Alice Guy Blaché: Cinema Pioneer Catalog Release

On November 5th almost all of us who had contributed to the catalog  for the Whitney retrospective   Alice Guy Blaché:Cinema Pioneer   gathered at 192 Books  for a panel and discussion on the work of the first woman filmmaker. The discussion was very animated and enriching.

Whitney Catalog Contributors at 192 Books

On November 5th almost all of us who had contributed to the catalog for the Whitney retrospective  Alice Guy Blaché:Cinema Pioneer  gathered at 192 Books  for a panel and discussion on the work of the first woman filmmaker. The discussion was very animated and enriching. Joan Simon introduced each participant and spoke about the long planning and hard effort that had gone into making the show a reality. Alan Williams  was one of the first to put Alice Guy into the history books, in his magisterial book The Republic of Images. 

Jane Gaines, Alan Williams, Charles Musser, Joan Simon and Alison McMahan at 192 BooksJane Gaines, Alan Williams, Charles Musser, Joan Simon and Alison McMahan at 192 Books

Jane Gaines spoke about the Women Film Pioneers Project , which aims to recapture the lost history of all women filmmakers; Charlie Musser spoke on the collaboration between Alice and her husband Herbert, and other married collaborators of the era, a phenomenon that has been little examined. Kim Tomadjoglou was unfortunately not able to attend, but Joan mentioned that one of the big discoveries made by Kim and her staff of film preservationists was the importance of tinting and toning to the films (six films were newly preserved or re-preserved for this retrospective). 

Alison McMahan spoke on the various appeals of Alice Guy’s life and films to different audiences and filled in details about the Gaumont Chronophone, the synchronized sound system for which Alice directed over 150 films between 1902 and 1906 – long before The Jazz Singer.

The panel was well attended and a lively discussion ensued.

If you want a signed copy of the catalogue get yourself over to 192 Books on 21st Street and 10th Avenue in Manhattan; they have a pile of signed copies. To order the catalog online go here.