Algie, the Miner

Synopsis

Algie Allmore has one year to prove he's a man in order to wed Harry Lyons' daughter.

Year - 1912

Directed By - Alice Guy-Blaché, Harry Schenck, Edward Warren

Written By - N/A

Produced by - Alice Guy-Blaché/ Solax Studios

Starring - Billy Quirk

Background

Algie, the Miner was one of the first films to feature a queer-coded main character (Algie). The film used stereotypes to portray queerness, such as being heavily attentive to how he dresses and wearing fancier clothes, having flamboyant mannerisms, and being intimidated by more rugged and "masculine" presenting men.

At its heart, the story is a film about conformity to ideals of masculine representation to participate in heterosexual practices (marriage), even going so far as to be considered a story about conversion therapy.

In 2019, the United States Library of Congress included this film among a list of films it intended to preserve, as part of a wider Alice Guy-Blaché collection (she co-produced and co-directed the film).