Comedy,Drama
Czech Republic,Italy
The Firemen's Ball is a 1967 Czechoslovakian comedy film directed by Milos Forman. The story revolves around the annual ball organized by the volunteer fire brigade of a small town in Czechoslovakia. The ball is being held in honor of the fire brigade’s longtime chief, who is about to retire.
However, things do not go according to plan. First, the firefighters are shown to be bumbling and incompetent. They are unable to organize a raffle and have to rely on donations. One prize, a ham, gets stolen even before the ball begins. Another prize, a new fire engine, is too big to be moved into the hall.
Moreover, the townspeople are not very enthusiastic about attending the ball. The only way to entice them is to have a beauty pageant in which the young women of the town compete to win a crown. However, when the chief judge for the pageant falls ill, the judges are forced to improvise.
To top it all off, a fire unexpectedly breaks out during the ball. The firefighters rush to put it out, but they find that their hose is too short. As a result, they try to convince the residents to throw buckets of water on the fire.
The Firemen's Ball is a satirical comedy that humorously comments on the comical failings of socialism in post-war Czechoslovakia. The movie's main focus is on bureaucracy in government and incompetent leadership. Despite its satirical nature, it also has a humane quality that endears it to viewers. The film was banned soon after its release and was one of the last movies released before Czechoslovakia underwent significant political change.
