Movielogr
Life of an American Fireman (1903)
Directed by Edwin S. Porter, George S. Fleming
Twitter Facebook Google+Overview
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…
Length 7 minutes
Actors
Vivian Vaughan | James H. White | Arthur White | Edwin S. Porter
Viewing History (seen 1 time)
| Date Viewed | Device | Format | Source | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/30/2018 | TV | Streaming | Video on Demand | 8 stars |
| (Average) 8 stars |
Viewing Notes
A great little short, this work by Porter precedes his more famous THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY. I love how the rescue scene is shown non-sequentially, once from the inside of the house and then a second perspective of the same action from outside of the house. They hadn’t yet learned how to intercut scenes from multiple perspectives.
It’s great watching these very early silents and seeing how the techniques and processes progressed over time.
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