Synopsis
The epic life story of Alice Guy-Blaché (1873–1968), a French screenwriter, director and producer, true pioneer of cinema, the first person who made a narrative fiction film; author of hundreds of movies, but banished from history books. Ignored and forgotten. At last remembered.
Your Movie Library
Cast
- Jodie FosterSelf - Narrator (voice)
- Richard AbelSelf
- Marc AbrahamSelf
- Stephanie AllainSelf
- Gillian ArmstrongSelf
- John BaileySelf
- Cari BeauchampSelf
- Lake BellSelf
- Peter BillingsleySelf
- James BobinSelf
Recommendations
- 100
Movie Nation
Be Natural, from the moment of release, becomes one of the seminal documentaries on early film history and must-see movie watching for any serious cinephile. - 84
TheWrap
Every subject shares genuine enthusiasm after watching Guy-Blaché’s work, and as messy as “Be Natural” can be at times, with that frenetic pace of info delivery coming from all directions at once, it’s actually the natural tone and pace of a creator who’s excited by their subject matter. - 83
The Film Stage
An essential watch for cinephiles and beyond, let Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché be the first step in your discovery of a talented artist that had as much to do with the innovation of cinema as those already firmly established in the canon of the craft. - 80
Los Angeles Times
What starts as a biography turns into a detective thriller as Green crisscrosses the globe, searching for clues as to why Guy-Blaché has been forgotten. - 80
Film Threat
Essential viewing for those who want a complete perspective on the history of film. Tons of information is packed into an hour and thirty-seven minutes and much of it I didn’t know before watching. - 80
The New York Times
By the end of “Be Natural,” you won’t only have a clear idea of who this remarkable woman was; you may well have acquired a new taste in old movies. - 75
Washington Post
The fact that Guy-Blaché isn’t a household name — even after making nearly 1,000 films — is due pure and simply to sexism, and literally being written out of history, either through animus or laziness. Thank goodness “Be Natural” is here to set a brilliant, distinguished, invaluable record straight. - 70
The Hollywood Reporter
As a teaching and consciousness-raising tool, it will be an indispensable resource.
