The Firemen's Ball (1967)

A volunteer fire department throws a party for their former boss with the whole town invited, but nothing goes as planned.

Director:

Milos Forman

Writers:

Milos Forman (screenplay), Jaroslav Papousek (screenplay)

Stars:

Jan Vostrcil, Josef Sebánek, Josef Valnoha

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

The volunteer fire department in a small town is having a big party when the ex-boss of the department celebrates his 86th birthday. The whole town is invited but things don't go as planned. Someone is stealing the prizes to the lottery and the candidates for the Miss Fire-Department beauty contest are neither willing nor particularly beautiful.

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Plot Keywords:

beauty contest | fire | party | fire rescue | snow | 

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Taglines:

Barevná komedie, v níz se tancí, krade a hasí. (A colorful comedy, in which people dance, steal and extinguish the fire.)

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Czechoslovakia Italy

Language:

Czech

Release Date:

29 September 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Firemen's Ball and Lottery

Filming Locations:

Restaurace Strelnice, Vrchlabí, Czech Republic

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carlo Ponti Cinematografica, Filmové studio Barrandov

Technical Specs

Runtime:

73 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.

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Connections

Referenced in Sodankylä ikuisesti: Elokuvan vuosisata (2010)

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Soundtracks

From Me to you
(uncredited)
Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney
Played by the band at the ball

User Reviews

Funny but awkward

It's a pretty funny and witty slapstick comedy, until you realize that you're laughing at the objectification of women and the corruptness of bureaucracy. So, in that sense, it's a pretty sly sociopolitical commentary. So sly, in fact, that you don't even notice it in the film. You've got to read up on it to figure out what Forman was making fun of, and even then he denies any meaning behind the humour. The non-actors and natural dialogue add to the absurdity of the situations, and the end's got a similar sharp veer towards tragedy as One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. In fact, the humour in both films is the same, as what you're laughing at really shouldn't be that funny at all, but it is. Overall, this is a light but deep (if that makes any sense) product of the Czechoslovak New Wave, and it's definitely worth a watch.