“Not only is a woman as well-fitted to stage a photo-drama as a man, but in many ways she has a distinct advantage over him because of her very nature and because much of the knowledge called for in the telling of the story and the creation of the stage setting is absolutely within her province as a member of the gentler sex. She is an authority on the emotions. […] There is nothing connected with the staging of a motion picture that a woman cannot do as easily as a man.”
Alice Guy Blaché made this statement in 1914, in an interview with the magazine Moving Picture World. It was her firm belief that women belonged in the growing film industry–not only belonged, but could flourish there even better than her male counterparts. She believed it because, in her experience, it was true–at least for a while.
Did you know that more women worked in the film industry during its first two decades than at any time since? Or that a woman created some of the first narrative films ever made? Or that in 1916, the highest-paid director in Hollywood was a woman?
Despite their incredible achievements, many early women filmmakers have been largely written out of film history, their contributions undervalued. On May 9th, Flicker Alley presents Early Women Filmmakers: An International Anthology on Dual-Format Edition Blu-ray/DVD, showcasing the work of fourteen of early cinema’s most innovative and influential women directors, rewriting and celebrating their rightful place in film history. Read on for your chance to win a copy!
International in scope, this groundbreaking collection features over ten hours of material, comprised of twenty-five films spanning 1902-1943. The set includes many rare titles not widely available until now, from shorts to feature films, live-action to animation, commercial narratives to experimental works. Directors include Alice Guy Blaché, Lois Weber, Mabel Normand, Madeline Brandeis, Germaine Dulac, Olga Preobrazhenskaia, Marie-Louise Iribe, Lotte Reiniger, Claire Parker, Mrs. Wallace Reid (Dorothy Davenport), Leni Riefenstahl, Mary Ellen Bute, Dorothy Arzner, and Maya Deren.
A still from FALLING LEAVES, 1912 (dir. Alice Guy Blaché)
These women were technically and stylistically innovative, pushing the boundaries of narrative, aesthetics, and genre. Going back to the beginning of cinema, this collection makes visible the tremendous directorial contributions women made all around the world. Beautifully restored in high definition, Early Women Filmmakers features new scores by Sergei Dreznin, Frederick Hodges, Tamar Muskal, Judith Rosenberg, and Rodney Sauer and the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra.
Bonus Materials Include:
- Booklet Essay: Written by film scholar and Women Film Pioneers Project Manager Kate Saccone.
- Audio Commentary: For Lois Weber’s The Blot, by author, professor, and expert on women and early film culture Shelley Stamp, courtesy of Milestone Film and Video.
For a complete list of films included on the set, please visit Flicker Alley.
Release Date: May 9, 2017
List Price: $69.95
Order now on sale for $49.95 through May 16th!
One lucky winner will receive a copy of Early Women Filmmakers: An International Anthology on Dual-Format Edition Blu-ray/DVD from Flicker Alley! Giveaway is open to residents of U.S./Canada and ends on May 22, 2017.
To enter, simply make sure you are following True Classics on Twitter, then click on the Entry Form for your chance to win! Good luck!
And to find out more about Flicker Alley’s impressive catalog, check out their website, and make sure to follow them on Twitter and Facebook to stay up-to-date on their latest releases!
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