Before TMZ, before the Lindsay- and Britney-chasing packs of
paparazzi, there was Ron Galella, the proto-pap, the man who took the
streetwise 'tude of earlier tabloid photogs like Weegee and aimed it
at celebrities. In Galella's case, it was one celebrity in particular,
Jacqueline Kennedy, whom he stalked (or merely followed) and harassed
(or merely photographed) to the point where she sued and he counter-
sued, leading to a sensational, nationally-followed trial. This snappy
documentary keeps a light tone throughout, making its discussion of
First Amendment versus right to privacy issues highly entertaining.
Archival footage is interspersed with contemporary interviews,
including Galella himself, still alive and active and more charming
than ever at 79. One of the best commentators: pompous, self-
dramatizing (and deeply hypocritical) former Metropolitan Museum
director Thomas Hoving, who hates hates HATES Galella. — Jeff Schultz