Film
Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché (PG)
Dir. Pamela B. Green, US, 2018, 103 mins.
Alice Guy-Blaché was a true pioneer who got into the movie business at the very beginning, in 1894, at the age of 21. Two years later, she was made head of production at Gaumont and started directing films. She and her husband moved to the United States, and she founded her own company, Solax, in 1910, but by 1919, her career came to an abrupt end, and she and the 1000 films that bore her name were largely forgotten. Pamela B. Green’s energetic film is both a tribute and a detective story, tracing the circumstances by which this extraordinary artist faded from memory and the path toward her reclamation. Be Natural is an exploration of who tells our histories and why some stories are lost. It is a must-see for every filmmaker, artist, and storyteller out there.
Alice Guy-Blaché was a true pioneer who got into the movie business at the very beginning, in 1894, at the age of 21. Two years later, she was made head of production at Gaumont and started directing films. She and her husband moved to the United States, and she founded her own company, Solax, in 1910, but by 1919, her career came to an abrupt end, and she and the 1000 films that bore her name were largely forgotten. Pamela B. Green’s energetic film is both a tribute and a detective story, tracing the circumstances by which this extraordinary artist faded from memory and the path toward her reclamation. Be Natural is an exploration of who tells our histories and why some stories are lost. It is a must-see for every filmmaker, artist, and storyteller out there.