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| Die Berliner Feuerwehr mit ihren neuen Automobil-Fahrzeugen (DE 1911). Hans Berge Collection, Nasjonalbiblioteket, Oslo/Mo i Rana. |
Berlins Brandvesen (US: Berlin’s Fire Department in Action; GB: The Berlin Fire Brigade) [I vigili del fuoco di Berlino con i loro nuovi veicoli] (DE 1911) prod: Pharos-Film, Berlin [DMB Deutsche Mutoskop- und Biograph GmbH, Berlin]. uscita/rel: 25.2.1911. copia/copy: DCP, 7'13" (da/from 35 mm pos. nitr., 128 m, 16 fps); did./titles: NOR. fonte/source: Nasjonalbiblioteket, Oslo/Mo i Rana.
Grand piano: Donald Sosin.
Teatro Verdi, Pordenone, Le Giornate del Cinema Muto: Serata inaugurale: Hans Berge Travelogues, 7 Oct 2023
Tina Anckarman (GCM 2023): " The need to control fire has existed ever since it was discovered. In Ancient Rome, Emperor Caesar Augustus created the Vigiles, the fire brigade. The Berlin fire brigade is the oldest municipal fire brigade in Germany. Like other cities, Berlin suffered several big fires in the 19th century. In 1851 the Prussian king, Frederick William IV, assigned Ludwig Carl Scabell to set up a professional fire brigade. Fire stations were built, and the world’s first electric fire alarm network was installed. A good water supply has always been the key to fighting fires of any size. In 1856, a network of water hydrants was brought into operation. "
" In this film we visit a modern fire station with all the latest equipment. The uniformed firefighters march out to the strains of a military band. The discipline of the fire brigade is worthy of a military drill, so synchronized and working in unison that in the first demonstration it seems like a single person lifts and ascends the ladders to reach the top of the building. The firefighters then show how different equipment is used. Four vehicles erect their ladders into the sky. One brave firefighter singlehandedly braves incredible heat and smoke to tackle the flames emanating from stacks of wood, but safely, as he is well protected by asbestos gear and an ingenious “water-umbrella” atop his helmet! We then see a staged fire alarm, with the brigade in action during a call-out. The fire engines rush out of the station, and the firemen then demonstrate how people are saved from the flames, stretching a safety net under a window to catch a “person” who jumps, obviously a thrown life-sized dummy. The same unlucky dummy is once more in need of rescue, and is abseiled from the building with ropes. A firehose is elevated by men cranking it upwards via a telescoping device, raising the hose high enough to direct a strong jet of water with precision through a window on the top floor. Mission accomplished, an impressive procession of fire brigade vehicles drive down a street as they return to the station. "
" Berlins Brandvesen is the Norwegian title on the print. For unknown reasons, the order of scenes in the Hans Berge Collection print differs from the copy at the British Film Institute, which more closely conforms to descriptions in the British and American trade press. " – Tina Anckarman
AA: Firefighters were a popular early cinema subject. This distinguished German entry by Pharos-Film / Deutsche Mutoskop- und Biograph GmbH documents the Berlin fire brigade in thrilling scenes. Also in drilling scenes. Prussian discipline is enforced in exercises of military severity. I was wondering whether Charles Chaplin might have succeeded with The Fireman in such circumstances.
Particularly awesome are fire ladder exercises with floor targets set higher and higher. Telescopic ladders can be stretched to reach the highest floor. Ad aspera. We are climbing Jacob's ladder.
Even more awesome are exercises with live practice bonfires using asbestos protection and precision waterhoses. Juha "Watt" Vainio's risqué Finnish cuplé about firefighters, "Tulta päin" ["Towards the Fire"] is playing in my mind.
A visually striking non-fiction work. A fine 2018 digital preservation from a nitrate print by Nasjonalbiblioteket (Norway).
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