The legendary tragicomedy Hoří, má panenko (Firemen’s Ball), with which the then 35-year-old Miloš Forman brought the Czech part of his career to a close in 1967, ranks among the most exquisite pieces in the family silver of Czech cinematography. The unforgiving portrayal of a rural firemen’s ball is today regarded as a masterpiece of the Czechoslovak New Wave. At the time, however, it was rejected both by the state film industry and (unexpectedly) foreign co-producer Carlo Ponti. Domestic audiences had scant opportunity to enjoy Forman’s picture at the cinema: It was only screened for a few weeks after its December 1967 premiere before, accused of the gross distortion and denigration of socialist reality, being pulled from distribution. The period media repressed the fact that the film, which was to disappear into the normalisation censors’ vaults, received an Oscar nomination in the Best Foreign Language Film category. Domestic audiences did not get to see Firemen’s Ball until 1988, in the perestroika period. After November 1989 critics accorded it the status of a remorseless satire of 1960s communist society. However, Forman himself refused to regard his film as a parable of a particular period. The passing of time has in fact revealed its timeless qualities, primarily its chillingly grim mosaic of human embarrassment, set against a real backdrop with non-actors and with an outwardly spontaneous form. In the film, wretchedness – unaccompanied by shame – engulfs its collective hero: outwardly decent citizens who reveal their weaknesses in the election of a provincial beauty queen, the theft of raffle prizes and the extinguishing of a fire at a neighbour’s cottage. The restored version, created in close cooperation with Miroslav Ondříček, lacks the original opening title stating that the film is not directed against firemen. It was tacked on – in March 1968 – in reaction to artificially stoked protests from allegedly outraged Czech firemen.
In a village under the Giant Mountains, a firemens' ball is in preparation. The former chairman of the firemen, Vrána, is to be rewarded by a golden axe for fifty years of service in the firemens' corps. The men decorate the dancing hall: there is a rich tombola prepared on two tables in the corner, guarded by Josef, one of the members of the committee. When the ball begins, the rest of the committee members try to find girls - candidates for the ball's beauty queen competition. But they are unable to agree upon the winner and their decision-making is moreover constantly influenced by their family members. There are many unpleasant situations during the selection of girls behind the closed door of the office. The whole action results in a fiasco - the girls are shy and refuse to come up to the stage. Josef, too, faces some problems. Every time he leaves the tombola to have a beer, something disappears from the tables. Later, he finds out that the stolen collared pork resides hidden in his wife's bag. In the midst of the celebrations, a fire bursts out in the village. Although the firemen do their best, the wooden cottage of old man Havelka burns to the ground. The villagers decide to donate the tombola takings to him. Upon their return to the dance hall, however, they find the tables with the tombola all empty. The organizers ask the people present to return everything, but the only one to be found by the tables is the innocent Josef who wanted to correct his wife's wrongdoings. The ball is over, people walk away. There is only Vrána sitting in the empty hall, waiting for his reward. But that, unfortunately, was stolen, too.
The text of the song Fire!, the refrain of which gave the title to the film, was written by Fanda Mrázek, but in the film itself the composition is performed in the orchestral form only. The premiere has taken place outside Prague in Vrchlabí in October, 1967.
velitel požárníků, předseda plesového výboru
požárník, člen plesového výboru
požárník Franta, člen plesového výboru
požárník Ota, člen plesového výboru
člen plesového výboru
požárník, člen plesového výboru
požárník, člen plesového výboru
požárník, člen plesového výboru
požárník, člen plesového výboru
požárník, člen plesového výboru a konferenciér
požárník, člen plesového výboru
požárník Josef, hlídač tomboly
Josefova žena
děda Havelka
zasloužilý požárník Alois Vrána
Standa Zindulka
Ludva Metelka
požárník Václav, hlídač u vchodu
kandidátka na titul královny krásy Růženka, Metelkova dcera
nevybraná kandidátka na titul královny krásy
kandidátka na titul královny krásy
kandidátka na titul královny krásy
kandidátka na titul královny krásy Bartošová
kandidátka na titul královny krásy Hana
kandidátka na titul královny krásy
opilá kráska
kráska
Marie Matějíčková, kandidátka na titul královny krásy v plavkách
zachránce
Voice by Miloš Forman
Olda Balcar, muž věšící plakát
manželka
manželka
žena se židlí
Jarka
hospodský-číšník
Hanina matka
servírka
Rudolf Beneš, Vladimír Mácha, J. Suchý
Jaroslav Solnička, František Jaderník
Václav Polák
Pavla Marková (klapka), Jaromír Komárek (fotograf)
Orchestr Karla Vlacha (Music Conducted by Karel Vlach), Orchestr Slávy Kunsta (Music Conducted by Sláva Kunst), Dechová hudba Supraphon (Music Conducted by Jindřich Bauer), FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček), Ústřední hudba Československé lidové armády
Song Composer Karel Mareš
Writer of Lyrics Václav Fischer
Singer Milan ChladilJaromír Mayer
Song Composer Karel Hašler
Writer of Lyrics Karel Hašler
Singer Josef ZímaStudiový sbor Jana Svatoše
Song Composer Karel Mareš
Writer of Lyrics Bohuslav Nádvorník
Singer Zdeněk MatoušPetr Altman
Song Composer Karel Mareš
Writer of Lyrics Bohuslav Nádvorník
Singer Kühnův smíšený sbor
Song Composer Karel Mareš
Song Composer lidová píseňMiloš Vacek /úprava/
Song Composer František Kmoch
Song Composer Jaroslav Jankovec
Song Composer František Zita
Song Composer John LennonPaul McCartney
Hoří, má panenko
Hoří, má panenko
Firemen’s Ball
La Fiesta de bomberos
film
featuretheatrical distribution
comedy, satire
Czechoslovakia, Italy
1967
1967
literary Screenplay approved 7 July 1966
technical Screenplay approved 14 December 1966
start of filming 11 January 1967
end of filming 11 May 1967
the first film copy approved 22 August 1967
projection approval 12 October 1967
withdrawal from distribution 6 April 1973
withdrawal from distribution 1 October 1993
preview 17 October 1967 (Vrchlabí)
premiere 17 October 1967 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina Praha /½ týdne/, Jalta /4 týdny od 22. 12./ a Metro /4 týdny od 22. 12./, Praha)
premiere 15 December 1967 /unsuitable for youths/ (celostátní)
renewed premiere 1 January 1989 /suitable for youths/
renewed premiere 27 September 2012 /suitable for all ages/
Restored film, "The Firemen's Ball", is heading to the big screens. (2012)
Ústřední půjčovna filmů (původní 1967 a obnovená 1989), Bontonfilm (obnovená 2012)
Tvůrčí skupina Šebor – Bor, Vladimír Bor (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Jiří Šebor (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)
feature film
70 min
1 988 meters
16mm, 35mm, DCP 2-D, BRD
1:1,37
colour
sound
mono
Czech
Czech
without subtitles
Czech
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2018
Praha / Czech Republic
Event: Anketa Českého rozhlasu – Kánon100 (nejoblíbenější umělecká díla posledních 100 let)
2018
Praha / Czech Republic
Event: Anketa filmových kritiků o nejlepší česko-slovenský hraný film století
1998
Praha / Czech Republic
Exhibition: Přehlídka českých a slovenských filmů 69 Sorrento
1969
Sorrento / Italy
Miloš Forman
Event: 41. ročník Ceny americké Akademie filmových věd a umění Oscar 1968
1969
Hollywood, Los Angeles / United States of America
Event: Cena Československé federace filmových klubů
1969
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Miloš Forman
Event: Československá nominace na Cenu americké Akademie filmových věd a umění Oscar 1968
1968
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Event: Peněžitá odměna za film v rámci hodnocení produkce Filmového studia Barrandov v roce 1967
1968
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Miloš Forman
Event: Peněžitá odměna za film v rámci hodnocení produkce Filmového studia Barrandov v roce 1967
1968
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Miroslav Ondříček
Event: Peněžitá odměna za film v rámci hodnocení produkce Filmového studia Barrandov v roce 1967
1968
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Jaroslav Papoušek
Event: Múzy pražských diváků
1968
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Miloš Forman
Event: Peněžitá odměna za film v rámci hodnocení produkce Filmového studia Barrandov v roce 1967
1968
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Ivan Passer