Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché

Play trailer

2:25

Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché

Released Mar 15, 2019

1h 43m

Documentary

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

92 Reviews

96%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

The life and work of the first female film director.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

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.

Read Critics Reviews

Nell Minow

AWFJ.org

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.

Oct 13, 2021

Full Review

Kathleen Sachs

Chicago Reader

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.

Mar 25, 2020

Full Review

Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

Cineastes, film nerds and feminists alike will be gripped by this documentary portrait of Alice Guy-Blaché. Who? That's the point.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 17, 2020

Full Review

Annlee Ellingson

CineWomen

Narrated by Jodie Foster, the film is constructed like a mystery, with [director Pamela B.] Green, mortified that she’d never heard Guy-Blaché, setting out to piece together the remnants of the filmmaker’s legacy.

Aug 17, 2022

Full Review

Daisy Leigh-Phippard

Screen Queens

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.

Feb 21, 2022

Full Review

Sandie Angulo Chen

AWFJ.org

May this documentary correct the injustices done to this pivotal filmmaker's legacy, simply because she was a woman.

Oct 13, 2021

Full Review

Read all reviews

Presley B

There were some parts that were slow, but I like the structure of the documentary. It was kind of set up like a mystery, and we were discovering evidence along the way as well. I also think it is amazing that these people went through so much to give proper recognition to this trailblazer that very little people know about.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/13/24

Full Review

Jonah K

A very well made video essay style documentary about Alice Guy-Blache. As the title implies, it is "untold", as one of the most influential (not just women) filmmakers of all time, sad she does not get much credit.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/10/24

Full Review

Em W

If you're planning on working in the industry in any capacity, you must learn about Guy-Blaché. This documentary was beautifully done and the editing was phenomenal.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/10/24

Full Review

Olivia M

I really liked this film as I was unfamiliar with Alice before and feel like I learned a lot about her and the history of film. I am saddened she is not receiving the credit she deserves but hope this film will help that.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/09/24

Full Review

Ainsley M

An entertaining and visually stunning account of an innovative woman shunned by history. A must-see for anyone remotely connected to the world of film. The story of Alice Guy-Blache not only framed our current interpretation of film without our realization but is also ever-relevant in our current experience of film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/08/24

Full Review

Audience Member

This documentary was so beautifully and thoughtfully done. I can't recommend it highly enough. I had read about Alice in a blurb a few years ago and wanted to feature her on my web series Feminist Cocktail Hour, but was struggling to find sources about the life of this amazing woman. "Be Natural" delivered the incredible story of this film pioneer who innovated the form in so many ways, and whose story had previously been lost in the annals of history. Do not miss this movie and once you've watched it, make sure to share Alice's story far and wide. It's such an important story being told.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Pamela B. Green

Director

Jodie Foster

Narrator

Pamela B. Green

Writer

Joan Simon

Writer

Pamela B. Green

Producer

Geralyn White Dreyfous

Executive Producer

What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael

88%

55%

What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael

Watchlist

Versus: The Life and Films of Ken Loach

100%

84%

Versus: The Life and Films of Ken Loach

Watchlist

The Incomparable Rose Hartman

75%

%

The Incomparable Rose Hartman

Watchlist

Love, Cecil

83%

76%

Love, Cecil

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Love, Cecil

Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema

94%

50%

Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

The Curse of La Llorona Is a Crying Shame

Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché: Trailer 1

2:25

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

The life and work of the first female film director.

Director: Pamela B. Green
Producer: Pamela B. Green
Screenwriter: Pamela B. Green, Joan Simon
Distributor: Zeitgeist Films, Kino Lorber
Production Co: Wildwood Enterprises, Foothill Productions
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 15, 2019, Limited
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Apr 26, 2019
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 23, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $101.1K
Runtime: 1h 43m

Most Popular at Home Now