Papers by Coraline Refort
1895, revue d'histoire du cinéma, printemps 2024, 102, pp. 164-185, 2024
Alice Guy fait l’objet depuis de nombreuses années maintenant de débats et polémiques, portant no... more Alice Guy fait l’objet depuis de nombreuses années maintenant de débats et polémiques, portant notamment sur sa carrière française. De nombreuses incertitudes jalonnent en effet les débuts de son travail, comme la date et le titre de son premier film, les films que l’on peut lui attribuer et ses fonctions précises au sein des Établissements Gaumont. Le manque de sources et de données précises empêche d’acquérir une vision d’ensemble de son parcours.
Cet article a pour objectif la présentation des archives qui conservent des documents liés à sa trajectoire en France, afin de définir les caractéristiques du corpus archivistique et d’en appréhender les dynamiques. Il est nécessaire de comprendre la profonde unité de la présence d’Alice Guy dans les archives internationales, tout comme son absence qui fait partie de son histoire.
For many years now, Alice Guy has been the subject of debates and controversies, particularly concerning her French career. There are many uncertainties surrounding the beginnings of her work, such as the date and title of her first film, the films that can be attributed to her and her precise functions within the Gaumont establishments. The lack of precise sources and data prevents us from gaining an overall view of her career. The aim of this article is to present the archives that hold documents relating to her career in rance, in order to define the characteristics of the archival corpus and understand its dynamics. It is necessary to understand the profound unity of Alice Guy's presence in international archives, as well as her absence, which is part of her story.
Quaderni del Dipartimento di Psicologia e Ricerca Sociale, 2024
Questa proposta ha per obiettivo l'analisi filmica del film di anticipazione Les résultats du fém... more Questa proposta ha per obiettivo l'analisi filmica del film di anticipazione Les résultats du féminisme di Alice Guy (1906), prima donna regista, produttrice e direttrice di studi cinematografici della storia. In questo film, The aim of this proposal is the filmic analysis of the social science fiction film "Les Résultats du Féminisme by Alice Guy (1906)", the first woman director, producer, and director of film studios in history. In this film, sets in a future in which the struggle for gender equality had had paradoxical outcomes, gender roles are turned upside down: men are the ones who sew, take care of children, put on make-up, while women are devoted to vices such as lust and sloth. In this sophisticated and intelligent satire, the director, almost forty years before women's suffrage was obtained in France, mocks the male terror generated by the independence demanded by feminists at the turn of the century, imagining an inversion of gender roles. The aim of this article is to focus on the filmic analysis and symbolic meaning of the film "Les Résultats du Féminisme", as well as on Alice Guy's vision of the future.
LES FEMMES ET LEUR CORPS. SAISON 2, 2023
On assiste depuis quelques années à la publication d’œuvres hétéroclites prenant comme inspiratio... more On assiste depuis quelques années à la publication d’œuvres hétéroclites prenant comme inspiration l’histoire d’Alice Guy, première réalisatrice , productrice et directrice de studios de prises de vues de l’histoire du cinéma. Après un roman graphique , plusieurs documentaires et un livre destiné au jeune public , c’est son autobiographie qui a été rééditée en 2022 par Gallimard . Sa carrière internationale inspire de nombreux.ses auteurs.rices, malgré les incertitudes et débats qui portent notamment sur sa filmographie . Le sujet passionne donc, et si cinquante-cinq ans après sa mort Alice Guy suscite un intérêt continu et fécond, bien des aspects de son travail doivent être mieux étudiés, notamment sa carrière française . Nous souhaitons ici proposer une analyse de deux des films les plus connus d’Alice Guy, à savoir La fée aux choux, ou la naissance des enfants de 1900, et Sage-femme de première classe de 1902, afin de recentrer le regard sur le travail effectif de la réalisatrice et non sur les débats quant à sa vie privée ou son historiographie complexe. L’objectif est d’analyser notamment les différentes corporéités dans les fééries d’Alice Guy, à travers leurs fonctions discursives ironiques, sexuelles et humoristiques.
Ecrans, 2023
Dans cet article, l’autrice analyse le film d’anticipation Les Résultats du féminisme, réalisé pa... more Dans cet article, l’autrice analyse le film d’anticipation Les Résultats du féminisme, réalisé par Alice Guy en 1906, à travers le prisme du concept du travestissement comportemental. Dans cette œuvre, la première réalisatrice au monde nous montre une projection d’un monde futur où les rôles de genres sont inversés, où le féminisme a triomphé. La puissance du film réside dans la manière dont il met comiquement en valeur les inégalités entre les sexes, qui peuvent passer inaperçues par ses contemporains.
Arts et Représentations Queer, 2023
Présentation des recherches de Coraline Refort, doctorante en Histoire du cinéma, Université de F... more Présentation des recherches de Coraline Refort, doctorante en Histoire du cinéma, Université de Florence et Université La Sorbonne Nouvelle.
Video by Coraline Refort
Alice Guy, premiers pas d'une réalisatrice, France Mémoire, 2023
Méconnue, oubliée et même spoilée pur certains, la réalisatrice Alice Guy est à l'origine d'une f... more Méconnue, oubliée et même spoilée pur certains, la réalisatrice Alice Guy est à l'origine d'une filmographie de 600 courts et longs-métrages, commencée aux tous premiers temps du cinéma muet. Qui était cette femme ? Quel rôle a-t-elle joué dans l'histoire du septième art? Quelle est la place qui lui revient dans la mémoire collecitve? En sept épisodes, cette série brosse un portrait kaléidoscopique de celle qui participa, comme Méliès et les frères Lumière, à l'invention d'un art nouveau.
Orléans, 2022
Coraline Refort porte un regard aiguisé sur l'œuvre de la pionnière du cinéma, Alice Guy. Comment... more Coraline Refort porte un regard aiguisé sur l'œuvre de la pionnière du cinéma, Alice Guy. Comment celle-ci a t-elle représenté le corps féminin pour construire et déconstruire le stéréotype de la fée ?
Book Reviews by Coraline Refort
1895, Revue d’histoire du cinéma, n°103, automne 2024, pp. 236-238., 2024
Recensione del libro di Federico Vitella, « Maggiorate. Divismo e celebrità nella nuova Italia »
1895, Revue d'histoire du cinéma, 2022
Après quatre années d'absence dues à la pandémie mondiale, le MoMA, la Columbia University et le ... more Après quatre années d'absence dues à la pandémie mondiale, le MoMA, la Columbia University et le Lenfest for the Arts de New York ont accueilli du 1er au 5 juin 2022 la 11ème édition du colloque "Women and the Silent Screen" (WSS). Conférence biennale parrainée par l'organisation "Women and Film History International" (WFHI), la "Women and the Silent Screen Conference" réunit des chercheurs internationaux dont les travaux se concentrent sur le rôle central des femmes dans les premières décennies de l'histoire du cinéma. L'objectif est principalement de souligner leur importante dans l'histoire économique, esthétique, artistique, sociale, et en général dans la culture et la production cinématographiques des premiers temps. Le thème de cette année, "Women, Cinema, and World Migration", insistait sur la nécessité d'acquérir une vision globalisée de cette première époque cinématographique, et de souligner la mobilité de ses protagonistes féminines, mobilité non seulement géographique mais qui va également au-delà des frontières ethniques, de genre et de classe sociale...
Ciné 08-19, 2022
Alice Guy, dont le travail et la biographie font toujours aujourd’hui l’objet de discussions et d... more Alice Guy, dont le travail et la biographie font toujours aujourd’hui l’objet de discussions et de débats transnationaux, fascine encore autant qu’elle inspire. En témoignent deux des œuvres filmiques produites au cours de ces dernières années sur son histoire et qui ont le mérite d’illustrer efficacement la richesse des éléments de réflexion sur la réalisatrice française : Be Natural : The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché, de Pamela B. Green, Be Natural Productions, sorti aux Etats-Unis en 2018, en France en 2020 sous le titre Be Natural : l’histoire cachée d’Alice Guy-Blaché grâce à la société de distribution Splendor Films (nous parlerons ici de la version originale étasunienne), et Alice Guy, l’inconnue du 7e art, de Valérie Urréa et Nathalie Masduraud, diffusé sur Arte le 5 janvier 2022.
Domitor Snapshots , 2022
Durant l’édition 2021, malgré des projections réduites à quatre rendez-vous quotidiens pour perme... more Durant l’édition 2021, malgré des projections réduites à quatre rendez-vous quotidiens pour permettre la désinfection des lieux et un théâtre ne pouvant accueillir que la moitié de ses spectateurs, pas moins de 75 films ont été proposés à un public présent au rendez-vous, fidèle à Pordenone et à l’Italie.
Drammaturgia, 2021
Si è svolta dal 2 al 9 ottobre scorso, presso il Teatro Verdi di Firenze, la 40ª edizione delle G... more Si è svolta dal 2 al 9 ottobre scorso, presso il Teatro Verdi di Firenze, la 40ª edizione delle Giornate del cinema muto sotto la direzione di Jay Weissberg. Dopo un’edizione 2020 svoltasi completamente on line a causa della situazione pandemica, si poteva temere un timido ritorno in presenza. Alla prova dei fatti, nonostante le proiezioni ridotte a quattro incontri giornalieri e un teatro che ospitava una quantità di spettatori pari alla metà della sua capienza massima, ben settantacinque sono stati i film proiettati. Grande successo anche per l’edizione on line, svoltasi in parallelo, che ha raggiunto un vasto pubblico internazionale. C’è da augurarsi che questa modalità mista venga adottata definitivamente per offrire sempre maggiore visibilità a una rassegna cinematografica di notevole interesse.
In questo volume, che registra gli atti del colloquio Domitor del 2018, Paolo Cherchi Usai, Joann... more In questo volume, che registra gli atti del colloquio Domitor del 2018, Paolo Cherchi Usai, Joanne Bernardi, Tami Williams e Joshua Yumibe propongono di studiare gli oggetti filmici del primo cinema non solo come pellicole finite, compiute, ma tentano di riscoprire la storia dell’artifact in sé, del materiale residuo, dei frammenti di film che rappresentano oggi un oggetto di studio fondamentale per capire la nascita della Settima arte. Se gli artifacts erano essenziali, lo sono diventati ancora di più nell’era del digitale, oggi che tutto può essere copiato, condiviso e scambiato. Ma qui non si tratta di interrogarsi solo sulla conservazione dei film e sul futuro degli archivi nell’era digitale, ma anche sulle conseguenze che quest’ultima avrà sulla conoscenza degli artifacts (intesi come l’insieme dei materiali cinematografici di particolare interesse storico e culturale)....
https://drammaturgia.fupress.net/recensioni/recensione2.php?id=8145
Talks by Coraline Refort
Colloque AVISA Partout et en tous temps ? Les lieux propices au harcèlement sexuel avant #metoo, 2024
Cette présentation a pour objet d’étude l’analyse des premiers studios cinématographiques de l’hi... more Cette présentation a pour objet d’étude l’analyse des premiers studios cinématographiques de l’histoire, afin de s’interroger sur la présence, ou non, des harceleurs en leur sein. Rappelons que les chercheurs et chercheuses considèrent qu’il y a eu plus de femmes réalisatrices, scénaristes et productrices au cœur de l’industrie du cinéma muet occidental que dans toute l’histoire du cinéma1. Plusieurs hypothèses ont déjà été avancées dans le monde scientifique nord-américain afin d’expliquer cette écrasante abondance numérique, surtout au regard de la période contemporaine qui offre malheureusement une bien triste comparaison : il semblerait que l’industrie du 7e art, alors peu développée, ait été un terrain idéal pour les femmes car encore loin du schéma hiérarchique et capitaliste qui se développera avec le cinéma sonore et le studio system (1927)2. Cependant, trop peu de recherches ont été engagées afin de comprendre l’espace même dans lequel ont évolué ces femmes, devant ou derrière la caméra. Puisqu’elles ont été numériquement nombreuses à avoir occupé des positions importantes et durables au sein des studios, il n’est pas hasardeux d’imaginer que l’industrie cinématographique offrait à cette époque un environnement moins dangereux qu’aujourd’hui. Il convient alors de s’interroger sur la sphère professionnelle offerte par cette période historique, qui va traditionnellement de 1895 à 1927. En prenant des exemples précis comme les studios Gaumont sous la direction de Léon Gaumont et d’Alice Guy (1895-1907), la Solax Company sous la direction d’Alice Guy (1910-1915), l’Universal studios de Carl Laemmle (1915-aujourd’hui) et la United Artists sous la direction de Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford et D. W. Griffith (1919-2019), nous nous arrêterons sur les caractéristiques de ces studios et sur l’organisation structurelle de toute cette période historique en France et aux États-Unis. Nous verrons notamment comment et pourquoi les femmes ont pu évoluer avec autant de rapidité et acquérir des positions parfois très élevées dans la hiérarchie, un siècle avant #metoo. Nous nous interrogerons également sur l’environnement professionnel des studios avant l’arrivée du studio system des années 1930, et sur les typologies de harceleurs auxquelles les femmes ont été confrontées. Ces éléments nous donneront l’occasion de nous arrêter sur les solutions apportées par la hiérarchie de l’époque, qui semblaient bien plus efficaces et à l’écoute des différent.e.s membres des équipes des studios. L’objectif n’est pas celui de trouver des noms de harceleurs ou de viser des personnalités précises, mais surtout de comprendre si, encore avant le studio system et la capitalisation massive d’Hollywood, les victimes de harcèlement étaient finalement plus protégées que les harceleurs…
De la dénonciation à la subversion : la caricature des harceleurs fin-de-siècle dans Les résultats du féminisme (1906) d’Alice Guy., 2024
Cette proposition a comme objectif l’analyse filmique du film d’anticipation "Les résultats du fé... more Cette proposition a comme objectif l’analyse filmique du film d’anticipation "Les résultats du féminisme d’Alice Guy" (1906). L’étude des films français de la première réalisatrice de l’histoire nous montre qu'elle avait une vision moderne de la continuité narrative, un style visuel très développé et une vision satirique de son époque. Cependant, les débats autour de la question des attributions ont détourné notre regard de ses films, et nous empêchent de cerner cette vision qui fait pourtant d’elle une réalisatrice unique. "Les résultats du féminisme" est un film fantastique qui se déroule dans un futur où les combats pour l’égalité des sexes auraient triomphé. Dans cette nouvelle société, les rôles de genre sont inversés : les hommes cousent, s’occupent des enfants, se maquillent, tandis que les femmes sortent, boivent et fument. À la fin du film, les hommes se rebellent et tout « redevient comme avant ». Nous souhaitons avec cette proposition nous concentrer sur l’analyse filmique et sur la portée symbolique des "Résultats du féminisme" : l’humour que provoque l’inversion des rôles ne peut cacher la violence masculine qui est clairement dénoncée. Le comportement masculin représenté est violent ; les femmes agressent systématiquement physiquement et sexuellement les hommes. Le monde futuriste a simplement inversé le rapport de force, pour dépeindre en réalité la situation des femmes en 1906. En faisant des hommes les sujets de harcèlement et agressions sexuels, Alice Guy contraint les spectateur.rices à se refléter dans cette société prétendument futuriste.
III International Congress CIEG, Gender, Feminist and Women's Studies: Knowledge, Public Policies and Social Justice - Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Políticas, Lisbona, 2024
The aim of this proposal is to analyse the anticipation film "The Results of Feminism", by Alice ... more The aim of this proposal is to analyse the anticipation film "The Results of Feminism", by Alice Guy in 1906. The world's first female filmmaker, producer, and studio director, she shot several hundred films in France from 1896 to 1907, when she left for the United States, continuing her prolific career. Despite the importance of her contributions, Alice Guy has been forgotten by the public and often omitted by film historians; her works have been attributed to other artists or even to her assistants, destroyed or even lost. The study of her films shows that she had a modern vision of narrative continuity, a highly developed visual style and a satirical view of her time. However, the debates surrounding the question of film attributions have distracted us from her films, and prevent us from grasping the vision that makes her such a unique director.
The Parisian Belle Époque faced with Sapphic overflow: the representation of the female “two friends” in fin-de-siècle films, 2024
During the Belle Époque, France experienced a veritable “Sapphic overflow” (Joan Dejan 1989), not... more During the Belle Époque, France experienced a veritable “Sapphic overflow” (Joan Dejan 1989), not only in literary and pictorial productions, but also in the urban and media visibility of various androgynous figures, women cyclists, transvestites, or Amazons. This profusion and
confusion of forms is characterized by a mixture of militancy and societal change. The two sexes gradually disintegrated to the benefit of a third one, which was on display at the heart of the Belle Époque, period which saw the emergence and spread of a Sapphic culture, particularly in Paris. The aim of this proposal is to study the filmic representation of the figure of the lesbian in early cinema, which is rather peculiar: while sapphism is increasingly present in the cultural sphere, it is not a direct representation either, but rather an unspoken one that reigns between the visible and the invisible. The figure of the lesbian often takes the form of two friends, in a
play of mirrors that exalts feminine beauty and Sapphic mystery. Using films made between 1896 and 1910 in France as examples, we will look at the forms taken by the two friends in the nascent film industry, between darkness and clarity, ambiguity and transparency.
Storia e Storie, 2023
Questa proposta ha come obbiettivo la presentazione di fonti archivistiche inedite riguardo la ca... more Questa proposta ha come obbiettivo la presentazione di fonti archivistiche inedite riguardo la carriera di Alice Guy. Se da molti anni la regista è oggetto di dibattiti e controversie, in particolare per quanto riguarda il suo lavoro svolto in Francia (1895-1907), le fonti primarie sono state paradossalmente poco studiate. Pioniera del cinema e personalità transnazionale, Guy ha attraversato il periodo cinematografico delle attrazioni francesi e quello dei Nickelodeon americani sino alla nascita dei lungometraggi; è poi da considerarsi la prima regista, produttrice e direttrice di studi cinematografici della storia. È possibile abbia realizzato il primo film di finzione ("La fée aux choux", circa 1896) e il primo film narrativo avente come soli protagonisti attori di colore ("A Fool and His Money", 1912). Nonostante l’importanza di tali contributi, la sua figura è stata dimenticata dal grande pubblico e omessa da parte degli storici del cinema; le sue opere sono state attribuite ad altri artisti, distrutte o perdute. Se cinquant’anni dopo la sua morte Alice Guy sembra suscitare un nuovo interesse da parte della società contemporanea, anche
grazie a documentari e biografie, è ancora oggetto di numerosi dibattiti che riguardano in particolare la sua filmografia francese, la questione delle attribuzioni filmiche e il suo esatto ruolo all’interno degli stabilimenti Gaumont. La mancanza di fonti e dati precisi ci impedisce di avere una visione completa della sua carriera. L’obiettivo di questa proposta è quello di presentare gli archivi, anche inediti, che conservano documenti relativi alla sua carriera in Francia, al fine di definire le caratteristiche del corpus archivistico e comprenderne le dinamiche. È necessario analizzare tanto le ragioni quanto i meccanismi che hanno portato a risultati antitetici, quali talvolta l’abbondante presenza, talvolta la totale assenza del nome di
Alice Guy negli archivi internazionali.
Les débuts d'Alice Guy au Cinéma, 2023
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Papers by Coraline Refort
Cet article a pour objectif la présentation des archives qui conservent des documents liés à sa trajectoire en France, afin de définir les caractéristiques du corpus archivistique et d’en appréhender les dynamiques. Il est nécessaire de comprendre la profonde unité de la présence d’Alice Guy dans les archives internationales, tout comme son absence qui fait partie de son histoire.
For many years now, Alice Guy has been the subject of debates and controversies, particularly concerning her French career. There are many uncertainties surrounding the beginnings of her work, such as the date and title of her first film, the films that can be attributed to her and her precise functions within the Gaumont establishments. The lack of precise sources and data prevents us from gaining an overall view of her career. The aim of this article is to present the archives that hold documents relating to her career in rance, in order to define the characteristics of the archival corpus and understand its dynamics. It is necessary to understand the profound unity of Alice Guy's presence in international archives, as well as her absence, which is part of her story.
Video by Coraline Refort
Book Reviews by Coraline Refort
https://drammaturgia.fupress.net/recensioni/recensione2.php?id=8145
Talks by Coraline Refort
confusion of forms is characterized by a mixture of militancy and societal change. The two sexes gradually disintegrated to the benefit of a third one, which was on display at the heart of the Belle Époque, period which saw the emergence and spread of a Sapphic culture, particularly in Paris. The aim of this proposal is to study the filmic representation of the figure of the lesbian in early cinema, which is rather peculiar: while sapphism is increasingly present in the cultural sphere, it is not a direct representation either, but rather an unspoken one that reigns between the visible and the invisible. The figure of the lesbian often takes the form of two friends, in a
play of mirrors that exalts feminine beauty and Sapphic mystery. Using films made between 1896 and 1910 in France as examples, we will look at the forms taken by the two friends in the nascent film industry, between darkness and clarity, ambiguity and transparency.
grazie a documentari e biografie, è ancora oggetto di numerosi dibattiti che riguardano in particolare la sua filmografia francese, la questione delle attribuzioni filmiche e il suo esatto ruolo all’interno degli stabilimenti Gaumont. La mancanza di fonti e dati precisi ci impedisce di avere una visione completa della sua carriera. L’obiettivo di questa proposta è quello di presentare gli archivi, anche inediti, che conservano documenti relativi alla sua carriera in Francia, al fine di definire le caratteristiche del corpus archivistico e comprenderne le dinamiche. È necessario analizzare tanto le ragioni quanto i meccanismi che hanno portato a risultati antitetici, quali talvolta l’abbondante presenza, talvolta la totale assenza del nome di
Alice Guy negli archivi internazionali.
Cet article a pour objectif la présentation des archives qui conservent des documents liés à sa trajectoire en France, afin de définir les caractéristiques du corpus archivistique et d’en appréhender les dynamiques. Il est nécessaire de comprendre la profonde unité de la présence d’Alice Guy dans les archives internationales, tout comme son absence qui fait partie de son histoire.
For many years now, Alice Guy has been the subject of debates and controversies, particularly concerning her French career. There are many uncertainties surrounding the beginnings of her work, such as the date and title of her first film, the films that can be attributed to her and her precise functions within the Gaumont establishments. The lack of precise sources and data prevents us from gaining an overall view of her career. The aim of this article is to present the archives that hold documents relating to her career in rance, in order to define the characteristics of the archival corpus and understand its dynamics. It is necessary to understand the profound unity of Alice Guy's presence in international archives, as well as her absence, which is part of her story.
https://drammaturgia.fupress.net/recensioni/recensione2.php?id=8145
confusion of forms is characterized by a mixture of militancy and societal change. The two sexes gradually disintegrated to the benefit of a third one, which was on display at the heart of the Belle Époque, period which saw the emergence and spread of a Sapphic culture, particularly in Paris. The aim of this proposal is to study the filmic representation of the figure of the lesbian in early cinema, which is rather peculiar: while sapphism is increasingly present in the cultural sphere, it is not a direct representation either, but rather an unspoken one that reigns between the visible and the invisible. The figure of the lesbian often takes the form of two friends, in a
play of mirrors that exalts feminine beauty and Sapphic mystery. Using films made between 1896 and 1910 in France as examples, we will look at the forms taken by the two friends in the nascent film industry, between darkness and clarity, ambiguity and transparency.
grazie a documentari e biografie, è ancora oggetto di numerosi dibattiti che riguardano in particolare la sua filmografia francese, la questione delle attribuzioni filmiche e il suo esatto ruolo all’interno degli stabilimenti Gaumont. La mancanza di fonti e dati precisi ci impedisce di avere una visione completa della sua carriera. L’obiettivo di questa proposta è quello di presentare gli archivi, anche inediti, che conservano documenti relativi alla sua carriera in Francia, al fine di definire le caratteristiche del corpus archivistico e comprenderne le dinamiche. È necessario analizzare tanto le ragioni quanto i meccanismi che hanno portato a risultati antitetici, quali talvolta l’abbondante presenza, talvolta la totale assenza del nome di
Alice Guy negli archivi internazionali.
for the United States, where she continued her prolific career. Despite the importance of her contributions, she has been forgotten by society and
often omitted by historians; her works have been attributed to other artists, destroyed, or lost. Although her work is being more and more studied,
she remains an obscure figure and is often subject to sterile historiographical debates, which prevent the appreciation of her artistic vision and impede a correct analysis of her films. These debates are very interesting to examine because they crystallize many issues related to women's studies. Indeed, the career and figure of Alice Guy are subject to very different analyses. Thus, from 1910 to 1976 the interpretation is little or not gendered, then falls into progressive oblivion. The years 1976 to 1993 were marked by an almost total absence of her figure in the United States, and by superficial studies in France. The interpretation is not gendered or “essentialist”. Finally, the last phase, which goes from 1993 until today, is clearly marked by a gendered interpretation and a reappropriation of her career by feminists. The works published on her follow two contradictory goals: if some aim to revalue and legitimize her work, the others, while claiming a rigorously academic methodology, tend to deliberately minimize it.
This proposal thus wants to question, through a study of the historiographical evolution of the interpretation of Alice Guy’s figure, the feminist claims which militate for a rediscovery of the pioneers of cinema, and this through the most diverse media. The prism of gender is decisive for understanding the sometimes-heated debates that crystallize the figure of the first female director in the world.
femmes sortent, boivent et fument. A la fin du film, les hommes se rebellent et tout « rentre dans l’ordre ». Non seulement nous sommes face à un film d’anticipation notable, mais également face à une des œuvres
les plus discutées de la première réalisatrice au monde. Sa vision du futur est en effet perçue de manière diamétralement opposée, voire caricaturale, d’un.e chercheur.se à l’autre. En replaçant le film Les Résultats du féminisme au cœur du travail de la réalisatrice en France, l’objectif est de cerner la portée hautement symbolique et puissante de ce film ainsi que la vision d’Alice Guy, pour enfin mieux en comprendre l’historiographie complexe voire contradictoire.
Moreover, if her contemporaries like Méliès, to name just one, had recourse to the female body as an attractive element, Alice Guy, on the other hand, used it as a narrative vector, as a discursive support of a rich diversity. This particularity can be seen above all in her fééries, but why? First, let us remember that Early cinema and to be more specific the first cinematographic era which goes from 1895 until approximately 1906, borrowed many of the theatrical forms and techniques of the end of the century. We thus find in the first films visual, artistic, and cultural elements from operas, melodramas, historical dramas and fééries. So, it was natural for the cinema to take hold of fééries, but not to reinvent them, rather to extend their associations with transformation and metamorphosis. The fairy of course has its place in this cinematographic genre. This creature appears at the heart of medieval Christian civilization, in this 12th century when the weight of wars is lighter, bringing new freedom, the screed of feudalism has cracked and cities are developing. On stage, she gradually enters comedies, dances, operas, and creates her own language, with magical ballet in the 19th century. Gradually its attributes such as coloured veils, evanescent grace, pearly nudity, wings, or even the magic wand are defined and established.
So, what happens when Alice Guy makes fééries? With this proposal, I want to focus on the fééries of the French pioneer such as La fée aux choux (1900) and Sage-femme de première classe (1902) to analyse the centrality of the female corporeality in the construction and deconstruction of the character of the fairy in the magical films of Alice Guy. I believe indeed that the French filmmaker offers us reinvented fairies, transposed into a dynamic and anguished end of the century, which makes the characteristics of her magical female characters exaggerated to the point of ridicule to better underline the caricature and irony of the fairies fin-de-siècle.
Questa presentazione si pone l’obbiettivo, in un primo momento, di analizzare il film Les résultats du féminisme al fine di comprendere meglio la sua costruzione filmica nonché la visione del futuro che ci propone Alice Guy tramite il medium cinematografico. È altresì necessario soffermarsi sulla questione della rappresentazione dei ruoli di genere nel 1906, offerta nel film in modo apertamente caricaturale: se gli uomini gestiscono i compiti tradizionalmente riservati alle donne e restano a casa nello spazio domestico, le donne escono e occupano, vivono, lo spazio esterno. Questa prima analisi ci consentirà di sottolineare come Alice Guy critichi espressamente il comportamento maschile coevo, lesivo per le donne, che vengono molestate, toccate e aggredite non solo fuori ma anche dentro le proprie mura di casa.
In un secondo momento, ci si soffermerà sull'attuale storiografia del film che sfocia in analisi contraddittorie. Vi è infatti una spaccatura quasi caricaturale tra il modo in cui gli storici di sesso maschile percepiscono questo film (Gaumont DVD, Masson), vale a dire come una sorta di critica di Alice Guy nei confronti delle femministe del proprio tempo, e il modo in cui lo percepiscono le storiche donne (McMahan, Lepage, Le Bris), ovvero, in antitesi, come un film che porta speranza per le donne, verso un mondo in cui la ribellione risulterebbe possibile. Tale scissione cristallizza molte delle questioni metodologiche ed epistemologiche legate agli studi cinematografici di genere, ma anche i conflitti e gli accesi dibattiti che accompagnano la figura di Alice Guy in Francia. Occorre pertanto non solo analizzare la visione che Alice Guy ci offre del futuro, ma anche porre in esame questo film alla luce delle sue opere precedenti, per comprenderne meglio il significato simbolico, troppo spesso trascurato.
Pertanto, quale visione del futuro offre il primo film femminista della storia del cinema, e in che modo tale visione viene oggi percepita?
Cette proposition a comme objectif l’analyse de la corporéité dans les fééries d’Alice Guy (1873-1968). Pionnière du cinéma, Alice Guy a traversé la période du cinéma des attractions et celle des nickelodéons étasuniens jusqu'à la naissance des longs métrages ; elle est également considérée comme étant la première réalisatrice de l'histoire et la seule pendant au moins dix-sept ans. L’étude de ses films français nous montre qu'elle avait une vision moderne de la continuité narrative, un style visuel très développé et une vision satirique de son époque. De plus, si ses contemporains Méliès et Jasset avaient recours au corps féminin comme source de spectacle, Alice Guy l’utilisait en revanche comme vecteur narratif, comme support discursif d’une riche diversité. Avec cette proposition, nous souhaitons nous concentrer sur les fééries de la pionnière telles que Ballet libella (1898), La fée aux choux (1900), La petite magicienne (1900), et Sage-femme de première classe (1902) pour analyser la centralité du corps féminin dans la construction et déconstruction du stéréotype de la fée au sein des films d’Alice Guy.
Early cinema employed extensive use of stereotypes, as evidenced by the constant presence of highly stereotypical characters. The construction of female subjects especially depended upon this mode of representation, attesting to a patriarchal vision within the then-nascent medium of film. The recurrent use of easily recognizable ‘feminine’ traits more often than not reinforced male dominant norms. However, stereotypes cannot always be seen in a systematically pejorative light, as being either simplifying or rigid. They also act as narrative vectors, and are a fundamental part of our cognitive structure, allowing us to grasp complex information coming from our environment. The critical study of stereotypes within early cinema makes it possible to understand the specificities of this cinematographic period, but also the creation and deconstruction of gender stereotypes of a given era by means of the Seventh Art whose rules were yet to be codified. What happens when the first female director, Alice Guy, tackles gender stereotypes? This presentation aims to focus on the development and dismantling of the stereotype that pregnant women have cravings which they cannot resist by analyzing Madame a des envies (1906).
We will undertake the analysis by defining the word “stereotype” in order to understand its issues and its application to cinema. This theoretical introduction is necessary to differentiate the stereotype from the type and define a practical methodology. We will explain what the stereotype of cravings during pregnancy is, its fascinating history, and sociological issues. Starting from the work of Claudia Pancino, we will make a comparison between the stereotype established during the Belle Epoque and the one treated by Alice Guy. To support our analysis, we shall focus more specifically on the nature of the victims of the thefts: as two of them are utterly defenseless, Madame is an atypical character far from the woman full of gentleness and maternal instinct. The stolen objects also reveal an unorthodox facet of Madame: mainly the glass of absinthe and the pipe, of which the consumption and smoking of was heavily connoted for women during the Belle Epoque.
These elements will help us better understand the deconstruction of the stereotype. First, the sexual desires of the pregnant woman and her obvious pleasure in sucking various objects plays a role in establishing a reinvention of the femininity of the expectant woman. We have a feminized body in all its conceptual and maternal power, erotic and active in the narration without adhering to the characteristics of the virgin, mother and prostitute typologies. Second, here we do not have a classic representation of motherhood and pregnant women. Madam ignores her elder in the stroller, snatches a child’s lollipop, has carnal desires, smokes, and drinks. The stereotype is deliberately taken out of context and placed within a different perspective, appearing cognitively distorted and ridiculous. The anomalies produce strangeness and differences with the established stereotype, creating a cognitive slide of the image towards a field of possibilities, bringing the spectator from the strictly visual to the potential narrative.
This reflection leads us to believe that Alice Guy was aware of the female stereotypes that were being conveyed during the Belle Epoque, and that she voluntarily chose to use them for humorous narrative purposes. To support our reasoning, we shall conclude our analysis by comparing Alice Guy’s film with the work produced by Pathé under the same name a year later. Through the similarities and differences between the two films, we will be able to underscore Alice Guy's idiosyncratic style.
francese della regista Alice Guy (1873-1968). Pioniera del cinema
e personalità transnazionale, Guy ha attraversato il periodo cinematografico delle attrazioni francesi e quello dei Nickelodeon americani sino alla nascita dei lungometraggi; è poi da considerarsi la prima regista, produttrice e direttrice di studi cinematografici della Storia. È possibile abbia realizzato il primo film di finzione (La fée aux choux, 1896ca) e il primo film narrativo avente come soli protagonisti attori di colore (A Fool and His Money, 1912). Nonostante l’importanza di tali contributi, la sua figura è stata dimenticata dal grande pubblico e omessa da parte degli storici del cinema; le sue opere sono state attribuite ad altri artisti, distrutte o perdute. Lo scopo di questa ricerca è quello di ripercorrere le orme di questa regista misconosciuta per comprendere come e perché la sua produzione cinematografica, nonostante un ruolo certamente determinante nella storia del cinema, sia stata dimenticata e poco premiata anche nel corso della sua vita. Si intende inoltre recuperare l’intera filmografia francese realizzata tra il 1896 e la sua partenza per l’America, per contribuire a una più accurata comprensione delle origini della settima arte. Infine, si vuole analizzare le opere filmiche attraverso
il prisma del pregiudizio e della tipologia di personaggio femminile del cinema muto.