The first time I saw "The Firemen's Ball" I found myself bored in the last quarter of the movie. But something drew me back. Nevertheless I still loved it, and knew I had experienced an incomparable piece of cinema. The second time I loved it even more, but still found a portion, albeit much less, of the movie tedious. This is the charm of "The Firemen's Ball," famously banned "forever" and Milos Forman's swan song to Czech filmmaking. It is not, in the sense of the word, a riotous comedy. There are a lot of clever sight gags and funny dialogue, but it is a matter of preference whether you prefer endless little laughs or limited big laughs. I've seen the film multiple times, and each time I see it I love it even more. It's like a cake that gets better with more and more birthdays, or rather a lovely painting that improves with touch-ups. The source for why I love this movie becomes increasingly evident with these viewings. For one, Forman structures a comedy like you should: Disperse laughs (don't aim for just the big ones and then put in boring filler as an excuse for narrative), don't leave certain parts silent so you can hear the next joke (some people might see it more than once and often what made them roll on the floor initially might later lose its edge), and lastly make sure the humor is versatile (it can appeal to both smart people and admittedly dumb people). Forman captures, as he does with all of his films, the essence of human nature. Essentially, it is a parody of the ordinary life of an everyman. There is nothing funny about this life in first person. But in third person, life is a hilarious charade of nonsense. Fans of the genre might remember the tagline on the poster of Blake Edwards' The Party: "If you've ever been to a wilder party — you're under arrest!" The party in this movie is absolutely crazy. But, seriously, all the stuff in this movie usually happens at every party, it's just how Forman chooses to adapt the camera to real life is what makes it funny. Through this cinematic filter, the ultimate joke of life is revealed. The firemen are numbskulls, the ball is out of control, the attendees are psychotic, and the 86 year old man (who his colleagues treat like a lobotomized dog) is the ultimate expression of honesty. If the Czechs had been a little less shallow, they might have realized this movie puts everybody on the same, unsinkable boat.

The fire department in a small town is having a big party when the ex-boss of the department celebrates his 86th birthday. The whole town is invited but things don't go as planned. Someone is stealing the prizes to the lottery and the candidates for the Miss Fire-Department beauty contest are neither willing nor particularly beautiful.The film has widely been interpreted as a satire on the East European Communist system, and it was "banned forever" in Czechoslovakia following the Soviet invasion of 1968. Forman reflected that the film was not intended to be a satire of any particular government, saying, "I didn't want to give any special message or allegory. I wanted just to make a comedy knowing that if I'll be real, if I'll be true, the film will automatically reveal an allegorical sense. That's a problem of all governments, of all committees, including firemen's committees. That they try and they pretend and they announce that they are preparing a happy, gay, amusing evening or life for the people. And everybody has the best intentions... But suddenly things turn out in such a catastrophic way that, for me, this is a vision of what's going on today in the world." And he is right. This is not anti-Soviet or anti-Czech. It plays just as well in the United States as a satire on bureaucracy, or could be seen without any satire at all... why not just a group of bumbling men? When Abbott and Costello pretend to be something, is it an insult to that profession? Of course not.

This Czech satire is nearly perfect for what it is, but you'll have to decide its value for you. It's smart and thought-out.But it's illuminating how it is unlike the previous film of the same team of writer and filmmaker, Loves of a Blonde. Both films are about social situations as they engage and spin humans. In Loves however, each situation was both a skit and sensitive insight of the heroine exploring herself through her stories of having been explored by men.The main situation here is that it's the annual firemen's ball. But each new one on top of that is simply diversion, plainly so. The beauty contest as diversion from honoring the previous chairman. The fire as diversion from gawking at the girls. The stolen lottery as diversion from the plight of the man whose house burned down. There is a lot of hiding around and fooling others. The childish firemen in their fine uniforms may as well be Party higherups, tasked through the night to carry out a few simple duties, all of which they bungle, all because they wanted some diversion. (the girls are deliberately ugly, to keep us from gawking and missing the point)Where Bunuel would cruelly emphasize stupidity, Forman shows petty but human beings, retains a spontaneous flow of life, all of which elevate the film to something I can enjoy.But as with every film, it comes down to what you think sufficiently explains the world. Is it foolishness in the gears of state? Is it desire, stifled or overflowing that's causing misery? Some more puzzling urge for story in the soul that is creating images?More to the point, the film is about the emptiness of having to be entertained. So it is perfect for what it is. At what cost though? The film itself is empty. So you'll have to decide the value and novelty of the lesson.

The Fireman's Ball was a very interesting film from director Milos Forman. I personally prefer Amadeus and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, but I was surprised at how good The Fireman's Ball was. My only real problem is the length, if anything I wished the film was longer.That said, it is very well made with a realistic setting and superb editing. Forman directs wonderfully, the script is deep and funny and the story changing from gently mocking small-town manners to a blazing allegorical satire on the incompetence of the rulers drew me right in. The pace was taut, there are many details to be admired not just with the ball but with the satire and politics too and the acting is great.All in all, a very interesting film but not the career-best film from a talented director such as Forman. It is still worth a watch though, and works on repeat viewings. 8/10 Bethany Cox