Directed by:
Miloš FormanCinematography:
Miroslav OndříčekComposer:
Karel MarešCast:
Jan Vostrčil, Josef Šebánek, Ladislav Adam, Vratislav Čermák, František Debelka, Václav Novotný, František Paska, František Reinstein, Josef Řehořek (more)VOD (1)
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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. (Arrow Academy)
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Reviews (8)
A brilliant comedy that is more chilling than funny. Under the commies, every critical film was said to hold up a mirror, and that is very accurate for this film. The fire brigades protested, but it's not about them at all, this film has a much deeper message. The scene with the old man at his burning house is one of the saddest I've ever seen. ()
A portrait of Czech (at its core apparently international) smallness, fitted on a small canvas of a Firemen's ball. Excellent acting performances, convincing atmosphere, humor that makes you laugh, but then you get surprised by the strange chill... The final dialogue about those who steal and those who do not steal should be shown as the equivalent of the national anthem of the Czech Republic. Forman used the same means as in A Blonde in Love, Ondříček’s excellent documentary camera, a brass band background, and dialogues as if randomly watched in medias res. The gags are even sharper and more refined than in the previous film, some of which make one laugh, whilst others make your smile freeze. As Vladislav Vančura used to say: humor is not laughing, but rather knowing better. And after watching The Firemen's Ball, the viewer truly knows better and it is not joyful at all. Unfortunately, the film does not lose its topicality. On the contrary. ()
A tragicomic film where I feel more emphasis on the tragedy because even though the movie is quite relaxed, I see too much of how people behave and how these caricatures in Forman's film are real. Pretense, greed, disrespect, and mediocrity - all covered up by the fact that you have some, essentially any, title. ()
The Firemen’s Ball is my favourite of Forman's Czech films from the 1960s, and from time to time I like returning to it, with its exceptionally curious choice of a beauty queen (well - actually just a selection of candidates) and the bizarre prizes of the raffle slowly disappearing, while a feeling of boundless (but very desirable) awkwardness grows to unprecedented proportions during the screening. The ubiquitous humorous touch is transformed into a dense, even poignant feeling at the end – during the cottage fire I felt an unpleasant chill down my spine. Now a cult classic of its genre, it has an exquisitely timeless atmosphere. ()
It's actually a sad movie about how stupid and hypocritical people are. I have to say, except for a few scenes, I wasn't amused, more like I wanted to cry when I saw it. The fact that there are non-actors, the dialogue is life-like, and the director is Milos Forman did nothing for me. If you hate people for a while after watching it, I hope you won't be surprised. ()
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Photo © Filmové studio Barrandov / Jaromír Komárek
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