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Life of an American Fireman (1903)
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Overview
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Release Date:
January 1903 (USA)
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Plot:
Porter's sequential continuity editing links several shots to form a narrative of firemen responding to a house fire...
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Depicts a fireman's thrilling and dangerous calling and emphasizes the perils he encounters when human life is at stake.
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Cast
(in alphabetical order) | Vivian Vaughan | ... | The Girl (uncredited) |
| Arthur White | ... | The Fireman (uncredited) |
| James H. White | ... | Fire Chief (uncredited) |
Directed by | |||
| George S. Fleming | (uncredited) | ||
| Edwin S. Porter | (uncredited) | ||
Writing credits(in alphabetical order) | ||
| Edwin S. Porter | uncredited | |
Produced by | |||
| Edwin S. Porter | .... | producer (uncredited) | |
Cinematography by | |||
| Edwin S. Porter | (uncredited) | ||
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| James H. White | .... | assistant director (uncredited) | |
Art Department | |||
| George S. Fleming | .... | set designer (uncredited) | |
Production CompaniesDistributors
- Edison Manufacturing Company (1903) (USA) (theatrical)
- Kleine Optical Company (1903) (USA) (theatrical)
- Grapevine Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
- Image Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
- Kino Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
- National Film Preservation Foundation (2004) (worldwide) (DVD)
Additional Details
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Runtime:
6 min (2004 National Film Preservation Foundation print)
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1.33 : 1 See more »
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Trivia:
One of the 50 films in the 3-disk boxed DVD set called "More Treasures from American Film Archives, 1894-1931" (2004), compiled by the National Film Preservation Foundation from 5 American film archives. This film is preserved by the Museum of Modern Art, has a running time of 6 minutes and an added piano and vocal music score.See more »
Movie Connections:
Featured in "Birth of Hollywood: Episode #1.1" (2011)See more »
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An 
company.
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.