The Fireman's Ball (1967)

Original title

Hoří, má panenko

Directed by

Miloš Forman

Genre

comedy film

Country

Czechoslovakia, Italy

Runtime

1h 13m

Rated

12

Rating

7.1 of 10 from 253 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

At a small town's annual firemen's ball, a series of comic disasters unfold. The well-meaning firemen try to run a raffle and a beauty pageant, but everything goes wrong. The film shows how corruption and bad luck ruin even the simplest plans.

satiricalabsurdistchaoticdeadpanmelancholicobservationalfrustratingdarkly comic

What happens

The Firemen's Ball (or Fireman's Ball; Czech: Hoří, Má Panenko: "Fire, My Lady") is a 1967 Czechoslovak New Wave satirical comedy directed by Miloš Forman. It is set at the annual ball of a small town's volunteer fire department, and the plot portrays a series of disasters that occur during the evening. The film uses few professional actors – some characters are played by the firemen of the small town where it was filmed. By portraying the prevailing corruption of the local community and the collapse of even well-intentioned plans, the film satirized the communist system. The Firemen's Ball was the last film Forman made in his native Czechoslovakia before he relocated to the United States. It is also the first film he shot in color, as well as a milestone of the Czechoslovak New Wave. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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