The Man in the Fire (langx) is a 1926 German silent film directed by Erich Waschneck and starring Helga Thomas, Olga Chekhova and Henry Stuart. It was shot at the Weissensee Studios in Berlin. The film's sets were designed by Botho Hoefer. It was released in the United States under the alternative title of When Duty Calls.

Plot

Berlin in the 1920s: a collision occurs between two trains on the capital's subway. Johann Michael, a seasoned firefighter through and through, is among those actively involved in the rescue efforts. He sustains a severe knee injury that leaves him permanently stiff, preventing him from continuing his field service. Michael refuses a desk job offered to him. Secretly, the now-retired firefighter blames his much younger colleague, Hellmuth Frank, for his predicament. This fire chief, of all people, has been in love with Michael's daughter Lore, a costume designer at Berlin's Scala Theatre, ever since he was once required to conduct a safety inspection there.