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W. Eugene Smith: Photography Made Difficult

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"W. Eugene Smith: Photography Made Difficult" is a ninety-minute documentary produced for the Public Broadcasting System's American Masters television series. It was written by Jan Hartman and is based on the letters and journals of this internationally respected photojournalist.

The program introduces the viewer to hundreds of Mr. Smith's photographs through a dramatic recreation of the photographer's life. Peter Riegart portrays the artist, starting with his assignment covering the South Pacific war experiences of the 1940's. Through his photographs for Life Magazine, Mr. Smith wanted to "carry some message against the greed, stupidity and intolerance that causes war". If it were not for just a "simple accident of birth, the fate of a particular country of origin, we could be considered as the enemy".

Interwoven with details regarding particular photojournalistic assignments is the story of the photographer's personal life. He was raised by a father who committed suicide as the result of business failures, and a mother who maintained a staunch Catholic faith. She inculcated, in her children, the idea that life might be considered as under the spell of a punishment resulting from some primeval transgression. This intense upbringing instilled in the man a ferocious work ethic and contributed to his desire to cover subjects of perennial social importance.

Upon returning from the war, Smith's next assignment was to follow a country doctor for some 23 days and nights, sharing intimately in the life of his subjects. Such intensive immersion was to become a signature of all his subsequent projects, which include: the coverage of life under Fascism in Deleitosa, Spain; following the life of Maude Callen, a nurse midwife in the American South; doing a story on Albert Schweitzer's work in Lambarene, Africa; and the making of some 10,000 images for an assignment on the city life of Pittsburgh.

A retrospective of W. Eugene Smith's work was created for a show at New York's Jewish Museum in the early 1970's. The concentrated exposure that this show provided, provoked almost universally, an overwhelming emotional response on the part of it's viewers. Smith died as the result of complications from a wound he received during his photojournalistic work in Minamata, Japan. His friends feel that he is best remembered through the informal Jazz performances of downtown Manhattan's lofts, as these perhaps best characterize the later 'lost' years of his life.

We are fortunate that this talented PBS team, who assembled "Photography Made Diffcult" as a labor of love, has given us an appreciation of the man commensurate to the dedication with which he lived his life. This program can be recommended, to all fans of photography, without reservation.

I just watched this documentary. It is an honest and very well conducted portrait of this man, Gene Smith, probably one of the most important photographers of our time. Claerly, the man who inspired the fancy-overrated-rich-and-famous Sebastião Salgado. But Eugene was an artist in the pure sense, sensible, human, and with a genuine concern about our world, and obsessed with his job to show us the truth. Even a very bad conducted personal life, wouldn't hurt the precious art he left to us.

The fact about this film is that it seems to be no book around as rich and detailed. If you already like Eugene Smith, buy it. If not, buy it too, and you'll learn to love him.

This is a great introduction to the greatest photojournalist. I don't feel that I am exagerating here at all. Smith changed the history of photography, and his pictures changed in very real ways, the history of our country and others as well. He was a complicated person, likely suffering from significant psychological issues and other problems, but his work shines through.
The movie shows him, blemishes and all, as the photographer,poet,benzadrine user,manic artist who defined a discipline that brought horrow and joy from places far away, suddenly into our living room, suddenly very close to us.
This is a typical "PBS style" documentary - you're children may become bored, but I would recomend it to any one who loves photography and photojournalism.

Gene Smith was a loner (as are many photojournalists or documentarians) so a lot of the movie was him talking to himself. Does display a lot of his work and you can perhaps get an idea of what went through such an intense man's head when out making all the photos, telling all the stories he did with his pictures. If you've heard of Gene Smith, get this. If you're interested in Documentary photography, you should get this too!

The video W. Eugene Smith - Photography Made Difficult gives a solid picture of a complicated, talented photographer. It is not a picture album on tape. It is the dramatization of Smith's life as he moves from place to place to capture his stories. This video is the story behind the story. If you did not know that Smith was passionately outraged at social injustices and bringing those injustices to the public eye, you certainly know it by the end of the video. Excellent for soruce of knowledge and for entertainment.