Life of an American Fireman

The only problem I have with this is that half the film shows tanker after tanker going down a road in front of bystanders. It seemed as though the film firemen would never get to the fire. But, eventually they do and the film viewer gets a look at this dangerous occupation.

At Edison's Company, he experimented with longer films, and was responsible for directing the first American documentary or realistic narrative film, The Life of an American Fireman (1903). Though it's among the earliest story films (but by no means the first as often alleged), The six-minute narrative film combined re-enacted scenes and documentary footage, and was dramatically edited with inter-cutting between the exterior and interior of a burning house. Edison was actually uncomfortable with Porter's editing techniques, including his use of close-ups to tell an entertaining story. For action, excitement, & suspense, Life of an American Fireman rates awfully high, improving on all that went before, borrowing from what came before wherever it was already thrilling.

THE LIFE OF AN AMERICAN FIREMAN is one of the earliest narrative films. It was made in 1903 by Edwin S. Porter. The extremely short film tells of the life of an American fireman. In the finale, he races to save a girl from a burning building.

Arthur White stars as the fireman. The film is very fascinating, as it gives a look at a bygone era. It is fascinating to see horse-drawn fire trucks. And this was just at the beginning of the 20th Century!

This short feature creates a pretty good sense of excitement and suspense. It seems to have been well-crafted, although the print is not always very clear now. It could almost be called a big-budget picture for its time, due to all the vehicles and equipment that they used in it.

The first part of the film might be the most impressive, as the line of horse-drawn fire engines with all of their equipment race to the scene of the fire. The vantage point for the camera is well-chosen, and it does well in conveying the urgency of the situation. As it goes on to show the fire-fighters battling the blaze, the settings are believable, and they also seem rather detailed, although much of the detail is now obscured by the physical deterioration of the film.

This was an ambitious effort for 1903. It still works well, and it is also an interesting look at the past.

A fireman rushes into a carriage to rescue a woman from a house fire. Breaks the window glasses and he goes down with the woman. After dangerous and uncertain moments, the fireman save the woman' s son, too. There is still no montage but sometimes the shots are of different angles. Among the first films of a vein that starts at the beginning of the twentieth century and continues into the 21st century with series like "Chicago fire".