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Alice Guy-Blaché (July 1, 1873–March 24, 1968) was a French pioneer filmmaker who was the first female director in the motion picture industry and is considered to be one of the first directors of a fiction film.
Early Life and Education
In the year 1873 Alice Guy’s mother lived in Santiago, Chile. While pregnant, Guy’s mother travelled to Paris, France to where she gave birth to Alice Guy. Following her birth, Guy was raised by her grandparents until the age of four. In 1877, Guy’s mother retrieved her from her grandparents and returned to Chile, where Guy met her father for the first time. In 1879, her father returned Guy to France where she is enrolled in boarding school with two of her sisters. While at boarding school, Guy’s father’s chain of bookstores became bankrupt. This tragedy forced Guy’s father to transfer her to a cheaper boarding school. After this both her father and brother died. Following her father’s death, Guy trained as a typist and got her first job as a secretary, starting her career.
Gaumont, France
In 1894 Alice Guy was hired by Léon Gaumont to work for a still-photography company as a secretary. The company soon went out of business but Gaumont bought the defunct operations inventory and began his own company that soon became a major force in the fledgling motion picture industry in France. Alice Guy decided to join the new Gaumont Film Company, a decision that led to a pioneering career in filmmaking spanning more than twenty-five years and involving her directing, producing, writing and/or overseeing more than 700 films.
From 1896 to 1906, Alice Guy was Gaumont's head of production and is generally considered to be the first filmmaker to systematically develop narrative filmmaking. In 1906, she made The Life of Christ, a big budget production for the time, which included 300 extras. In addition to this, she was one of the pioneers in the use of recordings in conjunction with the images on screen in Gaumont's "Chronophone" system, which used a vertical-cut disc synchronized to the film. An innovator, she employed special effects, using double exposure masking techniques and even running a film backwards.
Solax, USA
In 1907 Alice Guy married Herbert Blaché who was soon appointed the production manager for Gaumont's operations in the United States. After working with her husband for Gaumont in the USA, the two struck out on their own in 1910, partnering with George A. Magie in the formation of The Solax Company, the largest pre-Hollywood studio in America. With production facilities for their new company in Flushing, New York, her husband served as production manager as well as cinematographer and Alice Guy-Blaché worked as the artistic director, directing many of its releases. Within two years they had become so successful that they were able to invest more than $100,000 into new and technologically advanced production facilities in Fort Lee, New Jersey, a place that was quickly becoming the film capital of America and home to many major film studios. It was commented on in publications of the era that Guy-Blaché placed a large sign in her studio reading "Be Natural".
Post-Solax
Alice Guy and her husband divorced several years later, and with the decline of the East Coast film industry in favour of the more hospitable and cost effective climate in Hollywood, their film partnership also ended.
Following her separation, and after Solax ceased production, Alice Guy-Blaché went to work for William Randolph Hearst's International Film Service. She returned to France in 1922 and although she never made another film, for the next 30 years she gave lectures on film and wrote novels from film scripts. All but forgotten for decades, in 1953 the government of France awarded her the Legion of Honor.
Alice Guy-Blaché never remarried and in 1964 she returned to the United States to stay with one of her daughters. She died in a nursing home in Mahwah, New Jersey.
Personal life
Alice Guy Blaché’s marriage meant that she had to resign from her position working with Gaumont. Looking for new beginnings, the couple immigrated to New York where Guy gave birth to her first daughter Simone in 1908. Two years after giving birth Guy became the first woman to run her own studio when she created Solax. During this time, Guy was pregnant with her second child, but it did not stop her from completing at least one to three films a week. To focus on writing and directing, in 1914 Guy made her husband the president of Solax. Shortly after taking the position Herbert Blaché starts his own film company. For the next few ears the couple maintained a personal and business partnership, working together on many projects. The relationship between the two did not last long. In 1918 Herbert Blaché left his wife and children to peruse a career in Hollywood with one of his actresses. Following this devastation, Guy directed her last film in 1920. While directing her last film, Guy almost passed away due to the Spanish Influenza. By 1922 Blache and Guy were officially divorced prompting Guy to auction off her film studio while claiming bankruptcy. After losing her studio, Guy returned to France in 1922 and never made a film again. Following her bankruptcy and divorce, Guy could not make a living making films. In 1927, Guy returned to the United States in an attempt to retrieve some of her old work but was unsuccessful. In 1930, Léon Gaumont, published the history of his company with no mention of any production history before 1907. This upset Guy, prompting her to write a letter to Gaumont after which he agreed to change the documents. However these changes never got published. The rest of Guy’s career and life was dedicated to her children, specifically her eldest daughter Simone who she spent much of her later years with. On March 24, 1968 Guy died at the age of 95 while living at a nursing home.
Legacy
Alice Guy-Blaché is the first female film maker and is responsible for creating one of the first narrative films in 1896. Guy’s career of 24 years of directing, writing and producing films is the longest career of any of the cinema pioneers,From 1896 to 1920, Guy directed over 400 films, 22 of these films are feature length features. Guy was and still is the only woman to ever manage and own her own studio, The Solax Company.
Awards
In 1953 Guy was awarded the Légion d'honneur, the highest non military award France offers. On March 16, 1957 she was honored in a Cinematheque Françoise ceremony which went unnoticed by the press.
Article source Wikipedia
Early Life and Education
In the year 1873 Alice Guy’s mother lived in Santiago, Chile. While pregnant, Guy’s mother travelled to Paris, France to where she gave birth to Alice Guy. Following her birth, Guy was raised by her grandparents until the age of four. In 1877, Guy’s mother retrieved her from her grandparents and returned to Chile, where Guy met her father for the first time. In 1879, her father returned Guy to France where she is enrolled in boarding school with two of her sisters. While at boarding school, Guy’s father’s chain of bookstores became bankrupt. This tragedy forced Guy’s father to transfer her to a cheaper boarding school. After this both her father and brother died. Following her father’s death, Guy trained as a typist and got her first job as a secretary, starting her career.
Gaumont, France
In 1894 Alice Guy was hired by Léon Gaumont to work for a still-photography company as a secretary. The company soon went out of business but Gaumont bought the defunct operations inventory and began his own company that soon became a major force in the fledgling motion picture industry in France. Alice Guy decided to join the new Gaumont Film Company, a decision that led to a pioneering career in filmmaking spanning more than twenty-five years and involving her directing, producing, writing and/or overseeing more than 700 films.
From 1896 to 1906, Alice Guy was Gaumont's head of production and is generally considered to be the first filmmaker to systematically develop narrative filmmaking. In 1906, she made The Life of Christ, a big budget production for the time, which included 300 extras. In addition to this, she was one of the pioneers in the use of recordings in conjunction with the images on screen in Gaumont's "Chronophone" system, which used a vertical-cut disc synchronized to the film. An innovator, she employed special effects, using double exposure masking techniques and even running a film backwards.
Solax, USA
In 1907 Alice Guy married Herbert Blaché who was soon appointed the production manager for Gaumont's operations in the United States. After working with her husband for Gaumont in the USA, the two struck out on their own in 1910, partnering with George A. Magie in the formation of The Solax Company, the largest pre-Hollywood studio in America. With production facilities for their new company in Flushing, New York, her husband served as production manager as well as cinematographer and Alice Guy-Blaché worked as the artistic director, directing many of its releases. Within two years they had become so successful that they were able to invest more than $100,000 into new and technologically advanced production facilities in Fort Lee, New Jersey, a place that was quickly becoming the film capital of America and home to many major film studios. It was commented on in publications of the era that Guy-Blaché placed a large sign in her studio reading "Be Natural".
Post-Solax
Alice Guy and her husband divorced several years later, and with the decline of the East Coast film industry in favour of the more hospitable and cost effective climate in Hollywood, their film partnership also ended.
Following her separation, and after Solax ceased production, Alice Guy-Blaché went to work for William Randolph Hearst's International Film Service. She returned to France in 1922 and although she never made another film, for the next 30 years she gave lectures on film and wrote novels from film scripts. All but forgotten for decades, in 1953 the government of France awarded her the Legion of Honor.
Alice Guy-Blaché never remarried and in 1964 she returned to the United States to stay with one of her daughters. She died in a nursing home in Mahwah, New Jersey.
Personal life
Alice Guy Blaché’s marriage meant that she had to resign from her position working with Gaumont. Looking for new beginnings, the couple immigrated to New York where Guy gave birth to her first daughter Simone in 1908. Two years after giving birth Guy became the first woman to run her own studio when she created Solax. During this time, Guy was pregnant with her second child, but it did not stop her from completing at least one to three films a week. To focus on writing and directing, in 1914 Guy made her husband the president of Solax. Shortly after taking the position Herbert Blaché starts his own film company. For the next few ears the couple maintained a personal and business partnership, working together on many projects. The relationship between the two did not last long. In 1918 Herbert Blaché left his wife and children to peruse a career in Hollywood with one of his actresses. Following this devastation, Guy directed her last film in 1920. While directing her last film, Guy almost passed away due to the Spanish Influenza. By 1922 Blache and Guy were officially divorced prompting Guy to auction off her film studio while claiming bankruptcy. After losing her studio, Guy returned to France in 1922 and never made a film again. Following her bankruptcy and divorce, Guy could not make a living making films. In 1927, Guy returned to the United States in an attempt to retrieve some of her old work but was unsuccessful. In 1930, Léon Gaumont, published the history of his company with no mention of any production history before 1907. This upset Guy, prompting her to write a letter to Gaumont after which he agreed to change the documents. However these changes never got published. The rest of Guy’s career and life was dedicated to her children, specifically her eldest daughter Simone who she spent much of her later years with. On March 24, 1968 Guy died at the age of 95 while living at a nursing home.
Legacy
Alice Guy-Blaché is the first female film maker and is responsible for creating one of the first narrative films in 1896. Guy’s career of 24 years of directing, writing and producing films is the longest career of any of the cinema pioneers,From 1896 to 1920, Guy directed over 400 films, 22 of these films are feature length features. Guy was and still is the only woman to ever manage and own her own studio, The Solax Company.
Awards
In 1953 Guy was awarded the Légion d'honneur, the highest non military award France offers. On March 16, 1957 she was honored in a Cinematheque Françoise ceremony which went unnoticed by the press.
Article source Wikipedia