No one had to ask Alice Guy that question. She just was. In 1896 she made her first film and what is debated by film historians to be the first narrative film ever. Take a look at surviving footage of the 1900 remake:
No, your eyes don’t deceive you, those are babies being born in a cabbage patch. And how ’bout the size of those cabbages?
Alice Guy (click on her name for a summary of her career) became a known director in her native France. In 1907 she married coworker Herbert Blache and simply added his name on to hers. Not even a hyphen. The two transferred to the United States where she continued to make films.
Examples of her work are featured in two DVD sets in the library collection. [Click here to view.]
Last year saw the release of a documentary about Alice Guy Blache which is available through the library’s streaming service. [Click here]
A trailer for the documentary can be viewed here first.