I may be among the few who has actually heard of Alice Guy-Blache. Even if I’d never seen one of her films, known their titles, or her extraordinary history in the annals of motion pictures, from the earliest flickers, through serious filmmaking.
Even, in my opinion, the finest book published on the silent cinema, Kevin Brownlow’s The Parade’s Gone By (if you don’t have a copy find one) relegates her to footnotes.
Whether by poor or incomplete research by some of the most notable authors dedicated to the era, or attempts to re-write the history of film, and possibly make it more male-oriented, Ms Guy-Blache had been relegated to the veritable dust bin of history.
Fortunately, Kino Lorber is releasing a documentary, Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blache, that I feel is one of the finest ever created on motion picture history.
It’s an impassioned, incredibly researched document of feature length, in which director Pamela B. Green makes an epic attempt to put the situation right.
And succeeds.
In spades!
As narrated by Jodie Foster, the film is packed with documents, films, and video and audio commentaries, and interviews.
It’s a majestic, sometimes etherial, showpiece obviously comes from love, respect, and a great deal of archival research and documentation.
Interestingly, for a film that rides the waves between silent cinema and our digital era, Be Natural is a film that makes use of every technological asset and tool available to tell its story.
I would urge everyone with an interest in film, to grab a copy – a bargain at $20 street.
Image – n/a
Audio – 5
Pass / Fail – Pass
Very Highly Recommended
RAH
Robert has been known in the film industry for his unmatched skill and passion in film preservation. Growing up around photography, his first home theater experience began at age ten with 16mm. Years later he was running 35 and 70mm at home.
His restoration projects have breathed new life into classic films like Lawrence of Arabia, Vertigo, My Fair Lady, Spartacus, and The Godfather series. Beyond his restoration work, he has also shared his expertise through publications, contributing to the academic discourse on film restoration. The Academy Film Archive houses the Robert A. Harris Collection, a testament to his significant contributions to film preservation.
Post Disclaimer
Some of our content may contain marketing links, which means we will receive a commission for purchases made via those links. In our editorial content, these affiliate links appear automatically, and our editorial teams are not influenced by our affiliate partnerships. We work with several providers (currently Skimlinks and Amazon) to manage our affiliate relationships. You can find out more about their services by visiting their sites.
Similar threads