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 well deserved great cult-classic, whose humour will be relevant for a long time thanks to the perfectly cast non-actors. The scene with the selection of the beauty queen in particular is simply flawless, especially the expression of Šebánek and co. after the arrival of all the girls' "jewels". Miloš Forman had it in the bag from the beginning of his career, he knew what to expect from a film and what to do about it, and this funny and nostalgic movie is a clear proof of that.
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Miloš Forman applied his excellent observational talent through a reflective portrayal of the contemporary political atmosphere. The final fire brigade meeting on the topic of "those who stole are doing well" is the best evidence of that. An unrestrained satirical view of typical Czech pettiness that blindly aspires to high goals – the beauty pageant, and then skillfully combined with folk humor – the quarrel of old spouses over who will watch the tombola. At first glance, it may seem naively simple, but at its core, it is profoundly intelligent and incredibly truthful to the extent that the safe was absolutely "justified" in its time.
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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.
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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.
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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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Gallery (22)
Photo © Filmové studio Barrandov / Jaromír Komárek
![The Firemen's Ball - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/167/435/167435466_djd9yt.jpg)
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