What Does It Mean To Be A Firefighter or Hero?

Tonight's marathon is all about glorifying what's best in the human spirit in terms of firefighting. What is about these people that gives them the courage to run into a burning building and save the life of another person? Where does that courage come from? What does being a firefighter ultimately mean for those individuals and their loved ones and friends? This marathon is an attempt to answer some of those questions while also presenting different scenarios that not only get more intense as they go but also  show a side of human nature that brings out the best of us when facing danger. As humans, we desire to be cared for and saved when danger erupts. We look towards another person to deliver us from such a horrific scenario. Tonight's marathon is about exploring the theme of firefighting and the responsibility that comes with it. The films on the menu for this evening are:

        Always 1989, Backdraft 1991, Volcano 1997, World Trade Center 2006, and Ladder 49 2004

If you're going to do a marathon on glorifying what's best in firefighting or responding to emergency situations, then you got to go universal with it and not hold back. It should not only be an exciting experience but a moving one. We begin the evening with the underrated Steven Spielberg classic Always. Starring Richard Dreyfuss, Holly Hunter, and John Goodman, the film is a romantic adventure and drama centering around a legendary pilot's passion for dare-devil firefighting and his true love. During one of his missions, he ends up getting killed and becomes a ghost in the same vein as Patrick Swayze, and is left with the task of watching over the woman he loves and passing his knowledge down. Audrey Hepburn gives a triumphant final performance as his guardian angel. Often overlooked on Spielberg's resume due to it being more grounded in reality and a more personal drama than his reign of 80's spectacle films surrounding it, Always provides a heartfelt and moving beginning to a marathon that's all about shedding light into the life of a firefighter or emergency response rescuer. The second film in the lineup is Ron Howard's 1991 action classic titled Backdraft. Nominated for a total of three academy awards and boasting an all star cast among the likes of Kurt Russell, William Baldwin, Robert Deniro, J.T. Walsh, Scott Glenn, and Donald Sutherland, Backdraft centers around two Chicago firefighter brothers who don't get along but have to work together to find a dangerous arsonist whose on the loose. Backdraft is the landmark firefighting film that's become the standard for all firefighting films to follow, even if it's action reaches over the top heights at times. Whereas Always introduces the drama and the idea of what is lost when taking on a job of firefighting, Backdraft introduces the action and suspense. The third film in the lineup is the 1997 disaster film Volcano starring Tommy Lee Jones, Anne Heche, and Don Cheadle. The plot of the film centers around a Volcano erupting in downtown L.Z threatening to destroy the city, forcing all police, firefighters, and emergency response teams to come together to defeat such a natural disaster. Volcano didn't receive the best reviews upon release and generally considered a box office flop, however it provides for this lineup a larger scope of the action, and shows everyone putting aside their differences and coming together to battle the Volcano. The film also shows several different vantage points of the event happening through multiple subplots focusing on different areas of people in Los Angeles, and how they are ultimately connected through this natural disaster. A leader is also introduced whose in charge of handling this situation and there is no one better than Tommy Lee Jones to provide that leadership. The fourth film in the lineup is the emotionally uplifting but often forgotten Oliver Stone drama titled World Trade Center. Released in 2006 about five years after the actual event in New York, the film starring Nicholas Cage, Michael Pena, Jay Hernandez, Marie Bello, and Maggie Gyllenhaal focuses on two Port Authority Cops who become trapped under the rubble of the World Trade Center when the towers collapse. Rather than focus on the issue of terrorism or the effects of the attack itself on 9/11, the film glorifies the great aspects of that day such as firefighters, police, and emergency rescuers all uniting in a common interest and coming together to save our heroes from being trapped under the towers. Much like Volcano, this one enhances the emotion behind such a dramatic event while also glorifying it's heroes. The final film of the lineup brings it all back to the theme of firefighting with Ladder 49. Starring Joaquin Pheonix and John Travolta, the film focuses on a firefighter whose trapped in a burning building with no way out, and begins to remember his life leading up to that point. World Trade Center and Ladder 49 share many parallels with each other with men trapped inside a building and the outside world fighting to get to them, but also showing the men reflecting on what they value most in life.

So what are these movies ultimately trying to say? Always says that the love inside cannot go away and that if someone dies or goes away, they will always be there in your heart to guide you. Backdraft says that a brothers rift is a petty one and should stand in the way of family. Another way to look at it is duty calls. Volcano says that if everyone can put aside their differences and work together to fight a natural disaster then nothing is impossible. World Trade Center says that the worst situations imaginable can ultimately become our defining moments, and that love can give the strength to survive the most unimaginable and extreme circumstances. Ladder 49's message is that it requires a special type of bravery and courage to be a firefighter.

Our Characters for this evening: