The Firemen's Ball (1967)

★ 7.1 1h 13m 259 votes IMDb
Comedy
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The firemen of a provincial Czechoslovakian town throw a ball in honor of the old chief's retirement. There will be music and dancing, a beauty pageant and a raffle. The whole town will be in attendance. However, the proceedings are dogged by difficulty at every step. Workplace injuries, stolen prizes, a shortage of pretty girls... and fire.

The Firemen's Ball

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Cast

Jan Vostrčil
Jan Vostrčil as Head of Committee Died 1985 · Príluka, Austria-Hungary Jan Vostrcil was an actor, known for The Firemen's Ball (1967), Black Peter (1964) and The Loves of a Blonde (1965). He died in 1985..
František Debelka
František Debelka as Committee Member
Josef Valnoha
Josef Valnoha as Committee Member
Josef Kolb
Josef Kolb as Josef Died 1982
Milada Ježková
Milada Ježková as Josef's Wife Died 1994 · Prague, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary [now Czech Republic]
Jan Stöckl
Jan Stöckl as Retired Fire Chief
Director Miloš Forman
Cast Jan Vostrčil, Josef Šebánek, František Debelka, Josef Valnoha, Ladislav Adam, Vratislav Čermák, Václav Novotný, František Paska, František Reinstein, Josef Řehořek

Audience Reviews

deepkino 7/10 Sep 27, 2025
Miloš Forman's final film in the Czech language is a pure critique of bureaucracy. Set entirely at a banquet honoring a dying, 86-year-old former fire chief, it masterfully depicts the event's descent into fiasco. The film exposes the decay of Czechoslovak society and its so-called socialism, making the audience smile and even laugh, all without ever compromising its sharp comedic edge. It is a rare work that brilliantly critiques authority through humor.

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