Women on the Margins of Early French Cinema: Three Case Studies

This article explores the question of margins in early French cinema by considering three related case studies: Sarah Bernhardt, Réjane and Mistinguett. These three actresses emerged from the social, cultural and creative margins of late-nineteenth-century Paris to become entrepreneurial performers who pioneered new ways of engaging with film. Bernhardt used the spiralling tendrils of the art nouveau aesthetic to position the female body at the apex of serpentine expression. Réjane, a comic actress raised by a single mother, instead achieved fame through parody. Bringing the female working class to early film, Réjane ensured that visibility was given to subjects and people otherwise marginalized, overlooked or ignored in traditional histories of French politics and cultural achievement. Mistinguett was a working-class performer who emerged from the tumult of the popular Casino de Paris. A prolific filmmaker, she made more than forty films between 1908 and 1917. Her films brought the athleticism and character changes of the popular music hall to early film. These three case studies reflect not only cinematic margins but also historical method. As the article argues, the microhistorical method of Carlo Ginzburg can help us re-view early French film today. Using microhistory as a critical methodology, one may recognize that Bernhardt, Réjane and Mistinguett actively leveraged their marginality to make it a shared site for advocacy and empowerment.