Iconic photographs that are captured at the right time of history deserve to be immortalized in other forms of media, like on film and through podcasting. The question remains whether the documentary format is viable for every iconic photographer’s career trajectory or not. Maura Smith’s documentary Steve Schapiro: Being Everywhere is an ambitious attempt at that, but whether it succeeds in fully transporting the viewer into that world or not is left for interpretation.
Steve Schapiro is an intriguing figure, serving as a bridge between two worlds. One is overly bright and fake, glamorous yet superficial, built on the façade of stars and starlets existing in an alternate universe crafted from ivory and gold. The other world is gritty, grimy, and intensely real. From photographing people with drug abuse disorders in Harlem to migrants in Arkansas, Schapiro’s photos are raw, genuine, and authentic. They are black-and-white images of pristine brilliance, captured in a still life memory. The film invites us to explore his journey working on these real-life stories and what it took for him to make them eternal in the collective consciousness of the world.
Smith captures some crucial, vulnerable moments in Schapiro’s life, like the reason he wears glasses all the time. It’s both bittersweet and revelatory, bringing him an inch closer to viewers, demystifying the man behind the lens. But her insistence on using Schapiro’s narration throughout makes it a little bit difficult to sustain interest throughout the documentary. Schapiro is warm and admirable; he has a lot of stories in his vault, ready to be shared with the world, but the film could’ve used a bit of variety to allow the rich topic at hand to receive the attention it deserves.
This is a man who took pictures of Andy Warhol, Muhammad Ali, David Bowie, Ray Charles, Barbra Streisand, and many more. He looked into their eyes and saw the true colors of their souls, capturing special moments in their lives. Not only that, but Schapiro also produced advertising materials, publicity stills, and posters for some of cinema’s most prominent classics, such as Midnight Cowboy, The Godfather, Risky Business, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Schapiro talks about how posters come to life through perfect pictures captured of particular significant moments between shooting on movie sets. The documentary shines when it’s all about the photos, vignette after vignette of a virtual photo album–an intimate portal into a much sexier, brighter world where culture was made, not recycled. Legendary names like James Baldwin are thrown around, with Schapiro’s unique take on them. But it could have benefited from a little dynamic energy to make up for the redundancy of still-life photo sessions thrown around.
Although the narration is sometimes stilted and could have used some outside interference beyond Schapiro’s interview snippets, the personality of the photos shines through, along with the legendary photographer’s intimate observations of prominent historical figures during life-changing moments in history. Among my favorite photos of Martin Luther King’s are the march photos, which showcase Dr. King’s poignancy and resilience, but also capture something more: a pride hidden beneath the surface of strength and an exhaustion that only those who have fought battles and wars against stagnant ideologies understand.
Steve Schapiro: Being Everywhere unmasks the man behind the lens, a true hero for the times, but also a celebrity capturing iconic figures at their most poetic, glamorous moments. He’s a witness to the times, from counterculture to the civil rights movement. Schapiro has been a true icon in every sense of the word, but Smith’s film, though too much at times, paints an empathetic, heartwarming portrait of an exceptional man whose brilliance can’t be replicated.
Steve Schapiro: Being Everywhere is currently playing in select theaters courtesy of Abramorama.
Schapiro has been a true icon in every sense of the word, but Smith’s film, though too much at times, paints an empathetic, heartwarming portrait of an exceptional man whose brilliance can’t be replicated.
Jaylan Salah Salman is an Egyptian poet, translator, and film critic for InSession Film, Geek Vibes Nation, and Moviejawn. She has published two poetry collections and translated fourteen books for International Languages House publishing company. She began her first web series on YouTube, “The JayDays,” where she comments on films and other daily life antics. On her free days, she searches for recipes to cook while reviewing movies.
