The Firemen's Ball (1967) Horí, má panenko (original title)

Director:

Milos Forman

Writers:

Milos Forman (screenplay)
Jaroslav Papousek (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

29 September 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

A Masterpiece from Czechoslovakia

Plot:

The fire department in a small town is having a big party when the ex-boss of the department celebrates his 86th birthday...

Plot Keywords:

Beauty Contest | Party | Fireman's Ball

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Jan Vostrcil	...	Head of Committee
Josef Sebánek	...	Committee Member #2
Josef Valnoha	...	Committee Member
Frantisek Debelka	...	Committee Member #1
Josef Kolb	...	Josef
Jan Stöckl	...	Retired Fire Chief
Vratislav Cermák	...	Committee Member
Josef Rehorek	...	Committee Member #4
Václav Novotný	...	Committee Member
Frantisek Reinstein	...	Committee Member
Frantisek Paska	...	Committee Member
Stanislav Holubec	...	Karel
Josef Kutálek	...	Ludva
Frantisek Svet	...	Old Man
Ladislav Adam	...	Committee Member
Jirí Líbal
Antonín Blazejovský	...	Standa
Stanislav Ditrich	...	Waiter
Milada Jezková	...	Josef's Wife
Jarmila Kucharová
Alena Kvetová	...	'Miss' Contestant
Anna Liepoldová	...	'Miss' Contestant
Miluse Zelená	...	'Miss' Contestant
Marie Slivova	...	Beauty Contestant
Hana Hanusová	...	Jarka
Hana Kuberová	...	Drunk
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Karel Valnoha	...	Committee Member #3 (uncredited)
Vlastimila Vlková	...	Woman (uncredited)

Directed by
Milos Forman

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Milos Forman		screenplay
Jaroslav Papousek		screenplay
Ivan Passer		screenplay
Václav Sasek		story

Produced by
Rudolf Hájek	....	producer
Carlo Ponti	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Karel Mares

Cinematography by
Miroslav Ondrícek

Film Editing by
Miroslav Hájek

Production Design by
Karel Cerný

Art Direction by
Karel Cerný

Set Decoration by
Vladimir Macha		(as Vladimir Mácha)

Costume Design by
Zdena Snajdarová

Makeup Department
Rudolf Hammer	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Jaroslav Solnicka	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jaroslav Papousek	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Adolf Böhm	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Eduard Kaderábek	....	assistant camera
Jaromír Komárek	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Music Department
Stepán Konícek	....	conductor

Other crew
Vladimír Bor	....	production team
Jirí Sebor	....	production team

Production Companies

• Carlo Ponti Cinematografica
• Filmové studio Barrandov

Distributors

• Cinema V (1968) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (1986) (USA) (VHS) (subtitled pan-and-scan)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2006) (Australia) (all media)
• California Visuel (????) (France) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Czechoslovakian Army Orchestra  orchestra
• Filmový Symfonický Orchestr  orchestra

Also Known As:

"Horí, má panenko" - Czechoslovakia (original title)
"The Firemen's Ball and Lottery" - USA (DVD title)

Runtime:

71 min

Country:

Czechoslovakia | Italy

Language:

Czech

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:S | Sweden:11 | West Germany:6 | UK:U (original rating) | France:U | USA:Not Rated

Company:

Carlo Ponti Cinematografica

Trivia:

Included in Roger Ebert's Great Movies.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The Story of Film: An Odyssey: Episode #1.8" (2011)

Soundtrack:

From Me to you

Avoid it if you must

The Firemen's Ball (1967) **** Watching Forman's acclaimed comedy ''The Firemen's Ball'' was a very unique movie-going experience. It is filled with the extraordinary subtle humor, compassion for its characters, very realistic setting, acting & feeling and some brief satire. It got various reviews upon releasing. Some critics hailed it as a minimalistic masterpiece (Roger Ebert) others just was ''resistant'' to it's so-called charm (Leonard Maltin). I just know I wasn't. Judge for yourself. I can't, however, recall so sharp and intelligent script and so believable performances packed in mere 70 minutes. I find it superior to acclaimed Oscar winning Czech comedy filmed a year before by Jiri Menzel – ''Closely Watched Trains''. By the way, interesting note: Czechoslovakian movies were nominated four years in a row for the Best Foreign Language Oscar in 1960ies. ('65, '66, '67, '68). Two of them won it (''Shop on a main street'' in 1965 and ''Closely Watched Trains'' in 1967) and two didn't (''Loves of a Blonde'' in 1966 and ''The Firemen's Ball'' in 1968).