Pamela Green has many IMDB credits. However, most are for miscellaneous contributions and making credits for movies. She only has one prior credit for directing...and it was a short. Despite this, she really, really outdid herself here...making one of the very best documentaries about early filmmakers I've ever seen. It's on par with the brilliant documentaries by the Oscar-winning Kevin Brownlow...it's THAT good.
The life and career of Alice Guy has mostly been lost over time. This incredibly prolific director made at least 400-500 films (possibly double that number) and yet by the 1930s and 40s, she was out of the industry and forgotten. Only with the advent of the internet have her films been re-discovered...but only by a few. Green has apparently made it her mission to expose Guy's work to the masses and this documentary was just released on TCM this month.
So why did I adore this film? Well, I've already seen quite a few of Guy's films...so I appreciated her work and films. But I think the biggest reason I loved the documentary is all the effort Green and the rest put into making it...the countless interviews, the obtaining of video footage and notes with Alice Guy from her relatives as well as the amazing visual effects used to help tell the story of this film pioneer's work and life. A must-see for anyone who fancies themselves a film expert or historian.
The life and career of Alice Guy has mostly been lost over time. This incredibly prolific director made at least 400-500 films (possibly double that number) and yet by the 1930s and 40s, she was out of the industry and forgotten. Only with the advent of the internet have her films been re-discovered...but only by a few. Green has apparently made it her mission to expose Guy's work to the masses and this documentary was just released on TCM this month.
So why did I adore this film? Well, I've already seen quite a few of Guy's films...so I appreciated her work and films. But I think the biggest reason I loved the documentary is all the effort Green and the rest put into making it...the countless interviews, the obtaining of video footage and notes with Alice Guy from her relatives as well as the amazing visual effects used to help tell the story of this film pioneer's work and life. A must-see for anyone who fancies themselves a film expert or historian.