when there's SO MUCH WOOD? all the tables and chairs and bookcases are all made of wood, yet these idiots are collecting books to burn. what a hoot.
shareIt could also be because the wood is likely to be varnished, so when they burn it, it'll give if toxic fumes and they can't open windows to let it out or rely on the flue for the chimney as it is most probably slightly blocked as it hasn't been used for at least a 100 years.
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Hudson: Hey Vasquez you ever been mistaken for a man?
Vasquez: No. Have you? ξΉ
you think thats a debate they had.
hey watcha doin?
burning this wooden desk
stop it ya loon , thats varnished wood - you could kill us all!
books then?
ok
Probably at some point, they didn't have much else to do, and yeah, be mindful of what you choose to burn so as to not worsen the situation
share
Mmmm. Good point. I had not thought about that.
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I thought that was idiotic (amongst a lot of idiocy). They smash up chairs to make snow shoes but never think of putting them on the fire. The fire probably would have gone out anyway, with that massive downdraft coming down the chimney (not that it would have done much in a -100Β°C room if it stayed alight).
shareThere's nothing logical about this film. Just enjoy it. Books, however, will catch fire and burn more quickly than the wood will.
shareIt is of course, a movie. I am sure there was plenty to burn besides books. Odd thing about this movie, to me the real hero is they guy who was protecting the Gutenberg Bible, not because of the religious context but because of the idea that books did more to expand intelligent thought and knowledge than most inventions in history. He was trying to protect one of the first printed books.
shareprobably cause books would burn faster than the furniture. they need to get heat asap!
^There you have it.
shareDon't coals actually give off more warmth than roaring flames?
You don't get coals from paper, it burns to ash immediately. To get warmth-radiating coals, you need wood or... coal.
Yes, but it's important to get a fire started first. For that, you need tinder -- fast burning, dry material that lights very quickly. Paper serves that purpose. Once the fire is going, then you want the thicker material that lasts longer and provides more heat -- like maybe the wood from the furniture.
That's what bothered me in the scene where they rush back to the reading room from the ship, and Sam immediately dumps more books on the fire. In addition to the fact that he's about to smother the flames, when a fire's at that point, you don't add more tinder, you add more fuel, or kindling (what you add in between tinder and fuel).
Also, nobody bothered to think about turning some of the metal material into portable warmers that they could put closer the furniture (a la 19th century bedwarmers), but that's a separate issue entirely.
You need kindling of some description to get the fire to start burning in the first place. If they were using matches or a lighter then theyβd waste the matches/fuel trying to get the wood to light.
Plus varnish. Plus they needed instant heat.
Because they're really stupid would be my guess.
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