Review of Life of an American Fireman (1903) by Kj P — 16 Sep 2011

In the very first film of all time to ever show a multi-perspective shot, a fireman dreams of his family trapped in a house-fire and how they are saved by firemen! The scene shows the outside destruction of a home, followed by a transition to show in inside ruining a families lives.

As they are saved by the fireman, the scene repeats a second time, showing the outside perspective of what happened that the audience didn't see the first time. Being a silent film, it is hard to love such a basic story, but seeing as it is the first film of it's kind, it is a very small piece of magnificent filmmaking!