New York's Bravest: A Firefighting Odyssey: Part 1 (2007)
1h 55min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
The New York Fire Fighting Department is probably one of the most efficient and organized forces of its kind that the modern world has ever known. It needs to be, considering the complexity of that particular city. However, the limitations that professional fire fighting units faced between the ‘20s and ‘40s were severe. Technology as we know it today was still science fiction back then, as is clearly evidenced by the footage from the famous Stillman Fires Collection included in the set New York’s Bravest - A Firefighting Odyssey (the first installment of a dual release on this subject). It is hard to picture the scenario as it was back then, with fire fighting carriages having to evolve from horse-drawn and steam-propelled to the more advanced motor-driven versions, and the severe restrictions of low-powered water jets. These films are obviously a public relations effort. However, what comes across, more than anything else, is the sheer courage of men and women who had few of the protective devices and professional equipment of the present age at their disposal. Both from a historical and human interest perspective, the Stillman films make for captivating viewing. The world of yesteryear burnt just as readily as the contemporary version, it would seem - the clips of fires at New York as well as various locations such as Boston and London bring this out beyond doubt. It is an inborn human trait to rise above the problems of disaster, but we had better not forget what we had to learn over and over again as a result of our own carelessness! As technology and technique evolved, so did the effectiveness of the New York Fire Department. Inventions like the Conran Monorail Nozzle system forever changed the danger-fraught world of professional fire fighters. All in all, a great educational tour de force made all the more effective by the rudimentary photography. - Studio:
- A2ZCDS.COM
- Genres:
- TV Documentaries
