The Tragedy:
That would be Dorothy Gibson, co-writer and star of the movie, not to mention a real Titanic survivor. It turns out that Gibson was aboard the very first lifeboat launched from the sinking ship, probably because she wanted to get a head start on filming a fictionalized version of her story before someone with even less of a conscience could beat her to it. The character that she'd specifically written for herself even wore the actual clothes Gibson had on when she was rescued.
Eclair Film Co.Weird. You'd think all that brass would have sunk the lifeboat she was on.
Unsurprisingly, putting oneself through a realistic re-enactment of a horrible maritime disaster ended up destroying Gibson mentally, and she never acted again. As for Saved from the Titanic, the only known print of the movie was lost in a studio fire two years later. And, although it was never proven, we have a hunch that the previous two sentences might be connected.
Eclair Film Co.Keep in mind, she was one of the highest-paid and well-regarded actresses of the era when she gave the industry the middle finger.
571 Comments