Cinema
Fires Were Started
Humphrey Jennings · 1943
Synopsis
London, during the Blitz. A newcomer, Barrett, joins an auxiliary fire station on the East End docks, where the day is spent waiting: the equipment is maintained, the men get to know one another, they gather round the piano. In the evening, the sirens announce a raid. The unit is sent to a burning warehouse on the bank of the Thames, next to a cargo ship loaded with ammunition that must be protected from the flames.
Context
The film was made in 1942 by the production unit of the Ministry of Information, on the docks of east London, with real firemen who play almost all the roles. The first cut ran seventy-four minutes and bore the title of a man saying that he had been a fireman; nine minutes were removed and it was renamed, but it also circulated under its first title. It was released on 12 April 1943. The second half is almost entirely devoted to the fire of the night, after a slow first half, made up of digressions into the life of the station.
Who it is for
Sixty-five minutes in English, with no French version. The story takes place over a single day, from the morning call to the night fire.
Prizes and reception
Often regarded as a masterpiece, and as the highest achievement of British cinema by a critic in 1969.
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