Italy, Czechoslovakia, 1967. Unable to add item to List. 524 likes. The Firemen's Ball is an uproarious comedy of incompetence, mining laughs and sharp satire from an allegory that is amusing and distressing in equal measure. Things, however, don’t go as planned. This may be an unknown classic for many, but it deserves to be known by millions. Admittedly it is decades old so the theme, old men trying to organise a beauty competition, is very dated. Please try again. Tonal subtleties may not have come across. Mattias Thuresson. “The Firemen’s Ball” tells the story of a volunteer firemen’s ball in a provincial town. The firemen of a provincial Czechoslovakian town throw a ball in honor of the old chief's retirement. The entry is 8kc and attractions include a band, a tombola and a beauty pageant. Directed by Milos Forman, The Firemen's Ball is a film that illustrates the failings of bureaucracy & authority in their totality. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 22, 2019, We saw this film at our film club. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? The firemen in some small Czech town are honoring one of their oldest colleagues, who is 85 years old and has terminal cancer, although apparently nobody's told him. Buy The Firemen’s Ball from Amazon HERE. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. What is wonderful about it, and characteristic of Czech movies I've seen, is that it makes it's point but keeps its sense of humor and proportion. I think that only a collector of this director's films would want to own this. The firemen decide to have a ball. The film is a satire on a town under the communist regime, and a parable about a community where one person’s failure can decide the fate of others. 73. The characters in this wicked satire are portrayed with humor, affection and above all a level of realism that remains unsurpassed. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. Chaos rules at a fire chief's retirement party in rural Czechoslovakia. A small town’s fire department is having a party to celebrate their ex-boss’ 86th birthday. Add the first question. Milos Forman directed it (and also, among other things, Amadeus and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest). I first watched this film on regular TV in the 60's. When The Firemen’s Ball was banned in Czechoslovakia after the Soviet invasion of 1968, Forman immigrated to the United States; he became a U.S. citizen in 1975. Unfortunately in my opinion, if you see this film you might think that Carry-On films were the height of comedy. Use the HTML below. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. A real treat of a movie, and an important one, as well. The Firemen’s Ball is, essentially, a farce of communist society. Instead, he allows the ridicule that comes by way of the eventual self-implosion of communist societies to shine through. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. It is not a long film, 75 minutes, But even watching it at double speed as mostly I did, it seemed to be about three hours long. Inspired by the New Wave of France, a generation of Czech filmmakers created, for a time, a zone of freedom. The story is slight but builds irrevocably towards its conclusion, where details that seem innocuous in the set up suddenly take on massive significance. Why would a comedy about incompetent firefighters, belonging to a small provisional town, enrage the Communist Party so as to halt its release and subsequently lead to … I think I bought this because I was under the impression that it was quirky, which is something that also appeals to me. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. Given all that they've had to put up with over the years, that they can be critical while remaining amusing, is a triumph. Forman had to deny that there was a political message behind the film in Socialist late 60's Czechoslavakia. I quite like foreign films when they are a refreshing change from those of our own culture. But what I saw was funny, a little map-cap like some old Brit comedies. Take a look ahead at all the major movie releases coming to theaters and streaming this season. This is a comedy about some Fireman who are having a charity ball. We are made up of volunteer and career firefighters who serve their community from fire stations in downtown Jackson (Station 1) and Adams Canyon (Station 7). It's a satire on how things didn't work in the "good old" soviet days. What makes the film so effective is that the director does not force or overstate the many powerful criticisms that it makes. Directed by Miloš Forman • 1967 • Czechoslovakia Starring Jan Vostrcil, Josef Šebánek, František Reinstein A milestone of the Czech New Wave, Miloš Forman’s first color film THE FIREMEN’S BALL is both a dazzling comedy and a provocative political satire. The Firemen's Ball (1968) ~ Trailer. A factory manager in rural Czechoslovakia bargains with the army to send men to the area, to boost the morale of his young female workers, deprived of male company since the local boys have... See full summary ». Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2020, It was great then, and still as funny now, Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2017. Firemen’s balls – or bals des pompiers – are all-night soirées held in fire stations across Paris’s 20 arrondissements and the surrounding Île-de-France region. Often hilarious comedy was an early effort by Forman. Other articles where The Firemen’s Ball is discussed: Miloš Forman: …in Hoří, má panenko (1967; The Firemen’s Ball), which explored social and moral issues with gentle satire. It’s winter in a small mountain town in Czechoslovakia, and time for the Firemen’s Ball, an annual comedy of errors to which the firemen, mostly elderly, look forward with delight, especially at the prospect of the inevitable beauty-queen contest. Sarah Sutherland Returns Home in Exclusive Trailer for Like a House on Fire, Agnieszka Holland (‘Charlatan’) on her Czech International Feature Oscar contender: ‘It’s an intimate story with an epic scope’ [Exclusive Video Interview]. Two closely related episodes. I saw this in 1969 while on acid. Was this review helpful to you? Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Film Gorillas. In the end, Forman does what he does best -- he leaves you torn between laughter and tears. The firemen of a provincial Czechoslovakian town throw a ball in honor of the old chief’s retirement. I hadn’t seen the film since the early 1970s, when I wrote a paper as an undergraduate at the University of Delaware on the Czech New Wave for one of my first film studies classes. Had I only recorded it from television I would have given up after 15 minutes but as I had unwisely paid for it I watched it all in case it redeemed itself. This film is a must-see, especially for those who are interested in understanding how filmmaking evolved in the 60s. This 73-minute movie, its premise scarcely more than an anecdote, finds an entire universe in the benefit gala staged by a group of inept, officious, mildly corrupt—in short, intensely human—volunteer firefighters. Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2002. However, the proceedings are dogged by difficulty at every step. Follow. The Firemen’s Ball A milestone of the Czech New Wave, Milos Forman’s first color film The Firemen’s Ball (Horí, má panenko) is both a dazzling comedy and a provocative political satire. The volunteer fire department in a small town is having a big party when the ex-boss of the department celebrates his 86th birthday. Much better after restoration of scratches on the original film. The cast was unattractive to such a degree that it may have been intentional, but in no way made the viewing experience more pleasurable. Sadly I felt asleep for part of it!!! Written by Synopsis. Someone is stealing the prizes to the lottery and the candidates for the Miss Fire-Department beauty contest are neither willing nor particularly beautiful. Workplace injuries, stolen prizes, a shortage of pretty girls… and fire. They rip off older men, feast in lavish meals and do all kinds of mischief. 71 min - Comedy | Drama - 29 September 1968 (USA) The fire department in a small town is having a big party when the ex-boss of the department celebrates his 86th birthday. Miloš Forman. The young couple Uli and Vanilla want to split up, but lust and money get in their way. He has a rare talent for presenting humans, not necessarily pretty, but engaging and natural. The Firemen's Ball ", Search for "The Firemen's Ball" on Amazon.com, Title: Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in. Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! The last, best, and funniest movie Milos Forman would make in his native Czechoslovakia, The Firemen’s Ball is a deceptively simple miniature. The whole town will be in attendance. The Firemen's Ball is one of a handful of Czech films that defined the "New Wave" era, and had a profound influence on filmmakers and critics around the world. "And I die," Cries true-love, There laid low. The Firemen's Ball Committee helps raise money for the Junction City Volunteer Fire Dept. Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. "The Firemen's Ball" was released in 1967, late in the "Prague spring" of liberalism and free expression that generated, and was nourished by, the Czech New Wave. There'll be a drawing for prizes, a lot to eat and drink, a beauty contest and a ceremony to honor the old retired chief. Eight film artists from different countries are given carte blanche to make a collection of short documentaries on the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics, offering unexpected, original and often humorous perspectives. The committee of a small-town fire department is arranging a ball. Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2021, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. The firemen of a provincial Czechoslovakian town throw a ball in honor of the old chief’s retirement. Closely Watched Trains (The Criterion Collection), Closely Observed Trains [Dual Format Blu-ray + DVD] [Region Free], GODZILLA: THE SHOWA-ERA FILMS, 1954–1975 (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]. There will be music and dancing, a beauty pageant and a raffle. Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2020, Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2016, Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2015, Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2014, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 27, 2019. After I'd seen Kolya, which is, to my mind, a Great Film. 'Tis the firemen's ball, 'Tis the firemen's ball. The whole town is invited but things don't go as planned. While searching for their runaway teenage daughter, the parents rediscover life's joys as they get acquainted with a self-help group for parents of vanished children. I recently re-viewed Miloš Forman’s 1968 Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, The Firemen’s Ball (Hoří, má panenko, 1967) for a talk at the Wende Museum in Los Angeles. Forman encourages us in an introduction to not think too much. 6 years ago | 7.9K views. It didn't. (1967). A volunteer fire department throws a party for their former boss with the whole town invited, but nothing goes as planned. It was great then, and still as funny now, although without the visual hallucinations I saw after leaving the theater of an Allosaurus with the head of Hubert Humphrey. The Firemen's Ball (or The Fireman's Ball; Czech: Hoří, má panenko - "There’s a fire, my lady") is a 1967 comedy film directed by Miloš Forman.It is set at the annual ball of a small town's volunteer fire department, and the plot portrays the series of disasters that occur during the evening. There will be music and dancing, a beauty pageant and a raffle. MCU fans, here are some streaming picks to watch while you wait for the next episode of "The Falcon and the Winter Solider. This FAQ is empty. 28 of 32 people found this review helpful. "I am slain," Cries true-love There in the shadow. Everyone in town will come. Every July, Firemen's Balls - Bals des Pompiers - become hot spots of Bastille Day revelry at fire stations and other special venues across Paris. Trailer. Also, being subtitled, some of the humour may have been lost in translation, as were many of the badly-devised subtitles lost against the background. Without hesitation, I place "The Firemen's Ball" to the apex of world comedy, together with Buster Keaton's "The General", Stanley Kramer's "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad World", Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein" and Billy Wilder's "Some Like It Hot". It relies heavily on dialogue whereas if it had been a more visual comedy it might have worked better. The Firemen's Ball (1967) **** Watching Forman's acclaimed comedy ''The Firemen's Ball'' was a very unique movie-going experience. Set in Central Europe during World War II, a demented cremator believes cremation relieves earthly suffering and sets out to save the world. THE FIREMEN'S BALL Hoří, má panenko. I started looking for Czech movies. Restaurace Strelnice, Vrchlabí, Czech Republic. View production, box office, & company info. The Firemen’s Ball (‘Hori ma panenko’, 1967) was Milos Forman’s first color and last Czech film. The Fireman's Ball is one. Some scenes seemed to go on for much too long. "When the fire-dreams come, The wise dreams go." Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2014. The Firemen's Ball 1967 | 13+ | 1h 10m | Classic Movies When a group of well-meaning firemen throws a party for their retiring chief, the festivities begin to suffer from one comic mishap after another. It's something - isn't it - that north American politically minded folks can't do. The whole town is invited but things don't go as planned. one of the great comedies in cinema history / on art vs. ideology. The whole town will be in attendance. But what is all this leading to? Directed by. They meant to, but something came up and they didn't. The whole town is invited but things don't go as planned. Comedy, Drama. However, the proceedings are dogged by difficulty at every step. A carpenter in the Fascist Slovak State is appointed "Aryan controller" of a Jewish widow's store. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Please try again. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Funny-wise, this is the definition of INTELLIGENCE, WITS, SPIRIT, INSPIRATION, BRIGHTNESS. The Firemen's Ball (1968) Best known in America as the Academy Award-winning director of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and Amadeus (1984), Milos Forman originally gained recognition as part of the Czech New Wave. But Firemen's Ball is a personal favorite, probably due to the fact that I lived in the Czech Republic for five years, and attended similar village balls. The Firemen's Ball (The Criterion Collection) Jan Vostrcil (Actor), Josef Sebanek (Actor), Milos Forman (Director, Writer) Miloš Forman’s The Firemen’s Ball drew harsh criticism from Czechoslovakia’s Communist government due to the film being viewed as a subtle critique of the Soviet system. BUT HIS CRY IS DROWNED BY THE PROUD BAND-MASTER. 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