Episode 14: “The Firemen’s Ball” with Liam Billingham
A podcast about the great movies.
We’re back with our latest episode of Guide for the Film Fanatic! In each episode, Jason Bailey and Mike Hull invite a guest from the world of film (including filmmakers, authors, critics, actors, and more) to select one of the 1600+ “must-see movies” collected in Danny Peary’s seminal 1986 book, Guide for the Film Fanatic. Bailey, Hull, and their guests deep dive on each film, discussing its history, themes, style, performances, initial reception, and legacy, taking a fresh look at some of the most beloved titles in cinema history.
This week, Mr. Liam Billingham, the co-host of NOT ONE BUT TWO of our favorite movie podcasts, “Die Hard on a Blank” and “48 Hours of Buddy Movies,” joins us to discuss Miloš Forman’s final Czech picture, the sharp-as-a-shiv social satire The Firemen’s Ball.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. We’ve partnered up with One Heat Minute Productions on this show, so we’ve migrating it over to their feed; subscribe now if you haven’t already.
We’re also putting our new episodes up on YouTube! Watch the show on our YouTube channel, @guideforthefilmfanatic, for visual accompaniment and bonus stuff and who knows what else:
The Firemen’s Ball is streaming on the Criterion Channel and available for digital rental or purchase on Apple TV. You can also watch that wacky Australian TV spot here. You can read the New York Times review here.
LINKS: We mentioned our “Fun City Cinema” episode that covers Forman’s Taking Off — you can listen to that here. You can hear us discuss Amadeus with guest Andrea Chalupa on the second season 1984 episode of “A Very Good Year” here. And you can pick up that Fun City Editions Blu-ray of Born to Win, directed by Forman’s pal Ivan Passer and featuring an audio commentary by Jason and Mike, right here (and listen to a sample of it here).
“Die Hard on a Blank” is available wherever you get your podcasts; “48 Hours of Buddy Movies” is available exclusively via Patreon, and it’s the best $5 (or $7) per month you can spend. If you’d like to check out the YouTube page for Mike’s other podcast, Black Diplomats, it’s here. And Jason’s new book Gandolfini: Jim, Tony, and the Life of a Legend is OUT NOW, and you can order it from MZS Press, Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, or wherever you get your hardbacks, ebooks, and/or audiobooks.
Last but not least, if you’d like to make a little donation to support us and the show, you can do that at Ko-fi!