"The Broken Brake" (1920)

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Out Yonder 1919 The Woman God Forgot 1917 That Model from Paris 1926 For Better for Worse 1919 Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall 1924

OUR DOCUMENTARY

We are proud to present to all silent film lovers our multiple award-winning documentary! In March 2015 it won the distinction "Award of Merit" at the San Francisco Film Awards. In May it won the Silver Award at the 2015 International Independent Film Awards. In September 2015 it won the Award of Recognition at the Accolade Global Film Competition. Of equal merit is the inclusion of the documentary in the Official Selection of the San Jose International Short Film Festival in October 2015. In December the documentary won the extremely prestigious Diamond Award at the 2015 California Film Awards. The amazing run of recognition for our documentary continued in 2016. In February it was included in the Official Selection of the Buffalo Niagara International Film Festival.

San Francisco Film Awards new International Independent Film Awards new Accolade Global Film Competition Award new San Jose International Short Film Festival new California Film Awards small new

Helen Gibson in The Broken Brake 1920 2

Helen Gibson

Directed by Robert Myles
Produced by       Capital Film Company
Scenario          Robert Myles
Starring    Helen Gibson, William Gettinger, Leo Maloney
Cinematography          Carl Widen?
Distributed by    Capital Film Company
Release date          1920
Running time          21 minutes
Country       United States
Language       Silent film, English intertitles

This film is part of our series 'Hidden Gems'. It can be watched by registered users who make a donation. For more details, please click here.

We have included this film in our program to illustrate the work and contributions of our star Helen Gibson.

In 1915-1917 Helen Gibson starred in a serial by the name of "The Hazards of Helen". She is considered the first professional stunt woman. Very few of her films survive, so we are happy to be able to show you this rarity.

According to Larry Telles, who authored a book on the life of Helen Gibson, this short action drama is a compilation of at least two films with Helen Gibson. The beginning is from "The Broken Brake" (1920), and the ending is from "The Golden Star Bandit" (1920). It is not known if the two films survive in complete versions. So let's enjoy, within these limitations, the performance of our star Helen Gibson, including her breathtaking stunt towards the end of the film.

Click to enlarge:

Leo Maloney and Helen Gibson in The Broken Brake 1920 7

Helen Gibson and Leo Maloney

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Registered users who made the required donation please click here to watch this gem.

Below is a short preview of the film.