I was a critic before I made my picturesMy family was of classe moyenne supérieurWe were quite close to Jules Verne’s infrastructuresOur genealogy was Saisset-SchneiderI left Amiens for Paris with my grannyJournalism I confronted with great ardeur Writing about feminism was uncannyFor others, but it was my bread and butterI loved covering cinematography I was an assertive dàme, not a nutterLa Française and La Fronde were my outletsI described women’s skills shoved in the gutter Some things were seen unfit for the weaker sexPracticing law or physics were just a fewStill and moving pictures were not seen as threats It was early, the medium was still newStacia Napierkowska led me to this realmI joined her in Italy with her film crew Her act for the camera could overwhelmI was so conquered by this creative formOf my own studio I was at the helm Irène Hillel-Erlanger wrote scripts in normOur D.H. Films company had the supportOf my apt husband who worked in land reform Louis-Albert Dulac my art did escortAnd held no contempt when our marriage endedMy style wanted to be a means of transport For the mind to fluctuate when suspendedLa Souriante Madame Beudet allowed meTo explore beyond what was comprehended It was seen as the first sisterhood movieA woman sought escape from a grim wedlockI applied Impressionism, it was groovy My Surrealist touch was defined poppycockLa Coquille et le Clergyman was the filmThat was inspired by Antonin Artaud’s workBut the use of this expression in cine-filmCredited the men of Un chien andalouIt was a sensory trip on micro-film My work was received with a boisterous booI was no Luis Buñuel or Salvador DalíI was called ‘vache’ for my anti-sexist point of view It did not block me, after all c’est la vieCinema affected me in many waysGermaine Dulac was still my identity After divorce I moved away from clichésMarie-Anne Colson-Malleville I lovedOur romance was meant for the rest of our days Two spouses were destined to my belovedOur liaison was way more profound than these tiesMy professional progress she never shoved Artsy or mainstream I made no compromiseCinéma pur was my first and foremost missionAbove literature and stage it would rise Emotion and abstraction was my visionUsing dolly shots and lens distortions tooAnd dynamic cutting to cause elision The sequential Kuleshov effect I knewThe flow of apperception was my focusFrom Charles Baudelaire inspiration I drewInvitation au voyage was no bogusI was freeing my Dada vitalityHelping young talents was my magnum opus The Fédération des ciné-clubs I would overseeI taught courses at the École TechniqueI received the Légion d’Honneur with utmost glee Sound film did not agree at all with my streakSo I plunged in Pathé and Gaumont newsreelsHowbeit I feel my craft will thrive as unique.