Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché
Zeitgeist Films | Release Date: April 19, 2019 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
76
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews
Positive:
12
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleJun 18, 2019
If there were any justice in the world — there often isn’t — Alice Guy-Blaché would be remembered alongside D.W. Griffith as one of the great pioneers of the early screen. The good news is that she is becoming better known, but as the new documentary, Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché makes clear, not nearly as much as she deserves, nor for the right reasons. Read full review
100
Movie NationRoger MooreApr 17, 2019
Be Natural, from the moment of release, becomes one of the seminal documentaries on early film history and must-see movie watching for any serious cinephile. Read full review
84
TheWrapApril WolfeApr 22, 2019
Every subject shares genuine enthusiasm after watching Guy-Blaché’s work, and as messy as “Be Natural” can be at times, with that frenetic pace of info delivery coming from all directions at once, it’s actually the natural tone and pace of a creator who’s excited by their subject matter. Read full review
83
The Film StageDan MeccaApr 22, 2019
An essential watch for cinephiles and beyond, let Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché be the first step in your discovery of a talented artist that had as much to do with the innovation of cinema as those already firmly established in the canon of the craft. Read full review
80
Time OutAnna SmithJan 31, 2020
Alice Guy-Blaché was the first female filmmaker yet criminally overlooked by history – something Pamela B. Green sets out to correct in this educational and entertaining film. Read full review
80
The GuardianPeter BradshawJan 15, 2020
Pamela B Green’s hectic, garrulous, fascinating documentary recovers the story of French film-maker Alice Guy-Blaché. Read full review
80
The New York TimesA.O. ScottApr 25, 2019
By the end of “Be Natural,” you won’t only have a clear idea of who this remarkable woman was; you may well have acquired a new taste in old movies. Read full review
80
Film ThreatLorry KiktaMar 19, 2019
Essential viewing for those who want a complete perspective on the history of film. Tons of information is packed into an hour and thirty-seven minutes and much of it I didn’t know before watching. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKatie Walsh
What starts as a biography turns into a detective thriller as Green crisscrosses the globe, searching for clues as to why Guy-Blaché has been forgotten. Read full review
75
Washington PostAnn HornadayMay 1, 2019
The fact that Guy-Blaché isn’t a household name — even after making nearly 1,000 films — is due pure and simply to sexism, and literally being written out of history, either through animus or laziness. Thank goodness “Be Natural” is here to set a brilliant, distinguished, invaluable record straight. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterLeslie FelperinMay 2, 2019
As a teaching and consciousness-raising tool, it will be an indispensable resource. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comMonica CastilloApr 26, 2019
While the documentary’s heart is in the right place, and loaded with many historical goodies for silent movie fans and those interested in championing women directors, the way “Be Natural” presents its findings feels unorganized — like walking through a busy museum exhibit with too many objects, not all of them especially necessary. Read full review
50
VarietyJay WeissbergMay 2, 2019
The enterprise would be something to celebrate if the movie itself weren’t so flawed, not just in scholarly terms but in her mania for visualizing seemingly every phone call she made in the hunt for Guy-Blaché material. Sadly, all these problems overwhelm Green’s noteworthy success in tracking down previously unknown documents and photos. Read full review
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