John Smith

John Smith (UK, 1952) studied film at the Royal College of Art. Inspired by conceptual art and structural film, but also fascinated by the immersive power of narrative and the spoken word, he has developed a body of work that deftly subverts the boundaries between documentary, fiction, representation, and abstraction. Often rooted in everyday life, his meticulously crafted films, such as The Girl Chewing Gum (1976), Blight (1996), and The Black Tower (1987), playfully explore and expose the language of cinema. Smith’s work has been widely shown in independent cinemas, film festivals, and art galleries around the world and has been awarded many major prizes. (Light Cone)

Related movies

The Black Tower (John Smith, 1987)

The Black Tower

John Smith, United Kingdom, 1987, 24’

A man finds himself haunted by a mysterious black tower in London that appears to follow him wherever he goes. The Black Tower is an example of a film that succesfully plays with emotions and the language of film.

The Girl Chewing Gum (John Smith, 1976)

The Girl Chewing Gum

John Smith, United Kingdom, 1976, 12’

An authoritative voice-over pre-empts the events in the image, seeming to order not only the people, cars, and moving objects on the screen but also the actual camera movements on the street in view. John Smith draws attention to how controlling and directional the practice of voice-over actually is.

Blight (John Smith, 1996)

Blight

John Smith, United Kingdom, 1996, 15’

Blight revolves around the building of the M11 Link Road in East London, which provoked a long and bitter campaign by local residents to protect their homes from demolition. What is presented is simultaneously fact and fiction.

The Girl Chewing Gum (1976)

Als beelden sprekend liegen

John Smiths The Girl Chewing Gum (1976)

Bjorn Gabriels

31.03.2026

essay

Op het eerste gezicht bevestigt The Girl Chewing Gum (1975) – Smiths beroemdste film in een oeuvre van vijftig jaar experimentele korte films waarin hij op speelse wijze het dagelijks leven verkent – de bijna rituele afwijzing van de voice-over door het opzichtig autoritaire karakter ervan te ondermijnen met hilarisch ingetogen humor, die doet denken aan de observerende ironie van Monty Python’s Flying Circus (1969-1974).