The Mother of Modern Cinema
Carlin Ross
Submitted on
When you think about the early days of film you think of George Melies and A Trip to the Moon. Not many of us know his contemporary - the first female film director - Alice Guy Blache.
She started her career in film as a secretary in 1894. Within two years, she was behind the camera directing her first film at the age of 23. By 1910 she opened her own production company, Solax Films, in Fort Lee, New Jersey. She produced over 1,000 films and noted for her pioneering use of light, composition, and synchronized sound.
Her story follows the typical "female" path Turn of the Century. She had a bad marriage, her husband ran her company into the ground, and she was pushed out of the industry when everything moved out to Hollywood. To date, only four female directors have ever been nominated for an Oscar - Kathryn Bigelow was the first woman to actually win one.
Most of her work is in museums but there are a few films online. This is some behind-the-scenes footage of Alice directing a film in Paris:
