Horí, má panenko (1967)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Milos Forman

Writers:

Milos Forman (screenplay)
Jaroslav Papousek (screenplay)

Release Date:

29 September 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

A Masterpiece from Czechoslovakia

Plot:

The fire department in a small town is having a big party when the ex-boss of the department celebrates his 86th birthday...

Plot Keywords:

Beauty Contest | Party

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Jan Vostrcil	...	Head of Committee
Josef Sebánek	...	Committee Member #2
Josef Valnoha	...	Committee Member
Frantisek Debelka	...	Committee Member #1
Josef Kolb	...	Josef
Jan Stöckl	...	Retired Fire Chief
Vratislav Cermák	...	Committee Member
Josef Rehorek	...	Committee Member #4
Václav Novotný	...	Committee Member
Frantisek Reinstein	...	Committee Member
Frantisek Paska	...	Committee Member
Stanislav Holubec	...	Karel
Josef Kutálek	...	Ludva
Frantisek Svet	...	Old Man
Ladislav Adam	...	Committee Member

Also Known As:

Al fuoco pompieri! (Italy) (alternative title)
Fuoco, ragazza mia (Italy)
Hoří, má panenko (Czechoslovakia: Czech title)
Like a House on Fire
The Fireman's Ball (UK)
The Firemen's Ball (USA)
The Firemen's Ball and Lottery (USA) (DVD title)

Runtime:

71 min

Country:

Czechoslovakia | Italy

Language:

Czech

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:U (original rating) | France:U | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:S | Sweden:11 | West Germany:6

Company:

Carlo Ponti Cinematografica

Trivia:

Banned in 1968 by the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Simpsons Movie (2007)

One of the Top-Five Comedies Ever

Without hesitation, I place "The Firemen's Ball" to the apex of world comedy, together with Buster Keaton's "The General", Stanley Kramer's "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad World", Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein" and Billy Wilder's "Some Like It Hot".

Funny-wise, this is the definition of INTELLIGENCE, WITS, SPIRIT, INSPIRATION, BRIGHTNESS. The laughs are coming non-stop, in an atrocious vein. But there is much more than that...

Yes, there is much more - because, all being said and done, we watch an extremely sad story... The poor blundering provincials, limited, foolish, ridiculous in their stupidity, pathetically try to have a good time, and they only arrive to set-up a grotesque, sub-human masquerade... Innocent in their insanity, childish in their ignorance, their solemn ball looks like a parade of apes dressed as human beings. And the (you-know-what) hits the fan at the moment when things get really serious: the fire at Pan Havelka's house. During that excruciating scene, we really see the fallacy of it all.

The ending - all of it! - is the top of the masterpiece. The solemn delivery of the homage (that was stolen also from its case!), followed by the dawn shot of the two poor old men covering themselves with the same blanket, under the gently beginning snow-fall, is worthy of Chaplin. Definitely, with this movie, Forman offered a priceless heritage to the world of cinema - and culture; and spirit; and HUMANITY.