Films, Firemen And Duplicity

I Did Warn You!
     Not 24 hours ago, about my intent to go over films about firemen.
     Why?  Why not!  Everybody likes firemen, it seems.  Men like Conrad appreciate them for running into burning buildings when everyone else is running out of them.  Ladies seem to be much more superficial, I'm afraid, concentrating more on firemen's physical appearance rather than life-saving intent.

Wow!  Look at that!  A La France 900 Pumper fire engine!*

     I distinctly remember reading an American cop novel where the narrator underlines this "Firemen are fantastic" theme, detailing how a horrible criminal perpetrator gets away with all sorts of abuse of the police force - but when he ***** on a fire-engine, and ***** on the ****, swinging on a chain around his middle whilst ********, Oh!  the judge throws his bottom into jail.
     Can't remember the title, or the author, but that image stuck in my mind.  As you'd expect.
     Anyway - firemen in film!

The Bells Go Down (1943)
     Ah, yes.  Not seen it, and not easy to get hold of.  Remember Conrad's recent blog title of "You lucky people!" - that was a catchphrase of comedian Tommy Trinder, who in this film plays it dead straight as a member of the Auxiliary Fire Service.
     Who the heck are they?  Civilian volunteers is who.  Volunteers who like the idea of - again - running into burning buildings whilst sensible folks are running out.
     They got their wish in the year 1940, when the Luftwaffe (the bad guys) bombed Britain (the good guys) silly, and London especially.
     Amongst the cast you will see James Mason - Mister Received English Personified - and William Hartnell, when he played hard men, long before his days of Doctor Who, and Mervyn Johns, who had a good line in playing the victimised little man.

Mervyn Johns plays Sam.  Thus - Fireman Sam.

Fires Were Started (1943)
     Even more obscure, this is supposedly more authentic in it's fire-fighting scenes than TBGD.  You won't recognise any of the cast names, and indeed the only famous person is the director, Humphrey Jennings, a noted documentary film director.  You might call this "faction", except that's a horrid Americanism and Conrad will kill you dead if you try.  "Reconstruction" is more suitable, with a new man joining the AFS and enduring his baptism of - wait for it, wait for it - fire during the Blitz.

- and then stopped.  Thanks to - firemen!

Fahrenheit 451 (1966)
     Or, given the wretched metricalisation of measurements, 232.8C.
     Conrad has seen this, but only remembers Julie Christie, who is pretty damn gorgeous for a human being.  She was in "A For Andromeda", you know, just as -
     <Mister Hand informs that Conrad letching over Julie is not what readers come for>
     Oh, er, rather.  Yes.  Fireman - "fireman" in F451 does not have the connotation that you and I would normally associate the term with.  In this film, based on that elegaic craftsman Ray Bradbury's novel, firemen are responsible for burning books.  Books, in this dystopia, are feared by the government as they are not controlled, manipulated or edited, so if discovered - they get burnt by firemen.

"The emotions of tomorrow"?  Conrad can't cope with those of today!

     Montag is the central character, and who falls in love with the book-hoarder Clarisse, played by Julie Christie, who is especially att <Mister Hand intervenes again> So, will Montag throw up his old life for a new, uncertain and dangerous one?

Will he?  With this lady waiting for him, yes he certainly will!

Backdraft (1991)
     If all you knew of this film was the title, you might be forgiven for thinking that it dealt with draught-proofing or hoovers.  No such thing!  Look at the DVD cover -

"Is it hot in here, or is it just me?"

    That's not some bloke trying to unblock the inner manifold of a vacuum cleaner, is it?  Still less is he attempting to locate that chink between the floorboards that causes the curtains to twitch when the wind comes from the south-east at over 70 m.p.h.
     Conrad remembers seeing this at the cinema on release, and it did come over well on the big screen.  What he didn't appreciate at the time, being busy scoffing popcorn, was how dangerous it was on set.  Fire, you see, doesn't respond well to director's telling it about "motivation" or "blocking" or "looping"...
     Oh, yes, the plot.  Two firefighting brothers don't get on.  Financial skullduggery.  GREAT BIG FIRES!

Fireman Sam (1996)
     This, actually, is cheating, as Fireman Sam is a television programme, not a film.  Sam, you see, is
     <Mister Hand butts in with up-to-date information>
     Oh, I see!  There is a film!

Confirmation and Vindication.  

     "Pontypandy", for anyone not from the UK, is a Welsh placename, not an insult.  
     Actually it would make a good insult.  BOOJUM!'s official swear phrase is "Dog Buns!", which is a bit transparent.  If it were
     <Mister Hand, despairingly, points out that there is a point to this post>
     Ah, yes, well the film points out the evil of - sausages. Yes, sausages.  If Norman hadn't wanted to have sausages, the enormous conflagration would never have happened.  Although it didn't really, as Sam - SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT - is only CGI.

Hack!  Spit! The villains of the piece!

*  Less funnily, remember that a lot of these guys died on 9-11 trying to rescue people.  Laughs aside, it's a dangerous occupation.