Unveiling a Legend: 'The Girl With The Leica' Immortalizes Pioneering War Photojournalist Gerda Taro!

Gerda Taro, a pioneering German-born photojournalist, was tragically killed on the battlefield at the age of 26, making her the first female photojournalist to die in such circumstances. For decades, her significant contributions to the art form were largely overlooked, often overshadowed by the legend of Robert Capa, a persona she helped create alongside her lover, Endre Friedmann. Italian director Alina Marazzi's film, “The Girl With the Leica,” which opened the Venice Horizons section, endeavors to rectify this historical oversight and celebrate Taro’s vibrant personality and immense talent.

Marazzi, already familiar with Taro’s work, was inspired by Helena Janeczek’s 2018 novel about the photographer. Collaborating with screenwriter Valia Santella, Marazzi adapted the story for the cinema, casting Emilia Schüle as Taro. A key narrative decision for the film was to tell the story from Taro’s own perspective, a departure from the novel which presented her life through the recollections of three friends meeting in the 1960s. This choice allows viewers to immerse themselves in Taro’s experiences and emotions.

The film ingeniously uses July 14, 1937—Bastille Day, a symbol of freedom—as a pivotal jumping-off point. On this day, Taro is seen in Paris, meeting friends including Friedmann, before her return to report on the Spanish Civil War. Through a series of fluid flashbacks, the film traces Taro’s journey, born Gerta Pohorylle, from her youth as a left-wing activist in Leipzig, fleeing the Nazis, to her burgeoning interest in photography in Paris. It vividly depicts her partnership with Friedmann, where they jointly conceived the persona of American photographer Robert Capa to market their work. Many of Taro's early photographs were published under this alias, inadvertently obscuring her individual contribution once Friedmann adopted the name exclusively.

“The Girl With the Leica” delves into the rich cultural and artistic milieu of 1930s Paris, particularly focusing on the community of émigrés from Eastern and Central Europe, many of whom, like Taro, adopted new roles to survive. Among Taro’s circle were Fred Stein and David “Chim” Seymour, who both became leading photographers. Photography, as Marazzi explains, was not just a livelihood but also a means for them to develop a “visual language” and “express their vision.” Notably, Seymour (born Dawid Szymin) later co-founded the influential Magnum photo agency in 1947 with Capa and Henri Cartier-Bresson. The film serves as a poignant reminder of the dangers of photojournalism, as both Seymour and Capa, like Taro, perished while on assignment.

A significant aspect of reclaiming Taro’s legacy stems from the rediscovery in 2007 of three boxes of photo negatives taken by Taro, Capa, and Seymour during the Spanish Civil War, which had been missing since 1940. This discovery was crucial in finally acknowledging Taro’s pivotal role in the development of photojournalism. In crafting Taro’s personality for the film, Marazzi drew not only from Janeczek’s novel but also from the first biography of Taro by German historian Irme Schaber. This research illuminated Taro’s profound political engagement in 1930s Germany, where she, along with friends like Georg Kuritzkes, actively opposed the rise of nationalism. The film underscores her motivation for traveling to Spain, driven by a hope for a better society.

Despite detailing the hardships faced by Taro and her friend Ruth Cerf when they first arrived in a deprived Paris, the film's mise en scène is far from bleak. Marazzi aimed to portray “young, simple, penniless people who like to have fun and enjoy life,” highlighting Taro’s “light-hearted” side alongside her political commitment. The film beautifully captures Taro and her friends navigating daily life, engaging in romantic affairs—such as her relationship with Friedmann and later Canadian reporter Ted Allan—and cultivating strong friendships. Marazzi emphasizes that Taro was a “young, lively, pretty, seductive woman” who didn’t sacrifice her personal life for her political and photographic aspirations, showcasing the complex interplay of these aspects in her identity. She envisioned Taro as a contemporary figure, continually defining herself.

To convey Taro's sparkling personality and inner turmoil, the film employs vivid visual imagery, such as fireworks exploding on Bastille Day and symbolic red flowers given by Friedmann. Marazzi admits to being “seduced by the beauty of the imagery” and influenced by the experimental and avant-garde cinema of the 1930s. The film's contemporary relevance is striking, with Marazzi drawing parallels between the rise of right-wing nationalism in the 1930s and today. She also connects the involvement of journalists in conflicts like the Spanish Civil War to modern conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, stressing that in both eras, journalists risked their lives to highlight that “democratic values are at stake.” Taro, Marazzi posits, would likely be on the frontlines of today's conflicts.

The narrative also touches upon Taro’s romantic independence. While Capa proposes marriage, Taro refuses, freely moving on to other relationships, underscoring her defiant spirit. She dies on July 26, 1937, less than a week before her 27th birthday, on the frontlines in Brunete, Spain, accompanied by Ted Allan. While the film introduces a rich cast of characters, it serves as an excellent entry point into this crucial piece of history, powerfully reclaiming the legacy of a brave photojournalist whose talent, passion, and skill were nearly lost to history, subsumed by a legend she helped create.