The Firemen's Ball
Encyclopedia
The Firemen's Ball 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 consists of a collection of anecdotes told within that setting. The film uses no actors - the firemen portrayed are the firemen of the small town where it is set.
The Fireman's Ball was the last film Forman would make in his native Czechoslovakia
. It is also the first film he shot in color, and a milestone of the Czechoslovak New Wave
.
town decides to organize a ball in a townhall with lottery
and a beauty contest
. The firefighters also plan to present a small fire axe
as the birthday gift to their honorary
chairman who has a cancer
(although he doesn't know it).
During the ball the firefighter committee
is assembled to look for eight candidates for the beauty contest, but they have difficulty to find enough of them. One of the fathers continues to buy drinks for the committee members to get his obese daughter accepted.
During the ball the lottery prizes start to disappear from the table, especially food and drink disappear first. Josef, one of the firefighters suggests that the prizes have been stolen and tries to get them back without success - even his wife is involved in stealing.
After much trouble enough candidates for the beauty contest are found and they are told that the winner will present a gift to their honorary chairman after the end of the contest. However, when the contest begins, the girls decide not to participate and lock themselves in the bathroom. That makes the firefighter committee to draw the replacement candidates to the stage by using a force.
Soon after that the siren sounds because the house of an old man is on fire. All people immediately begin to leave the townhall without paying for the drink they consumed. With the fire engine stuck in the snow the firefighters can only save some furniture from the house but are unable to put down the fire.
To help the old man who lost almost everything in a fire, the firefighters decide to present him the lottery prizes but almost all of them have been stolen during the ball (except for some smaller items of lesser value). The firefighters order the people to return the stolen prizes when the lights go out but during the period of darkness the remaining items are also stolen. Realizing this, the fire board move to the backstage to discuss what they can do about the situation so their reputation will be saved. After they return to the hall all people are gone, with the exception of their honorary chairman. The committee presents him a gift box with the fire axe. But when the box is opened it turns out that the axe itself has also been stolen.
(1965), Forman, along with fellow screenwriters Ivan Passer and Jaroslav Papoušek, could not concentrate on their follow-up screenplay and so went to the north Bohemia
n town of Vrchlabí
to hole up in a hotel and concentrate on writing. "One evening, to amuse ourselves, we went to a real firemen's ball," Forman recalls. "What we saw was such a nightmare that we couldn't stop talking about it. So we abandoned what we were writing on to start this script."
The movie was shot in a typical local Palace of Culture
"Na střelnici" in Vrchlabí. Most of the actors were not professional actors (e.g. Josef Šebánek, Milada Ježková). To shoot the natural sound of their voices it was necessary to keep silence so during their dialogues the band just pretended to play and the dancing couples wore woollen socks or slippers.
crackdown, was "banned forever".
Carlo Ponti
, the film's Italian producer, also took umbrage at the film and pulled his financing, leaving Forman to face a possible 10 years imprisonment for "economic damage to the state". Fortunately, producers in Paris picked up the rights and spared him of the charges. The Prague Spring invasion occurred while Forman was still in Paris courting these producers, forcing him to emigrate.
at the 41st Academy Awards
. The film was also listed to compete at the 1968 Cannes Film Festival
, but the festival was cancelled due to the events of May 1968 in France.
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by Miloš Forman
Miloš Forman
Jan Tomáš Forman , better known as Miloš Forman , is a Czech-American director, screenwriter, professor, and an emigrant from Czechoslovakia. Two of his films, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Amadeus, are among the most celebrated in the history of film, both gaining him the Academy Award for...
. It is set at the annual ball of a small town's volunteer fire department, and the plot consists of a collection of anecdotes told within that setting. The film uses no actors - the firemen portrayed are the firemen of the small town where it is set.
The Fireman's Ball was the last film Forman would make in his native Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
. It is also the first film he shot in color, and a milestone of the Czechoslovak New Wave
Czechoslovak New Wave
The Czechoslovak New Wave is a term used for the early films of 1960s Czech directors Miloš Forman, Věra Chytilová, Ivan Passer, Jaroslav Papoušek, Jiří Menzel, Jan Němec, Jaromil Jireš, Vojtěch Jasný, Evald Schorm and Slovak directors Juraj Herz, Juraj Jakubisko, Štefan Uher, Ján Kádár, Elo...
.
Plot
The volunteer fire department in a small CzechoslovakCzechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
town decides to organize a ball in a townhall with lottery
Lottery
A lottery is a form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize.Lottery is outlawed by some governments, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments...
and a beauty contest
Beauty contest
A beauty pageant or beauty contest, is a competition that mainly focuses on the physical beauty of its contestants, although such contests often incorporate personality, talent, and answers to judges' questions as judged criteria...
. The firefighters also plan to present a small fire axe
Axe
The axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood; to harvest timber; as a weapon; and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol...
as the birthday gift to their honorary
Title of honor
An honorary title or title of honor is a title bestowed upon individuals or organizations as an award in recognition of their merits.Sometimes the title bears the same or nearly the same name as a title of authority, but the person bestowed does not have to carry any duties, possibly except for...
chairman who has a cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
(although he doesn't know it).
During the ball the firefighter committee
Committee
A committee is a type of small deliberative assembly that is usually intended to remain subordinate to another, larger deliberative assembly—which when organized so that action on committee requires a vote by all its entitled members, is called the "Committee of the Whole"...
is assembled to look for eight candidates for the beauty contest, but they have difficulty to find enough of them. One of the fathers continues to buy drinks for the committee members to get his obese daughter accepted.
During the ball the lottery prizes start to disappear from the table, especially food and drink disappear first. Josef, one of the firefighters suggests that the prizes have been stolen and tries to get them back without success - even his wife is involved in stealing.
After much trouble enough candidates for the beauty contest are found and they are told that the winner will present a gift to their honorary chairman after the end of the contest. However, when the contest begins, the girls decide not to participate and lock themselves in the bathroom. That makes the firefighter committee to draw the replacement candidates to the stage by using a force.
Soon after that the siren sounds because the house of an old man is on fire. All people immediately begin to leave the townhall without paying for the drink they consumed. With the fire engine stuck in the snow the firefighters can only save some furniture from the house but are unable to put down the fire.
To help the old man who lost almost everything in a fire, the firefighters decide to present him the lottery prizes but almost all of them have been stolen during the ball (except for some smaller items of lesser value). The firefighters order the people to return the stolen prizes when the lights go out but during the period of darkness the remaining items are also stolen. Realizing this, the fire board move to the backstage to discuss what they can do about the situation so their reputation will be saved. After they return to the hall all people are gone, with the exception of their honorary chairman. The committee presents him a gift box with the fire axe. But when the box is opened it turns out that the axe itself has also been stolen.
Cast
- Jan Vostrcil as Head of Committee
- Josef Sebánek as Committee Member #2
- Josef Valnoha as Committee Member
- Frantisek Debelka as Committee Member #1
- Josef Kolb as Josef
- Jan Stöckl as Retired Fire Chief
- Vratislav Cermák as Committee Member
- Josef Rehorek as Committee Member #4
- Václav Novotný as Committee Member
- Frantisek Reinstein as Committee Member
- Frantisek Paska as Committee Member
- Stanislav Holubec as Karel
- Josef Kutálek as Ludva
Background
After the success of Loves of a BlondeLoves of a Blonde
Loves of a Blonde is a 1965 Czechoslovakian film directed by Miloš Forman. It is also known under the alternate title of A Blonde in Love.-Plot:...
(1965), Forman, along with fellow screenwriters Ivan Passer and Jaroslav Papoušek, could not concentrate on their follow-up screenplay and so went to the north Bohemia
North Bohemia
North Bohemia , is a region in the north of the Czech Republic.- Location :North Bohemia roughly covers the present-day NUTS regional unit of CZ04 Severozápad and the western part of CZ05 Severovýchod....
n town of Vrchlabí
Vrchlabí
Vrchlabí is a town in the Czech Republic in the Giant Mountains . Nowadays it has about 13,000 inhabitants. It is notable for having a large Škoda Auto factory located there.-External links:***...
to hole up in a hotel and concentrate on writing. "One evening, to amuse ourselves, we went to a real firemen's ball," Forman recalls. "What we saw was such a nightmare that we couldn't stop talking about it. So we abandoned what we were writing on to start this script."
The movie was shot in a typical local Palace of Culture
Palace of Culture
Palace of Culture or House of Culture was the name for major club-houses in the former Soviet Union and the rest of the Eastern bloc. It was an establishment for all kinds of recreational activities and hobbies: sports, collecting, arts, etc., and the Palace of Culture was designed to have room...
"Na střelnici" in Vrchlabí. Most of the actors were not professional actors (e.g. Josef Šebánek, Milada Ježková). To shoot the natural sound of their voices it was necessary to keep silence so during their dialogues the band just pretended to play and the dancing couples wore woollen socks or slippers.
Controversy
Forman has always maintained that the film has no "hidden symbols or double meanings". However, the Czechoslovak head of state as well as the censors of the time viewed it as a political allegory. The film ran for three weeks during the Dubcek era, but after the Prague SpringPrague Spring
The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during the era of its domination by the Soviet Union after World War II...
crackdown, was "banned forever".
Carlo Ponti
Carlo Ponti
Carlo Ponti was an Italian film producer with over 140 production credits, and the husband of Italian movie star Sophia Loren.-Career:...
, the film's Italian producer, also took umbrage at the film and pulled his financing, leaving Forman to face a possible 10 years imprisonment for "economic damage to the state". Fortunately, producers in Paris picked up the rights and spared him of the charges. The Prague Spring invasion occurred while Forman was still in Paris courting these producers, forcing him to emigrate.
Awards
The film was nominated for the Best Foreign Language FilmAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
at the 41st Academy Awards
41st Academy Awards
The 41st Academy Awards were presented April 14, 1969 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. It was the first Academy Awards ceremony broadcast worldwide. There was no host....
. The film was also listed to compete at the 1968 Cannes Film Festival
1968 Cannes Film Festival
The 21st Cannes Film Festival was held on May 10 - 24, 1968, before being cancelled due to the turmoil of May 1968 in France.Peter Lennon's documentary Rocky Road To Dublin was to be the final film screened at the festival...
, but the festival was cancelled due to the events of May 1968 in France.
See also
- List of submissions to the 41st Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Czechoslovakia submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film