100 things challenge - 1: Saved from the Titanic

[birdienl]

My first post in the 100 things blogging challenge is a fact related to the 100th anniversary of Titanic's sinking last weekend.

The first movie about the sinking of the Titanic was made less than a month after the disaster occured. The movie was called Saved from the Titanic and was a 10 minute silent movie consisting of footage from Titanic's sister ship Olympic and scenes in which the at that time famous actress Dorothy Gibson had only to play herself, as she was an actual survivor of the tragedy. In the movie she wears the same dress she also wore during the night the Titanic sank.

The movie itself was lost during a fire in the studio in 1914. For Dorothy Gibson it was the last movie she made, apparently the strain of the disaster and the re-enactment of it so soon after brought on a crisis and she moved to Paris to start a new life.

Comments

[mystery-spell.livejournal.com]

That's something that I did not know. It would have been very interesting to be able to watch the 10 minute silent film enacted by an actual survivor.

[msantimacassar.livejournal.com]

How interesting! It must have been so hard for Dorothy Gibson to relive the tragedy like that.

[richyl88.livejournal.com]

That is quite interesting!

[deeplyunhip.livejournal.com]

Interesting! I don't understand *why* anyone would have expected her to reenact something so horrible so shortly after it occurred, but I I have to admit that I wish I could see it.

[ladyadeone.livejournal.com]

Wait - the film was burnt?! How terrible! *tears*

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

Yes, they didn't have digital backup at that time...

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

For marketing value I think. I read there was some public outrage against them capitalizing on the tragedy so soon after.

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

Indeed!

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

Indeed, before reading that it was lost I also hoped I would find it on YouTube for instance

[ever-maedhros.livejournal.com]

I never knew that a movie was made about the Titanic so soon after it sank! Now I really wish a copy of the film had been preserved somehow.

[lilithilien.livejournal.com]

Oh that poor woman. It would have been a fascinating film in a "saved for posterity" way, but I can't imagine the strain it must've put on her.

[florencia7.livejournal.com]

That's really interesting. I've never heard of this before. Thank you for sharing!

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

Yes, it is a unique document which has been lost!

[miss-peg.livejournal.com]

I never knew that film existed, or at least did for a brief period of time. That must have been really difficult to make a film about a major event from your life a month after it happened...and there was me thinking films made within a few years of current events was bad. It's a shame the film didn't make it through the years!