The Firemen’s Ball (Milos Forman (Czechoslovakia, 1968)) April 20, 2007

(Horí, má panenko). “Forman once spent some time writing in a small mountain town, where he visited a ball given by the local fire brigade. What he saw there left such an indelible impression upon him that he decided to make this the basis for his next film. Here is a jubilant comedy of errors. . . . Forman has collected a wonderful batch of human beings, with every face illustrating the varied moods and experiences of Czechoslovak living—he offers us a true-to-life, unglamorous perception of people in hilarious situations. This is really a document of a non-triumphal ball, where the spectator is given the position of amused omniscience, and the actors are nonprofessional and ingeniously correct. As the ball progresses, one is able to wander from event to event, climaxed by a confrontation with some of the most pathetic nonbeauties ever gathered together to win the Miss Vrchlabi prize.”

—Albert Johnson, SFIFF 1968

• Written by Forman, Ivan Passer, Jaroslav Papousek. Photographed by Miroslav Ondricek. With Vaclav Stockel, Josef Svet, Jan Vostrcil, Josef Kolb. (75 mins, In Czech with English subtitles, B&W, 35mm, From National Film Archive, Czech Republic)

Official Website: http://bampfa.berkeley.edu/film/FN16394