(Hori ma panenko). Forman is a master of moving the masses. In his organic-feeling films, banquets, auditions, and dances unfold with whimsical spontaneity. Not surprisingly, The Firemen’s Ball is a farcical fable about the failure of crowd control, about a Czech bureaucracy lost to its own bungling. The ball in question is organized by the old guard of the fire department; to a man, they rib, chide, and badger one another in what becomes an avalanche of comedic errors. To paraphrase one critic, the dance begins with a traditional polka, but before long everyone is swaying to the strains of absurdity. A beauty contest deteriorates into hilarity as the girls chosen are too timid to compete; the vast display of raffle prizes is pilfered, including the head cheese and a gold-plated hatchet; and outside in the cold, an elderly man’s house burns down while a few inept firefighters throw snow at the flames. This warmhearted satire was banned during the Communist chill.

—Steve Seid

• Written by Forman, Ivan Passer, Jaroslav Papousek. Photographed by Miroslav Ondricek. With Jan Vostrcil, Vaclav Stockel, Josef Kolb, Josef Svet. (75 mins, In Czech with English subtitles, Color, 35mm, From Janus/Criterion Collection)