KINO releases two Alice Guy-Blaché blu-rays

One of the true pioneers of early film is Alice Guy-Blaché whose screen work began at the end of the 19th century. Women filmmakers are central to the development of cinema, and Alice Guy-Blaché was not only an early master of the medium's form and function, she also challenged the process with ideas that were far ahead of their time.

KINO has released two blu ray volumes of Alice Guy-Blaché’s early work. The first volume concentrates on her work at the Gaumont studios in her native France, starting at the end of the 19th century and into the early 20th century (1898-1907). The second collects films made for Solax in Flushing, New York, in the early part of the 20th century (1907-1914).

The Gaumont films are Alice Guy-Blaché's earliest work and show an innate knowledge of cinema's process as well as an understanding of how to present comic situations. These challenging films also show Alice Guy-Blaché exploring subjects like feminism, social hierarchy, and alcoholism.

One of the most impressive examples is "Madame Has Her Cravings" (1907). This is a very funny film in which a pregnant woman steals various food items as she goes for a walk with her long suffering husband, who is pushing a baby in the carriage. First, Madame steals a child's lollipop, and the father ends up hitting Madame's husband. She then sneaks a glass of absinthe from a man preoccupied with reading a newspaper at an outdoor cafe. She takes herring from a hobo, who chases her down, and is calmed by the husband who gives him money. They meet a peddler and the husband offers to buy her some of his wares, but instead she steals the man's pipe and starts smoking it. Finally, the husband has had enough and shoves her. She falls into a cabbage patch, is lifted up, her pregnant belly is gone, and there is a baby in her arms! They put the baby in the buggy with their other one, and go on their way.

The way Alice Guy-Blaché films these sequences is in a medium shot, keeping all of the action in the frame. Each time Madame steals an item, Alice Guy-Blaché shows her in closeup, enjoying it. Guy-Blaché leaves the camera on Madame for several seconds while the actress comically eats, drinks, or smokes, with blatant expressions. In fact, each of the actors play up their scenes in a similarly blatant manner. Even the man reading the newspaper, whose drink is stolen by Madame, responds to the news with keen interest, gesturing comically as he does so.

The comic gestures are not subtle, but neither are they as sweeping and florid as those that would be found in Mack Sennett's Keystone comedies a few years later. They are filled with nuance, making this short film very entertaining as well as fascinating in its historical context.

Another of the more fascinating subjects on the Gaumont disc is a collection of sound films from the turn of the century. Of course the sound was not recorded with the film, as that technology was years later, but it was matched with a record, and KINO's restorations include the original soundtracks for "The Trottins Polka," "In a Bamboo Hat," and "Indiscreet Questions," all of which feature singer Félix Mayol. "Indiscreet Questions" is made even more impressive in that it was shot in color, and the KINO restoration has restored the original color to this subject. Three other sound subjects, "The Anatomy of a Draftee" "Five O' Clock Tea," and "The True Jiu Jitsu," feature singers Polin and Dranem, respectively.

But perhaps the most impressive film on the Gaumont disc is "The Drunken Mattress." This comedy starts out in a small apartment where the older couple are sleeping on a mattress that needs mending. The maid takes it out into an open field and prepares to work on it, when she decides to go to a nearby Chocolate Shoppe. A drunk wandering in the field happens upon the mattress, lays down to nap, and slips into it through the ripped area. When the maid returns, she unwittingly sews up the mattress with the drunk inside. The rest of the comedy presents the maid struggling to get the mattress back to the apartment, it now weighing about 150 pounds more. She drops it over a bridge, it lands on the road below, and is run over by a streetcar. She struggles up a long flight of steps with the bulky object, pre-dating Laurel and Hardy's "The Music Box" by 25 years. When she finally gets it back to the apartment, the battered drunk struggles and goes out a window.

While this wild comedy is really creative in its gag execution, it is also remarkably filmed for the era. Alice switches from long shots, to medium shots, keeping the action within the frame. When the mattress goes over the bridge, the edit from its fall to its landing is very precise. This film best shows Alice Guy-Blaché's vision as a filmmaker and her approach to creative comedy.

The Solax disc features movies that were made after Alice Guy-Blaché married and moved to New York, co-founding the Solax studios. These films build upon her work at Gaumont and continue to show her creative and innovative ideas. Alice Guy-Blaché extends her filmmaking into other genres, like westerns and crime films, while also investigating longer subjects. There are also some films that Alice Guy-Blaché produced by did not direct, such as Edward Warren's "The Sewer" (1912).

"Making an American Citizen" (1912) is a fascinating subject in which a poor couple from Europe emigrate to America. The husband treats his wife shoddily, is reprimanded by others, and discovers that in America, women are not treated that way. It is an interesting look at early feminism at a time when women weren't even allowed to vote. Female roles are further explored with the western "Parson Sue" (1911) when a town of wild cowboys is surprised at a female minister showing up to take over the town's church. The cowboys, not wanting to insult the pretty lady, all change their ways.

Racism is confronted with "Frozen on Love's Trail" (1912), in which a white girl is befriended by a half-breed Indian. Her father warns her to stay away from him. Filmed in a snowy area, there are some truly harrowing action sequences when the young woman is thrown from her horse and lies freezing in the snow. The Indian approaches on his dog sled, wraps the girl in his own furs, leaving him wearing little in the freezing cold. He rushes his sled but eventually the cold overtakes him and he collapses. The sled dogs continue, taking the girl to safety. The Indian is later found dead in the snowy passages.

Another film, "A Man's a Man," is an even more unsettling look at racism, featuring a Jewish peddler who is bullied and later his child is hit by a car and killed by a drunk driver. An idealistic man forms a mob to lynch the driver of the car, who runs and hides in an apartment. It turns out to be the Jewish peddler's apartment. The peddler protects the man. They later meet at the child's grave where the peddler offers forgiveness.

Labor unions are presented in "The Strike" (1912). Children and animals are the subject of "The Detective's Dog" (1912).

Each disc also has a collection of bonus films as extras, including the compelling subject as "The Coming of Sunbeam," are remarkably well-restored 1913 subject about a father and his long estranged daughter reconciling over the sick bed of her daughter. It is a moving melodrama, but played with uncharacteristic subtlety for the period. It is also interesting to see Magda Foy as Little Sunbeam, as this child actor of silent films left movies in the 1910s, but lived to the year 2000. In fact, it is notable that a handful of actors appear repeatedly in many of these subjects, including Foy, Blanche Cornwall, Darwin Karr, and Billy Quirk.

The films on both of these blu ray discs are enormously important to our understanding of film history, and show Alice Guy-Blaché as an amazing filmmaker who made real strides in the early development of cinema that surpassed many others working at around the same time. In fact, it is worth noting that from 1896 until 1906, Alice Guy-Blaché was the only woman filmmaker which, of course, makes her the first woman to direct a film.

The restorations on these very old films are remarkable; a special feature on the blu rays presenting comparisons. Each also features an essay booklet by film historian Kim Tomadjoglou. Musical accompaniment for the films includes work by Amy Denio, Alyson Fewless, A.J. Layague, Ben Model, Meg Morely, Tamar Muskal, Aaron Ramsey Dana Reason, Joanna Seaton, Andrew Earle Simpson, Donald Sosin, and Luke Von Denend.

These Alice Guy-Blaché blu rays are sold separately from KINO, but both are most highly recommended. They are among the best and most important DVD releases of their kind.

Volume one is available here: Gaumont

Volume two is available here: Solax