Dry Humor, Witty and Fun
I still love this movie. It's an exaggeration of how people behave, under all forms of government, in my opinion. That's why most viewers can identify with it and find it amusing. Just read the book, Five-Finger Discount, which humorously outlines the every day petty theft of the American author's middleclass family and relatives, one an established lawyer. Of course the idea of incompetent firemen responding to a fire in the manner of the Three Stooges is another matter, and this wouldn't be funny in real life.

You can ring the bell
I decided to fast forward Milos Foreman's statement which proceeds the picture after hearing him say that 40,000 Czech fireman resigned in protest to his film. After all, that proves to be a hell of an achievement, call it what you want to, a more volatile response to a work of art I'd like to hear, and it seemed a charged spiel that might have been too much before the picture. I watched the remainder of his speech after the film, and it turns out what he has to say does not preclude an objective visual of the film, but I hold with my choice.
One of the greatest aspects of The Fireman's Ball is it's brevity. Any geo-social perspective proves unnecessary, as the tale of a night's celebration unfolds with local fireman conspiring to award their retired chief with a notable axe. In so doing they prove themselves highly humane, in the most farcical sense, revealing what can easily be viewed as a critique of fascism, masculinity, small town life, the uniform, rote submission to order or even the silliness of pomp and circumstance. Having no pre-understood idea about what the film features is key. In that way I could be amazed at the subtle and minute quality of the characters, without being driven to observe this as a metaphor for something larger. To witness such artistry is a revelation. I hold that auteurism is legit, and appreciate Milos Foreman's works all the more.
Highly recommended.

poignant and subtle political satire
Milos Forman's 'fireman's ball' is a classic among political satires.. It is remarkable that a film so subtle would be condemned by the czech government. It, in fact, appears harmless to our sensibilities today.. this indicates just how repressive the czech government was at the time.. Not to indicate any superiority in the U.s. (think of all the books and movies that have sadly been censored and banned from schools and the like here)... The fact is this film is a great satire of a desperate nation - forman comments on the common phrase of the time - if you do not steal you are stealing from your family.
The technical aspects of the film are also spot on.. It is perfectly formed and sculpted at 73 min.. as elegant as a Borges short story.. highly recommended viewing.

Otto! Ottiku!
Hori, ma panenko (Firemen's Ball) is perhaps the finest example of the fresh, amusing, and humane style of the Czech New Wave. Milos Forman's movie is funny, sweet, and highly memorable. This is one of my very favorite films. Look especially for Josef Kolb and Milada Jezkova as an honest fireman and his perhaps less-than-honest wife; they are especially charming in this fine, mostly non-professional cast of real Czech firemen and townspeople.

A little disappointed
It's being hailed as one of Milos Forman's greatest films. He moved to America from Czechoslovakia after his film was banned "forever" in that country. I did find it somewhat amusing.

When a fireman's ball dissolved into anarchy, the movie then became truly interesting. One actor had a gift for showing a lot of emotions with his face and I enjoyed watching him. I suppose that the film says a lot about small town life in that country at the time it was made, and it certainly wasn't flattering. But the government must have been way too sensitive to make a fuss over a little bit of self-deprecating humor. I think the average Czech citizen would recognized a little of themselves and chuckled.