Life of an American Fireman (1903)

Porter's sequential continuity editing links several shots to form a narrative of firemen responding to a house fire. They leave the station with their horse drawn pumper, arrive on the ... See full summary »

Stars:

Vivian Vaughan, Arthur White, James H. White

Cast

Uncredited cast:
Vivian Vaughan	...	The Girl (uncredited)
Arthur White	...	The Fireman (uncredited)
James H. White	...	Fire Chief (uncredited)

Storyline

Porter's sequential continuity editing links several shots to form a narrative of firemen responding to a house fire. They leave the station with their horse drawn pumper, arrive on the scene, and effect the safe rescue of a woman from the burning house. But wait, she tells them of her child yet asleep in the burning bedroom . . .

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Plot Keywords:

fire | fireman | horse | rescue | burning house | 

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Genres:

Short | Action

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

January 1903 (USA)

Also Known As:

Egy amerikai tűzoltó élete

Filming Locations:

East Orange, New Jersey, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Edison Manufacturing Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

6 min 6 min (2004 National Film Preservation Foundation print)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Life of an American Fireman is lodged for copyright in Washington on the 21st January 1903.

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Connections

Remake of Fire! (1901)

User Reviews

Works Well in Creating Some Excitement & Suspense

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.