The Life of an
American Fireman
(1903) United States of America
B&W : 425 feet
Directed by [?] Edwin S. Porter and/or James H. White and/or George S Fleming?
Cast: Arthur White, Vivian Vaughan
Edison Manufacturing Company production; distributed by Edison Manufacturing Company. / Scenario by Edwin S. Porter. Cinematography by Edwin S. Porter. / © 21 January 1903 by Thomas A. Edison [H27362]. Released January 1903. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format. / The first semi-narrative film from Edison Studios; rescue of a woman from fire was cut together from four one-shot motion subjects on firemen at work and new narrative scenes. Seven scenes. Additional footage was shot to indicate the fireman thinking of his family during blaze, and a subsequent rescue. Utilizes dissolves and double exposures. In each of the interior scenes a framed Thomas A. Edison copyright notice placard appears as part of the set. [?] Direction is credited to Porter by Slide-Early p. 8, Bohn-Light p. ? and Website-AFI.
Drama.
Synopsis: [From Edison promotional materials] It would be difficult for the exhibitor to conceive the amount of work involved and the number of rehearsals necessary to produce a film of this description. We were compelled to enlist the services of the fire departments of four different cities, New York, Newark, Orange, and East Orange, N.J., and about 300 firemen appear in the various scenes. From the first conception of this wonderful series of pictures it was our aim to portray the “Life of an American Fireman” without exaggeration, and at the same time to embody the dramatic situations and spectacular effects which so greatly enhance a motion picture performance. The work of American fire departments is known throughout the world, and the fame of the American fireman is echoed around the entire world. He is known to be the most expert, as well as the bravest, of all fire fighters. This film faithfully and accurately depicts his thrilling and dangerous calling and emphasizes the perils he encounters when human life is at stake, every movement of the brave firemen and their perfectly trained horses from the moment the men leap from their beds in response to an alarm until the fire is extinguished and a woman and child are rescued after many fierce battles with flame and smoke. Below will be found a description of all fire scenes, “Life of an American Fireman.” SCENE 1.—THE FIREMAN'S VISION OF AN IMPERILED WOMAN AND CHILD. The fire chief is seated at his office desk. He has just finished reading his evening paper and has fallen asleep. The rays of an incandescent light rest upon his features with a subdued light, yet leaving his figure strongly silhouetted against the wall of his office. The fire chief is dreaming, and the vision of his dream appears in a circular portrait upon the wall. It is a mother putting her baby to bed, and the inference is that he dreams of his own wife and child. He suddenly awakens and paces the floor in a nervous state of mind, doubtless thinking of the various people who may be in danger from fire at the moment. Here we dissolve the picture to the second scene. SCENE 2.—CLOSE VIEW OF A NEW YORK FIRE ALARM BOX. Shows lettering and every detail in the door and apparatus for turning in an alarm. A figure then steps in front of the box, hastily opens the door and pulls the hook, thus sending the electric current which alarms hundreds of firemen and brings to the scene of the fire the wonderful apparatus of a great city’s fire department. Again dissolving the picture, we show the third scene. SCENE 3.—SLEEPING QUARTERS. A long row of beds, each containing a fireman peacefully sleeping, is shown. Instantly upon the ringing of the alarm the firemen leap from their beds and putting on their clothes in the record time of five seconds, a grand rush is made for a large circular opening in the floor, through the center of which runs a brass pole. The first fireman to reach the pole seizes it and, like a flash, disappears through the opening. This in itself makes a most stirring scene. We again dissolve the scene to the interior of the apparatus house. SCENE 4.—INTERIOR OF ENGINE HOUSE. Shows horses dashing from their stalls and being hitched to the apparatus. This is perhaps the most thrilling and in all the most wonderful of the seven scenes of the series, it being absolutely the first motion picture ever made of a genuine interior hitch. As the men come down the pole described in the above scene, and land upon the floor in lightning-like rapidity, six doors in the rear of the engine house, each heading a horse-stall, burst open simultaneously and a huge fire horse, with head erect and eager for the dash to the scene of the conflagration, rushes from each opening. Going immediately to their respective harness, they are hitched in the almost unbelievable time of five seconds and are ready for their dash to the fire. The men hastily scamper upon the trucks and hose carts and one by one the fire machines leave the house, drawn by eager prancing steeds. Here we dissolve to the fifth scene. SCENE 5.—APPARTUS LEAVING ENGINE HOUSE. We show a fine exterior view of engine house, the great door swinging open and the apparatus coming out. This is a most imposing scene. The great horses leap to their work, the men adjust their fire hats and coats, and smoke begins pouring from the engines as they pass our camera. Here we dissolve and show the sixth scene. SCENE 6.—OFF TO THE FIRE. In this scene we present the best fire run ever shown. Almost the entire fire department of the large city of Newark, N.J., was placed at our disposal and we show countless pieces of apparatus, engines, hook-and-ladders, hose towers, hose carriages, etc., rushing down a broad street at top speed, the horses straining every nerve and evidently eager to make a record run. Great clouds of smoke pour from the stacks of the engines as they pass our camera, thus giving an impression of genuineness to the entire series. Dissolving again we show the seventh scene. SCENE 7.—ARRIVAL AT THE FIRE. In this wonderful scene we show the entire fire department, as described above, arriving at the scene of action. An actual burning building is in the center foreground. On the right background the fire department is seen coming at great speed. Upon the arrival of the different apparatus, the engines are ordered to their places, hose is quickly run out from the carriages, ladders adjusted to the windows and streams of water poured into the burning structure. At this crucial moment comes the great climax of the series. We dissolve to the interior of the building and show a bed chamber with a woman and child enveloped in flame and suffocating smoke. The woman rushes back and forth in the room endeavoring to escape, and in her desperation throws open the window and appeals to the crowd below. She is finally overcome by the smoke and falls upon the bed. At this moment the door is smashed in by an axe in the hands of a powerful fire hero. Rushing into the room, he tears the burning draperies from the window and smashes out the entire window frame, orders his comrades to run up a ladder. Immediately the ladder appears, he seizes the prostrate form of the woman and throws it over his shoulder as if it were an infant, and quickly descends to the ground. We now dissolve to the exterior of the burning building. The frantic mother having returned to consciousness, and clad only in her night clothes, is kneeling on the ground imploring the firemen to return for her child. Volunteers are called for and the same fireman who rescued the mother quickly steps out and offers to return for the babe. He is given permission to once more enter the doomed building and without hesitation rushes up the ladder, enters the window and after a breathless wait, in which it appears he must have been overcome with smoke, he appears with the child on his arm and returns safely to the ground. The child, being released and upon seeing its mother, rushes to her and is clasped in her arms, thus making a most realistic and touching ending of the series.
Survival status: Print exists in the Library of Congress film archive (paper print collection) [35mm paper positive].
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Keywords: Animals: Dogs, Horses - Bedrooms - Beds - Children - Crowds - Daydreams - Desks - Fire alarms - Fire engines - Fire hoses - Firemen - Fire stations - Houses - Ladders - Poles - Rescues - Signage - Smoke - Street scenes - Wagons - Water
Listing updated: 4 May 2023.
References: Film viewing : Barry-Griffith p. 8; Bohn-Light pp. 17-18, 49; Brownlow-Parade p. 10; Card-Seductive p. 101; Carroll-Matinee p. 18; Fell-History pp. 24, 35, 46-47, 48, 49, 51, 52; Kerr-Silent p. 50; Leish-Cinema pp. 14-16; Leyda-Before p. 112; Mottram-Danish p. 13; Musser-Before pp. 2, 3, 7, 17; Musser-Emerge p. 5; Niver-First pp. 22, 30, 118; Pitts-Hollywood p. 3; Robinson-Palace pp. 74, 75, 80; Shipman-Cinema p. 28; Sinyard-Silent p. 14; Sklar-Movie pp. 26, 27, 29; Slide-Early p. 8; Whitfield-Pickford pp. 68, 69 : Website-AFI.
Home video: DVD.
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