The Fireman's Ball

The film is an excursion into the Czech petit-bourgeois relationships with their short lasting friendships, empty heads, “long” fingers, and no conscience whatsoever. All of these characteristics are portrayed against the background of a firemen’s ball. The director Miloš Forman and his cinematographer Miroslav Ondříček are truly merciless in their caricature of the Czech national character. The comedy soon becomes a tragic farce. Great attention is paid to details, gestures and dialogues.