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The Firemen’s Ball

On one level The Firemen’s Ball is an accomplished screwball comedy, on another level, it’s a work of subversive genius so trenchant it brought a government ban and compelled the filmmaker to leave his home country. Taking aim at the communist Czech government on the eve of Prague Spring, Milos Forman (One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Amadeus) crafted perhaps the most incisive satire ever to come out of the Eastern bloc, not to mention the crown jewel of the Czech New Wave. This deceptively simple story follows a provincial fire brigade’s fundraising ball falling apart in every which way, from pilfered raffle prizes to a beauty pageant lined with reluctant contestants.

“The movie is just plain funny. And as a parable it is timeless, with relevance at many times in many lands.” – Roger Ebert

Marc Edward Heuck discusses The Firemen’s Ball on the New Beverly blog.

 

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