Is DANGEROUS SUMMER a lost film? Can Academy Award winning cinematographer John Seale’s early work be preserved?

The recent devastating fires and tragic loss of life in Australia has made me think of the two fire safety films I made early in my career.

One, HOSPITALS DON’T BURN DOWN, is a 24 minute dramatized documentary about what happens when a midnight fire cuts a high rise hospital in half. Three weeks of 16mm night shooting on an 80K budget with a great crew - we all called it The Towering Infirmary - produced a film that won cinematography and international industrial film awards, but more importantly changed every Australian hospital’s approach to fire prevention. It was shown to joining hospital staff for 30 years, with specific lessons built into the re-enactments that would be discussed after every screening. I wince at some of my directorial choices here and there but overall the film gets your attention. So I am glad it is being preserved by Madman, who have added it to their recent DVD release in Australia of my MAN FROM HONG KONG as one of the extras.

However, the fate of DANGEROUS SUMMER, a tribute to the volunteer fire fighting brigades of Sydney’s Blue Mountains, is unknown to me. It has rarely been seen. Perhaps some of the participants named here could fill me in on its preservation. Financed by the New South Wales Film Corporation, and produced by James McEloy, DANGEROUS SUMMER, is a 20 minute theatrical documentary about a fire that roared through the Blue Mountains just before Christmas 1979, shot in 35 mm Scope largely by legendary Australian lenser John Seale. Tom Cowan and Jan Kenny also made significant contributions as we chased this fire for three weeks till it finally burned itself out at the foot of the Warragamba Dam. The photography is full of awesome images. Footage from the shoot was later used in a Blue Mountains arson thriller A DANGEROUS SUMMER, starring Tom Skerritt and James Mason, released in the US on DVD as FLASH FIRE.

Fire behavior is unpredictable, as we found one late afternoon when the wind suddenly changed and the flames were on three sides of us. FFC executive Ross Matthews, who was then my UPM/1st AD, spun the station wagon around and we hightailed out of there at 90 mph. Ross had Grand Prix skills, which is no mean feat on Australian country roads. I hear Ross has sped many an FFC investment through the process too.

We headed for the nearest fire engine which was located a few miles away defending a lone house on a ridge. The owner had sensibly cleared the brush in a wide radius around the property - another safety precaution the film promotes - so the situation did not look dire from a distance. As we arrived we saw the 70 foot flames sweeping along the opposite ridge. Gum trees well ahead of the fire front would suddenly explode in a process known as crowning, where sparks blown ahead would ignite the accumulated gum tree gases. A major blaze can accelerate at considerable speed when this happens. But from the faces of the volunteer fire fighters, we could tell they were not concerned. These were battle hardened guys. They had hosed down the building, and were watching carefully for wind shifts. Naturally nature obliged. The fire turned from the ridge, down into the gully below, then up the slope towards us. What struck me more than the heat was the noise. The roar of an approaching blast furnace. I remember helping to steer John Seale through an 180 degree steadicam shot - I cannot recall if it ended up intact in the final cut - showing fire near the front door, then moving through the house out the door at the back, with the tree line blazing and a carpet of burning leaves rolling towards us, hissing and crackling as it came.

But the good housekeeping of the owner kept the flames at bay. In the presence of the bushfire fighters we never felt in any real danger. People who serve their community in this way deserve our deepest admiration. And, no doubt, better funding. Which is why I want to see DANGEROUS SUMMER made available to the Australian public, either on DVD or right now on television. It’s not just personal vanity, or my desire to see unique Australian camerawork preserved. It is a timeless portrait of brave men, real men, doing a dangerous job purely as a public service. The world needs more of that attitude.

For one of my more ironic recollections of the bushfire adventure, here is a link to an earlier blog.