Editing Fires Were Started

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2016}}
{{Infobox film
| name           =Fires Were Started
| image          =Still from the documentary "Fires Were Started".jpg

| caption        =Still from the documentary ''Fires Were Started''
| director       =[[Humphrey Jennings]]
| producer       =[[Ian Dalrymple]]
| writer         =Humphrey Jennings
| narrator       =
| starring       = [[William Sansom]]<br />George Gravett<br />Phillip Wilson-Dickson<br />[[Fred Griffiths (actor)|Fred Griffiths]]<br />Loris Rey<br />Johnny Houghton<br />T. P. Smith<br />John Barker
| music          =[[William Alwyn]]
| cinematography =[[C.M. Pennington-Richards]]
| editing        =[[Stewart McAllister]]
| distributor    =[[Crown Film Unit]]
| released       ={{Film date|1943|04|12|UK|df=yes}}
| runtime        =65 min.
| country        =United Kingdom
| language       =English
| budget         =
}}
'''''Fires Were Started''''' is a 1943 British film written and directed by [[Humphrey Jennings]]. Filmed in documentary style, it shows the lives of [[firefighter]]s through [[the Blitz]] during the [[World War II|Second World War]]. The film uses actual firemen (including [[Cyril Demarne]]) rather than professional actors.

==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'.{{sfn|Winston|1999|p=66}}

==See also==
* [[BFI Top 100 British films]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book |last=Winston |first=Brian |series=BFI Film classics |title=Fires Were Started |year=1999 |publisher=BFI Publishing |location=London |isbn=978-0-85170-773-0}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0035881}}
* {{Screenonline title|id=454265|name=Fires Were Started}}

{{Humphrey Jennings}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1943 films]]
[[Category:1943 documentary films]]
[[Category:Black-and-white documentary films]]
[[Category:British documentary films]]
[[Category:British World War II propaganda films]]
[[Category:British black-and-white films]]
[[Category:Battle of Britain films]]
[[Category:Films about firefighting]]
[[Category:British docufiction films]]
[[Category:Crown Film Unit films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Humphrey Jennings]]
[[Category:1940s English-language films]]
[[Category:English-language war films]]


{{WWII-documentary-film-stub}}
{{1940s-UK-film-stub}}