Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché (2019)
96%RT Audience Score: 96%
Awards & Nominations: 11 wins & 11 nominations
Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché aims an overdue spotlight on a cinematic innovator’s career, with the added benefit of absorbing historical context.
If you’re a movie buff, you gotta check out Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché. It’s like a time machine that takes you back to the early days of cinema and introduces you to a badass lady who was way ahead of her time. Alice Guy-Blaché was a true innovator, and this documentary finally gives her the recognition she deserves. Plus, you’ll learn a ton about the history of film and how it evolved over the years. So grab some popcorn and get ready to be entertained and educated at the same time!
Production Company(ies)
Wildwood Enterprises Artemis Rising Foundation Foothill Productions,
Distributor
Zeitgeist Films, Kino Lorber
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Los Angeles, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
2018
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:NA
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Runtime:1h 43m
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Language(s):English, French
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Mar 15, 2019 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 23, 2019
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché, documentary, English, Pamela B Green, Joan Simon, Zeitgeist Films, Kino Lorber, Jodie Foster, directed by Pamela B Green, written by Pamela B Green and Joan Simon, produced by Pamela B Green, executive produced by Geralyn White Dreyfous and Jodie Foster, box office gross of $101.1K, film history, female film director, Alice Guy-Blaché, feminist, cinema pioneer, film industry, film-making, film innovation, film business, film artist, film career, filmography, film legacy, film restoration, film preservation, film archives, film footage, film clips, film interviews, film narration, film critics, film reviews, film analysis, film appreciation, film education, film documentary, film biography, film tribute, film festival, film awards, film recognition, film influence, film impact, film inspiration, film empowerment, film equality, film diversity, film representation, film culture, film society, film industry reform, film activism, film advocacy, film community, film fans
Worldwide gross: $193,387
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $227,573
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,912
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 24,817
US/Canada gross: $115,804
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $136,275
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,612
US/Canada opening weekend: $3,237
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $3,809
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,819
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Pamela B. Green – Director, Writer, Producer
Joan Simon – Writer
Geralyn White Dreyfous – Executive Producer
Director(s)
Pamela B. Green
Writer(s)
Pamela B. Green, Joan Simon
Producer(s)
Pamela B. Green
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
11 wins & 11 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (93) | Top Critics (24) | Fresh (89) | Rotten (4)
The highlight of this documentary is the footage of Alice herself, witty, energetic, and creative. This recognition of her contributions is long overdue and most welcome.
October 13, 2021
Nell Minow
AWFJ Women on Film
TOP CRITIC
It’s the awkward editing, superfluous celebrity interviews, and an emphasis on the search for inconsequential facts that obscure what should be its focus – Guy-Blaché’s formidable talent.
March 25, 2020
Kathleen Sachs
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Cineastes, film nerds and feminists alike will be gripped by this documentary portrait of Alice Guy-Blaché. Who? That’s the point.
January 17, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Kevin Maher
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
A playful but ardent documentary tribute to Guy Blaché, a film-maker fully deserving the overworked title of pioneer.
January 15, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Danny Leigh
Financial Times
TOP CRITIC
[A] hectic, garrulous, fascinating documentary…
January 15, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
The ingrained sexism it highlights could form the basis of several sequels.
January 14, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Anna Smith
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, except backwards and in heels. Alice didit in corsets and with no clear rules about how to even go about creating cinema. Businesswoman and artist both, the first female filmmaker is revealed in full glory.
February 21, 2022
Daisy Leigh-Phippard
Screen Queens
May this documentary correct the injustices done to this pivotal filmmaker’s legacy, simply because she was a woman.
October 13, 2021
Sandie Angulo Chen
AWFJ Women on Film
Presented in a visually lively style, Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy Blache goes way beyond merely chronicling the facts of Alice Guy Blache’s life…
October 13, 2021
Cate Marquis
AWFJ Women on Film
It’s a great and inspiring story timely told. Pamela Green’s well-researched documentary starts at the happenstance start of auteur Alice Guy Blache’s cinema career and follows her fortunes…
October 13, 2021
Jennifer Merin
AWFJ Women on Film
As a chronicle of an outrageously overlooked female pioneer in an industry that’s been dominated by men for far too long, Green’s documentary is a must-see for anyone who considers themselves a feminist.
October 13, 2021
Betsy Bozdech
AWFJ Women on Film
It helps that Jodie Foster’s captivating voice (with impeccable French pronunciation) acts as the narrator of the film, but the feeling persists that further refinement was required. [Full review in Spanish]
July 21, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/5
Antonio G. Spíndola
Cine Premiere…
Plot
Pamela B. Green’s energetic film about pioneer filmmaker Alice Guy-Blaché is both a tribute and a detective story, tracing the circumstances by which this extraordinary artist faded from memory and the path toward her reclamation.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Jodie Foster serves as the narrator for Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché.
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