Underplayed Gems

Heroes of the Flames (1931)

Heroes of the Flames poster
Directed by
Robert F. Hill
Genre
adventure film
Country
United States
Runtime
3h 40m
Rating
9.0 of 10 from 1 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A firefighter develops a new flame retardant while a rival tries to steal his formula and his love interest. The story is told in serial form with many cliffhangers involving people trapped in burning buildings.

action-packedtenseperilousfast-paceddatednoirishgut-wrenching

What happens

Heroes of the Flames is a 1931 American Universal movie serial. Although once considered to be lost, it has survived and a print has been preserved by Universal as of 2016. It stars Tim McCoy (in a break from his usual cowboy roles) as a firefighter who is developing a new kind of flame retardant, but his work is constantly being disrupted by a rival named Don Mitchell (Gayne Whitman) who wants the formula for himself as well as the leading lady, played by Marion Shockley. Fittingly, seven of the 11 cliffhangers involve burning buildings with at least one principal trapped inside. It is unusual for the manner in which chapter recaps are handled: A reporter at a local newspaper repeats a summary of the previous episode as he takes it down from a witness on the phone. It also has no music at all—the opening titles are accompanied only by sound effects (sirens, bells ringing, fire crackling, etc.). It's also the only film in which future star Bruce Cabot appeared in an uncredited bit part. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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