Ethyle Batley
Ethyle Batley (3 December 1876 - 1917) was a British film director, actress and screenwriter.[1]
Early life and career
Batley was born Alice Ethel Murray in December 1876 in Wigan, north-west England, the second daughter of an iron merchant. In the late 1890s, she travelled to London to work as a theatre actress, performing under the name Ethyle Gordon Murray.[1]
While working with a touring theatre company, Murray met Ernest Batley, an actor from East London. They were married on 22 June 1901 at a registry office ceremony in Wandsworth, and began their married life living in Battersea.[1] In 1902, Ernest and Ethyle had their first child, Dorothy Audrey, who was born on 18 January.[2]
Film career
Ethyle's first directing credit was in October 1912, with the film Peggy Gets Rid of the Baby, which starred Dorothy in the lead role.[2] During the First World War, Batley was one of the most active directors of patriotic films.[3]
Legacy
Batley's contribution to the early history of cinema in Britain has often been overlooked or understated. In 2009, film historian Gerry Turvey described her as a "unique figure" who "merits fuller recognition than she has so far received".[1]
References
- ^ a b c d Turvey 2009, p. 359.
- ^ a b Turvey 2009, p. 360.
- ^ Pierre, Paul Matthew St. (2009). Music Hall Mimesis in British Film, 1895-1960: On the Halls on the Screen. Associated University Presse. p. 51. ISBN 978-0-8386-4191-0.
- Bibliography
- Turvey, Gerry (2009). "Constrained Emancipation: The Career of Ethyle Batley, Britain's Pioneering Woman Film Director". Film History. 21 (4): 359–372.
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