Thursday, September 19, 2024

Alice Guy-Blaché: An Icon, A Legend



Out of all the 20th century film pioneers, Alice is my favorite by far. Time has hidden her behind the scenes of history, but here I would like to give her some spotlight. Some of her biggest accolades include being the inventor of narrative film and being the first female director. For her time, this was revolutionary. Not only was she breaking the barriers of male and female societal roles, but she was also shaking up the film world. For example, her film "The Cabbage Fairy" (1900) was the first film with plot. 

(link to "The Cabbage Fairy" )

I find it fascinating that the movies and TV that we watch enjoy today will all have remanence of Guy's work. Moreover, her story is an inspiration for anyone who feels like the underdog. Despite being in a male-dominated field, Guy was able to do amazing things. Just to name a couple: she had great importance at Gaumont studios where she got to work with Gaumont's chronophone and she created a motion-picture studio in New York, Solax, with her husband. There made not 100, not 200, but 300 films! 

While I'm not planning to work professionally in the film industry, I can still take some lessons I've learned from Alice. If she were here today, I think she would say that anyone, regardless of gender, can perform well with their knowledge in their passion. 

1 comment:

  1. You are a wonderful writer and I enjoy reading your posts very much. You show Guy so much respect and honor, it's an inspiration I'm sure she would appreciate were she around during a time when she could enjoy the respect for her work she deserved in life as well! She was a real boss lady and creative, she dominated in her time, and this post pays homage, nice job.

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