Alfred Machin
cinematographer, director, writer
- Birth name:
- Eugène Alfred Jean Baptiste Machin
- Born:
- 1877-04-20, Blendecques, Pas-de-Calais, France
- Died:
- 1929-06-16, Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France
- Professions:
- cinematographer, director, writer
Biography
At the dawn of the 20th century, Alfred Machin began his cinematic journey behind the lens as a cinematographer for Pathé. Between 1907 and 1909, he traversed the African continent to capture life through a series of documentary shorts. His career trajectory soon shifted to Pathé’s Nice studio in 1910, followed by a period of expansion where he served as a founding director for the company’s Amsterdam branch in 1911 and its Brussels office in 1913. It was during the 1913–1914 period that he helmed the haunting pacifist masterpiece 'Maudite Soit la Guerre,' a film that reached theaters just two months before the global explosion of World War I. In 1921, Machin took full control of his creative output by purchasing the Nice studio and launching his own production house. He completed nine motion pictures under his own banner before his death in 1929.
