The world was shocked by the devastation of 9/11. New York mourned the loss of lives of both civilians and rescuers. Among them the brave firefighters who went into the hellish remains of the World Trade Center knowing they might not come out. What is it like to go up against elements much bigger than yourself; to stifle fear when a stranger needs help; to convince your family that yours is more than a job . . .
As New York regrouped and found its footing again, there continued to be great interest and concern surrounding the firefighters who unhesitatingly rushed in to save every life.
Warming up audiences
You’d think the action and drama of a firefighter’s life would make a great movie, but other than Backdraft in 1991, stories about firemen have remained on the backburner of movie makers’ agendas.
Instead, we’ve had no end of action blockbusters centered on car chases and shootouts. The reasoning is that audiences pay good money to be entertained and transported to a land of fantasy, not be confronted by burning buildings and grim images of death and destruction that can become too close for comfort.
Ladder 49’s heartwarming story seeks to reverse this trend by focusing on the endurance of the human spirit and strong bonds of love and friendship. A good sign definitely, as moviegoers and the American public in particular, warm to reality situations.
The cast is strong with Joaquin Phoenix as Baltimore City firefighter Mike Morrison, and John Travolta as Mike Kennedy, mentor and Chief to Morrison.
While press reports hyped up the heroic image of firefighters, the movie’s approach was quite the opposite. “I was thinking of a film that would, at its core, be about characters and human emotions, but at the same time would capture the dramatic spectacle and suspense of firefighting,” producer Casey Silver states. Aiming to put a human face to those who front the action, the story delves deeper into the daily lives and loves of these men.
The movie highlights the camaraderie of men who brave perils together as a team, and who depend on each other to go that extra mile in the face of danger.
To fire school
In preparation for their physically demanding scenes in the movie, the actors trained as a unit at the US Fire Academy, honing their rappelling, rescuing and hosing skills, participating in actual fire fighting efforts in a bid to lend greater legitimacy to their characters.
The adrenaline-filled action scenes share equal limelight with more homely subplots on the family, offering a rare glimpse of firefighters’ commitment and sacrifice.
Trapped within a burning building in possibly the worst fire of his career, Jack reflects on his family and career as his life hangs in the balance and his comrades from the company try desperately to save him.
Jacinda Barrett, who plays Mrs Morrison, empathizes with the uncertainty and fear that confronts the loved ones of firefighters as they send their husbands, fathers and brothers off to work each morning.
Herself the daughter of a retired Australian fire chief, Jacinda researched for the role by getting her parents to recount their personal experiences and brushes with danger as well as spending time with countless firefighters and their families.
The cast took special pride in donning their uniforms. “Training to be a firefighter wasn’t easy,” says John Travolta. “But I also knew that the purpose of the movie was worth it, to present a homage to firefighters. And I really wanted to be a part of it, as did every actor in this movie.”
JOAQUIN PHOENIX recalls what it was like playing a firefighter
“It was amazing. Probably the most intensive research I have ever done for a role. Certainly the most hands-on research I have ever done. Which was probably very important, because I felt a great obligation to be true to these guys' experience. It was exciting and terrifying. I started at the training academy and did three weeks there. I joined a class - Class 10 - and I wanted to first get the experience of what it is to be a rookie and to go through the training and kind of get the anticipation of being sent to a firehouse. That was amazing, just to work with the instructors and overcoming some fears. One of the things that you do is something called a Maze when they have a large semi-truck that they have converted into this maze. There is only crawling space. You are on your stomach, and they blindfold you and put full gear on. You go in and from the moment they seal the door, if you lift your head an inch it hits the roof and you can't go down. So you start crawling with your hand extended, and suddenly there's a drop, and you have to figure how to turn round in that space. I didn't like that at first. Then of course there was rappelling. Everybody was scared. You got to the top of the tower and looked down!
“I did everything that they did, but I felt completely safe. I was absolutely petrified, but I did feel that ultimately I was going to be ok. One of my great concerns was that one of them would get harmed in trying to help me. Because they would have helped me. They said 'We will go down to get you out'.”
