"Smash His Camera" changes perspectives
Who is Ron Gallela? After watching “Smash His Camera” (directed by Leon Gast,) that isn’t an easy question to answer.
History might say Gallela was scum. He lost lawsuits with Jackie O and Marlon Brando punched him in the mouth. Gallela was pioneering paparazzi who thrived on taking pictures of celebrities in their most awkward moments during the '70s and '80s.
Director Leon Gast might disagree.
“I met Ron and he was so different from the Ron I thought I knew,” Gast said over the phone to a lingering crowd at the Missouri Theater Friday night.
In “Smash His Camera,” Gast shows Gallela as a human being who loves his work, no matter what the public thinks of him. Gast’s close-up view of Gallela’s life and profession is as artistic as the photos the paparazzo took.
Gallela’s blunt way of speaking and his blissful disregard of celebrity’s private life provide a light-hearted look into one of the dirtiest professions. Do yourself a favor and forget what you think you know about the paparazzi. See “Smash His Camera” with an open mind.
