Alice Guy-Blaché, A Pioneer Of Cinema The World Nearly Forgot

In a dark room of Paris’ Grand Café in 1895, Alice Guy-Blaché, secretary to Léon Gaumont, is one of the first people in history to witness the Lumières brothers’ exciting new invention, the ‘cinématographe’. That day, Alice’s fate as one of the most important figures of early cinema was sealed, but whether she’d be remembered was less certain.

Director Pamela B Green and producer Jodie Foster’s “Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché”, is a thrilling journey through time to revive the legacy of a brilliant mind cruelly written out of history by her male counterparts.

In 1895, cinema was the realm of scientists and inventors, projecting banal shots of crashing waves and busy city streets, but Guy-Blaché saw its potential to generate an emotional response from its audience. After convincing Gaumont to let her experiment, she shot “La Fée Aux Choux” (“The Cabbage Fairy”), possibly the first film ever directed.

What follows is a lively retelling of Guy-Blaché’s phenomenal career, culminating in the founding of Solax Studios and her 100,000$ filming facility in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Not only did she push the technical boundaries of her art with special effects and new filming techniques, we also discover a progressive and feminist streak to her work. Indeed, women held a dazzling spectrum of leading roles in her productions and in 1912 she directed probably the first all African-American cast film. Her avant-garde approach and a passion for telling real, human stories, is summed up by her timeless acting advice: “be natural”.

With some excellent animation and a sharp score, the viewer is brilliantly immersed in the excitement and intrigue that defined the industry’s early years. What’s more, Green blends a chronological telling of history with her own modern day investigative process, littered with its own twists and turns.

After a while, this fast-paced format coupled with the endless whizzing by of excerpts and talking heads does become tiring, but the result is a comprehensive approach and evidence of the director’s zealous commitment to her subject.

With the ascendance of Hollywood and after her divorce, Guy-Blaché’s career in filmmaking comes to an abrupt end. She returns to France in search of new opportunities but instead observes over the years a growing disregard for her achievements. Writer after writer credits her male colleagues with directing the landmark pictures of her early years and in a cruel twist of fate, she finds that precious few people will hear her out, let alone believe what she says.

Green’s documentary shines a light on the insidious ways that dominant voices are able to highjack history. As grateful as we are for knowing about Guy-Blaché, it’s frightening to wonder how many other women’s voices have been lost forever.

Nonetheless, “Be Natural” is a fascinating film that successfully brings Guy-Blaché’s career back to life and will reignite your love of cinema in process.