The Firemen's Ball
A colorful comedy, in which people dance, steal and extinguish the fire.
The firemen of a provincial Czechoslovakian town throw a ball in honor of the old chief's retirement. There will be music and dancing, a beauty pageant and a raffle. The whole town will be in attendance. However, the proceedings are dogged by difficulty at every step. Workplace injuries, stolen prizes, a shortage of pretty girls... and fire.
- 7.0
- 1967
- Released
- 1h 13m
Jan Vostrčil
Head of Committee
Josef Šebánek
Committee Member
František Debelka
Committee Member
Josef Valnoha
Committee MemberLadislav Adam
Committee MemberVratislav Čermák
Committee MemberVáclav Novotný
Committee MemberFrantišek Paska
Committee MemberFrantišek Reinstein
Committee MemberJosef Řehořek
Committee MemberJ. Řeháček
Commitee Member
Josef Kolb
Josef
Milada Ježková
Josef's WifeFrantišek Svět
Old Man
Jan Stöckl
Retired Fire Chief
Antonín Blažejovský
StandaJosef Kutálek
LudvaStanislav Holubec
KarelAlena Květová
RůženkaOlga Blechová
Ivana Freiburgová
Miss Contest NomineeMarie Slívová
Miss ContestantV. Bartošová
Miss Contest NomineeV. Janusová
Miss Contest NomineeE. Šnajdrová
Miss Contest NomineeHana Kuberová
Miss ContestantMiluše Zelená
Miss ContestantAnna Liepoldová
MarieJiří Líbal
RescuerMiloslav Balcar
Marie Kovářová
WifeJarmila Kuchařová
Wife
Vlastimila Vlková
Hana Hanusová
Miss Contestant
Stanislav Dytrich
WaiterF. Řehořková
M. Mejsnarová
Released
cs
- #small town
- #dark comedy
- #czechoslovakia
- #political satire
- #czech new wave
- #communist era
- #joyful
Reviews
Miloš Forman's final film in the Czech language is a pure critique of bureaucracy. Set entirely at a banquet honoring a dying, 86-year-old former fire chief, it masterfully depicts the event's descent into fiasco. The film exposes the decay of Czechoslovak society and its so-called socialism, making the audience smile and even laugh, all without ever compromising its sharp comedic edge. It is a ra