Whereas Milos Foreman's earlier A Blonde In Love (1965) was more directly influenced by the French New Wave and a charming love story with wry humour, this is more laughs out loud funny. Still almost exclusively populated with non-actors who really did do something locally akin to what they do in the film, this colour film is most amusing whilst deliberately poking fun at the authoritarian regime. The latter element getting the movie 'banned forever'. Fairly short but there is not a wasted frame and kindly towards its ordinary folk, devastatingly critical to the hierarchy and hilarious throughout.
Review of The Firemen's Ball
