 70s, saying insightful things about photography and celebrities, quickly changed my views. Plus, he was a bunny rabbit lover. He and his wife Betty, his biggest fan, adored pet bunnies and had a special cemetery for them in their yard in New Jersey.

Mr. Galella had countless boxes of pictures of the famous, all clearly marked and organized in alphabetical order. Looking at the photographs shown in this documentary made me flashback to all the decades covered. Of course, Jackie Kennedy Onassis was his main target. Or should we say love? According to Ron Galella, he eventually analyzed his obsession with her and decided he was in love with her. She was like his imaginary girlfriend, before he married. The person he most wanted to see and capture on film. Of course, this film goes into her lawsuits against him, and has a running commentary on the First Amendment.

He did harass Jackie O, though, and stalk her, like he did others. In addition, the way he drove to pursue individuals, or to get someplace before they arrived, certainly could have ended up causing fatal car crashes. Pictures of him in his younger days did indeed make him look like a jerk, too. Yet it's so easy to forget those negative things while watching and listening to Ron Galella in this documentary. It's so easy to see him as a photographer of history and of people who intrigued hundreds, thousands, millions of others. So easy to see him as a dedicated professional, the Pope of the Paparazzi, as someone labeled him. This documentary was released in 2010, so it didn't cover his death in 2022. His wife died in 2017 and they had no children to survive them. Instead, Ron Galella was survived by millions of photographs. His legacy to the world.

Ron Galella is a relentless paparazzi catching Liz Taylor and Richard Burton. He is an expert at planning and executing the art of stalkarazzi. He has a new book of pictures out. He took the iconic Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis picture. After catching Jackie and John Jr. in the park from behind the trees, she tells an agent to "Smash his camera!" They detained him and he sues Jackie and the Secret Service. She with Onassis' money counter-sues him.

I could not care less about the talking heads talking back and forth about Galella. The problem with this documentary is that it doesn't really challenge Galella that much. A lot of it is his point of view. Mostly it's just him talking, and talking, and talking. The music is cheerfull. The documentarian Leon Gast doesn't ask him questions on camera. He's no Errol Morris. It doesn't feel like it's digging that deep into his psyche. It's not that deep of a dig in the first place. A great interview has follow up questions. This movie doesn't really push and I don't care about his rabbits.

He is absolutely a fascinating man, but one who does NOT take NO for an answer.

That has gotten him into places that no one else could go and thus gotten him some big dollar shots.

However, he did make Jackie Kennedy's life miserable and thought nothing of it, only what it afforded him, AND he forced himself on women. There are some pictures of him "kissing" women and you can tell by their facial expressions and body language that they are appalled and disgusted! That crap wouldn't be allowed by anyone today, but the fact is, he was still very proud of those photos. He couldn't see how sleazy he was.

That said - he chronicled our entertainment industry and "public figures" for several decades and did get some great photos for us to enjoy - at their expense.

Now I feel guilty about it.

Years ago my brother worked for AP as newswriter in a major US city. He had so many stories about his bureau's photographer. He would famous for how sharp his elbows were, and that he would not just knock over an old lady, but one using in a wheelchair, to get the picture needed for a story.

So the issue is NOT just paparazzi. Successful straight news photographers have to be SOBs too. If you come back to the news office offer after saving a baby, but missing the assignment photo, or ever one minute later than the competition you are fired.

By the way this is not really First Amendment law. But mainly Fourth Amendment privacy law judicial precedence. In the US you have little expectation of privacy,, and under many court precedents essentially none if you are a public person. Unless a photographer bashed your head with their camera, or breaks into your private residence, photographing you, even on your private property is legal. Some very rich celebrities getting protective orders is about power rich people have in court system and not much else.

Also the alternatives are worse. CNN has been caught many times corralling "helping" people like demonstrators, and "re-shooting" a news event to make it look better attended/more newsworthy. To me that is a lot worse.

This film is compelling. And really to be honest people saying the photos should not have been taken are being dishonest. There is even science to back that up with people preferring to see these types of photos to any other news content.

Long before the days of 24 hour 7 days a week 365 days a year paparazzi a man by the name of Ron Galella happened to be around and this man during the 60's, 70's and 80's went on a tear of photographing stars and celebrities it was his personal passion it was what he lived for. Really Ron was always putting himself in danger and at risk to get snapshots and photographs of the famous and well known.

And this informative and educational HBO documentary "Smash his Camera" showed his passion and skill for taking photos and it showed the downsides of his job. Well documented was his alleged stalking of the former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy who took out restraining orders against Galella, but still that didn't stop Ron from getting his snap shots of the elegant former first lady as clearly this was a determined man who always got his picture. In fact many started labeling Ron as a stalker of the former first lady. Also compelling was his dealing with legendary actor Marlon Brandon who was so angry about getting his photographs and movements taken that he punched and apparently broke Galella's nose. Now that's what happens when you follow a person's every movement.

Really this doc is worth a watch because it informed and educated many like me about a man love him or hate him Ron Galella had a passion of taking pictures of the well known and famous even if it got him in trouble it proved that sometimes you have to be a risk taker. Because if you love your passion enough you will be brave and therefore you have to respect the man for it.