{"id":7559,"date":"2019-07-06T11:03:16","date_gmt":"2019-07-06T15:03:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/?p=7559"},"modified":"2019-07-06T11:03:20","modified_gmt":"2019-07-06T15:03:20","slug":"review-be-natural-the-untold-story-of-alice-guy-blache","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/?p=7559","title":{"rendered":"Review: BE NATURAL: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blach\u00e9"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Fascinating cinematic detective story profiles the world\u2019s first woman filmmaker.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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It\u2019s a mystery that takes us back to the dawn of cinema itself. In 1890s France, the motion picture industry was just in its infancy, and a young woman named Alice Guy-Blach\u00e9 found herself at the center of it. Despite her massive body of work and innovation, most filmmakers and film buffs probably don\u2019t know who she is. Well, first-time documentarian Pamela B. Green set out to change that, and in the process she uncovered an enduring mystery.

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Bringing a filmmaker out of the shadows.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Green colorfully tells us that Guy-Blach\u00e9\u2019s story brought her from France to the United States. And in making the overseas trip, she left behind many significant films she directed and produced while in the employ of L. Gaumont et Cie. Sadly, finding these films has become difficult as preservation efforts were not given priority\u2014filmmaking was considered more of a business enterprise and less of a true art form. Guy-Blach\u00e9\u2019s early efforts, including what\u2019s been called the world\u2019s first narrative film, 1896\u2019s \u201cLa F\u00e9e aux Choux (The Cabbage Fairy),\u201d may have been considered part of a series of \u201cdemonstration films\u201d aimed at selling cameras. Now, of course, we realize the true impact of this groundbreaking work.

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Titling and animation techniques provide context.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Green\u2019s background in titling for feature films is lavishly on display in \u201cBe Natural.\u201d The documentary utilizes entertaining animation and titling techniques to give us all the proper context. And in minutes, we\u2019re well up to speed on Guy-Blach\u00e9\u2019s backstory. This leaves ample time for the narrative to slow down and focus on finding the films and to confirm Guy-Blach\u00e9\u2019s place in cinematic history. The evidence uncovered is clear, however, some may still find facts in dispute. Even as late as the 1970s, cineastes argued over who directed what. But Green makes an evidenced-based case by skillfully doing the reporting. What\u2019s really wonderful is that Green shows us the process, while also showing us Guy-Blach\u00e9 in on-set photos inventing filmmaking techniques that are used regularly today.

While Green\u2019s polished film feels independently produced, the subject caught the attention of some of the biggest names in film today. The movie is narrated by filmmaker and actor Jodie Foster. And a veritable who\u2019s who appear to comment on Guy-Blach\u00e9\u2019s influence, even as they are, for the first time, introduced to the filmmaker\u2019s body of work. This collection of stars is impressive and more than just a gimmick, especially as many admit ignorance. This points up the importance of Green\u2019s film in educating so many about an almost forgotten pioneer. It\u2019s a story worthy of narrative treatment.

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Filmmaker Green shows us the reporting process.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But because Green\u2019s background is in post-production and the tech-heavy side of the business, she engages a cinematographer to try to recreate some of Guy-Blach\u00e9\u2019s films using similar equipment. This is great fun, for the cinematographer and for the viewer. And doing what Guy-Blach\u00e9 and her team did back then proves to be a real chore. Filmmakers today, armed with a 4K movie camera in their pockets, are so lucky.

I was really taken by Green\u2019s decision in one sequence to revisit the locations of Guy-Blach\u00e9\u2019s early films. Many of them were comedies, involving a great amount of physical slapstick. This portion of \u201cBe Natural\u201d puts the viewer in that place and the film clips immerse us more fully into the power of film and its true artistic medium.

An impactful mystery, filmmaker Pamela B. Green\u2019s debut is a gift to film historians and an educational treat for anyone interested in how the art form was born.

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Cinematic detective story gives credit long overdue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[1610,460,1611],"class_list":["post-7559","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews","tag-alice-guy-blache","tag-jodie-foster","tag-pamela-b-green","no-thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7559","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7559"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7559\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7569,"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7559\/revisions\/7569"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}