The Firemen's Ball
1967 · Movie · 73 min
★ 7.1(251)unSUB Rating
At a small-town fire brigade ball honoring a retiring chief, the night promises music, dancing, a raffle, and a beauty contest. But as the celebration unfolds, missing prizes, awkward organizing, and mounting mishaps turn the event into a chaotic comedy that keeps slipping further out of control.
Also known as Like a House on Fire
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Details
- Original title
- Hoří, má panenko
- Years
- 1967
- Release date
- 1967-12-15
- Language
- CS
- Runtime
- 73 min
- TMDB rating (input)
- 7.1/10 (251 votes)
About
If you enjoy dry, escalating social farce and satire of committees and small-town incompetence, this pairs well with Loves of a Blonde or Closely Watched Trains; Not for you if awkward humor and messy chaos frustrate you.
Pros: sharp satire of bureaucracy; constant escalating mishaps; funny, human chaos | Cons: uneven laughs for some; mean-spirited pageant moments; can feel aimless
Themes
- small town
- dark comedy
- czechoslovakia
- political satire
- czech new wave
- communist era
- joyful
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best International Feature Film · 1969 · nominated
- International Submission to the Academy Awards · 1969 · nominated
Cast & crew
Jan Vostrčil
as Head of Committee
- JŠ
Josef Šebánek
as Committee Member
František Debelka
as Committee Member
Josef Valnoha
as Committee Member
- LA
Ladislav Adam
as Committee Member
- VČ
Vratislav Čermák
as Committee Member
- VN
Václav Novotný
as Committee Member
- FP
František Paska
as Committee Member
- FR
František Reinstein
as Committee Member
- JŘ
Josef Řehořek
as Committee Member
Directed by Miloš Forman