Hoří, má panenko
Al fuoco pompieri!
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)Plots(1)
In a village under the Giant Mountains, a firemens' ball is in preparation. The former chairman of the firemen, Vrána, is to be rewarded by a golden axe for fifty years of service in the firemens' corps. The men decorate the dancing hall: there is a rich tombola prepared on two tables in the corner, guarded by Josef, one of the members of the committee. When the ball begins, the rest of the committee members try to find girls - candidates for the ball's beauty queen competition. But they are unable to agree upon the winner and their decision-making is moreover constantly influenced by their family members. There are many unpleasant situations during the selection of girls behind the closed door of the office. The whole action results in a fiasco - the girls are shy and refuse to come up to the stage. Josef, too, faces some problems. Every time he leaves the tombola to have a beer, something disappears from the tables. Later, he finds out that the stolen collared pork resides hidden in his wife's bag. In the midst of the celebrations, a fire bursts out in the village. Although the firemen do their best, the wooden cottage of old man Havelka burns to the ground. The villagers decide to donate the tombola takings to him. Upon their return to the dance hall, however, they find the tables with the tombola all empty. The organizers ask the people present to return everything, but the only one to be found by the tables is the innocent Josef who wanted to correct his wife's wrongdoings. The ball is over, people walk away. There is only Vrána sitting in the empty hall, waiting for his reward. But that, unfortunately, was stolen, too. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (8)
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 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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The Firemen’s Ball is my favourite of Forman's Czech films from the 1960s, and from time to time I like returning to it, with its exceptionally curious choice of a beauty queen (well - actually just a selection of candidates) and the bizarre prizes of the raffle slowly disappearing, while a feeling of boundless (but very desirable) awkwardness grows to unprecedented proportions during the screening. The ubiquitous humorous touch is transformed into a dense, even poignant feeling at the end – during the cottage fire I felt an unpleasant chill down my spine. Now a cult classic of its genre, it has an exquisitely timeless atmosphere.
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Tragicomic film, where personally I feel more emphasis on the tragedy because even though the movie is quite relaxed, I can't help but see how people behave and how these caricatures in Forman's film are real. Hypocrisy, greed, disrespect, and mediocrity, all hidden under the fact that you have some, basically any title.
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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 (21)
Photo © Filmové studio Barrandov / Jaromír Komárek
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