Born Gerta Pohorylle, Gerda Taro was a young but notable photographer active in Spain during the height of the Spanish Civil War and the first-ever female war photographer to die in combat. Jewish in Nazi Germany and an outspoken leftist anti-fascist, she fled to Paris after her arrest for distributing pamphlets. It is in Paris that she met the man who would become a noted war photographer of the mid-20th century, Robert Capa. There, the two became photojournalists and lovers, working out of a dark room in their bathroom.
1936 would be a capstone year for the couple as the two changed their names and set out for the ill-defined and constantly shifting front of the Spanish Civil War. This conflict would birth not only a long-standing fascist regime but the beginnings of modern war photography. New light and durable cameras allowed photographers to join soldiers during actual combat. It was in one of these combat situations where Gerda was fatally injured when a tank collided with the medical transport truck in which she rode.
Though Gerda Taro’s career as a photographer was short-lived, her name and work lived on through her partner Robert Capa. For just under a year she and Capa documented the Spanish Republicans on the ground in their fight against Franco’s forces. Unlike the fascists who were supported by Hitler and Mussolini with air raids and soldiers, the Spanish Republicans were a popular militia that received an international media blackout.
Capa has many striking photos taken during the height of the conflict, but Taro was unabashed in her full-fledged support of the Republicans. She artfully captured enrapturing images of the young partisans and their supporters as the conflict began and created striking propaganda photos by posing herself when the story she wanted to capture wouldn’t fall into place organically.
Many of her images have been credited to Capa after his death, but new research and the discovery of Capa’s “Mexican Suitcase” have yielded tons of information about and works by Taro. Searching for Gerda Taro includes a solid hour of expert analysis and discussion about the woman behind the photos. This touching documentary addresses her more brutal works of war photography and is not suited for all audiences, but anyone studying photojournalism or women in photography will want to see Searching for Gerda Taro. Highly Recommended. Editor’s Choice.
Where does this title belong on public or academic library shelves?
Searching for Gerda Taro belongs on history, journalism, biography, or women’s studies shelves.
What type of instructors could use this documentary?
Professors of photojournalism, women’s studies, and Spanish history will find the most use in Searching for Gerda Taro.
What is the retail price and/or Public Performance License fee?
Vimeo Rental: $4.99 Vimeo Purchase: $11.99 / Available for previewing and streaming on Docuseek.