Fires Were Started

Fires Were Started is a 1943 British film written and directed by Humphrey Jennings. Filmed in documentary style, it shows the lives of firefighters through the Blitz during the Second World War. The film uses actual firemen (including Cyril Demarne) rather than professional actors.

Fires Were Started
Still from the documentary Fires Were Started
Directed by	Humphrey Jennings
Written by	Humphrey Jennings
Produced by	Ian Dalrymple
Starring	William Sansom George Gravett Phillip Wilson-Dickson Fred Griffiths Loris Rey Johnny Houghton T. P. Smith John Barker
Cinematography	C.M. Pennington-Richards
Edited by	Stewart McAllister
Music by	William Alwyn
Distributed by	Crown Film Unit
Release date	12 April 1943 (1943-04-12) (UK)
Running time	65 min.
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Production

Exterior shots were filmed on location, while the interior scenes were shot at Pinewood Studios. Jennings's first cut of the film was titled I Was a Fireman and ran to 74 minutes. This was cut down to 65 minutes and released as Fires Were Started.

Critical reception

Film critics mostly praised the film for its realism and documentary value, despite its reconstructions. Dilys Powell, of the Sunday Times declared its authenticity to be 'moving and terrifying'.^[1]

See also

• BFI Top 100 British films