Without doubt the first female director in the history of cinema. Whether Guy-Blache is also the first fiction director remains debatable. Somewhere between 1896 and 1900--the same years Georges Melies is generally credited with directing the first fiction films--she made "La Fee aux Choux", an adaptation of a popular fairy tale.
Guy-Blache joined Gaumont as a secretary in 1896 and became its primary director when the company began producing films. In 1907 she and her husband, cameraman Herbert Blache, moved to the US, first running Gaumont's American office and later setting up an independent production company, Solax. Her films, though not distinctive, were generally of a high quality.
In 1922, divorced from her husband and outdistanced by the growing American film industry, Guy-Blache returned to France but was unsuccessful in her attempts to continue directing. Her contributions to cinema were finally recognized when she was awarded the Legion of Honor by the French government in 1953.
Family
DAUGHTER: Simone Blache. Survived her.
Companion
HUSBAND: Herbert Blache. Cameraman. Married in 1907; divorced in 1922.
Milestone
1896: Joined Gaumont as secretary
1896: Film directing debut "La Fee aux choux"
1907: Set up branch of Gaumont in United States
1910: Formed Solax production company
Bibliography
"The Memoirs of Alice Guy-Blache" Alice Guy-Blache (translated by Roberta and Simone Blache; edited by Anthony Slide) 1986
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