Original subtitles

"The Ball"

I am mayor of the city of Horn.

Hans Rasch.

Er. Yes, it's carnival season now,

that's the only time of the year that happiness and laughter prevail.

Laughing is healthy, people are doing serious labor day in, day out.

So they shall be happy once a year.

And that is why I welcome the carnival season.

I like going to the ball, because I am always glad

to meet good friends with whom I can be funny.

I have a lot of work all year, lots of trouble.

And laughing sets people free.

Please be careful now. This is delicate.

We must cooperate now, or else it will go wrong.

If we are to the front, or relatively far to the front,

a bit further up front than now, yes, mind the distances

when we are an little bit more to the front than now,

the ladies shake hands, yes, so we have a slight cohesion between the rows ...

I am the director of the Federal Secondary School Horn.

My name: Privy councilor Otto Mayer.

My attitude towards the Horner students' ball is positive.

I welcome the realization of this traditional ball,

a youth celebration ball that's a highlight of the Carnival of Horner.

Its uniqueness lies in the party and the whole ambiance.

The opening polonaise of the committee of the bachelors

and bachelorettes is magisterially conducted by Prof. Hagel.

It always constitutes the festive prelude to the festival.

In this ambiance, it is understandable that

that for the Horner youth in general, this is the first ball they visit.

What is more, the Horner ball is a stomping ground

for former students, even whole classes.

This needs to be so, sooo precise, that they,

Reagan and his cronies would lick their fingers.

It needs to be very precise.

And over there the gentlemen, please:

everyone pulls a lady, aren't they young, lean, feather weighty beings.

It's no hardship.

Some do as with a piece of furniture, pull it around, don't they?

I personally visit the ball usually in tandem

with my wife and we always enjoy the colorful image of the youth.

We're pleased to chat when we dance,

so to me it's also a highlight of the Carnival of Horner.

My name is Dr. Heinz Sommer.

I've been at the Federal High School since 1967 as a school doctor.

Regarding the ball; the upcoming one, I'd like to make the following statement:

I'm always pleased to participate in a student ball,

since I do have the opportunity to see what has become of them,

the students that left school, what professions they took.

And also the happiness of the youth to participate in this event here.

There is always a casual, relaxed companionship.

And for me as an senior, it's always very enjoyable

to participate in this event with the youth.

My name is Dr. Franz Hochhinaus.

I am a lawyer here in Horn, in Lower Austria, in the Forrest District.

As you know Horn is a small town,

notably a school city with a secondary school and a high school.

I am also chairman of the Parents' Association of the secondary school in Horn.

As such, I especially like to visit the students' ball.

Now for the question: Why go to a small town to a ball?

I think it's essential to distinguish why people go to balls

in cities and why in a small town, where you know each other.

The ball as a social event facilitates being together,

I would say, and not any, for any other reason, as it might be the case

in a big city, where you go to see and be seen.

Song: "Gonna Take A Sentimental Journey"

Yes, this is my first ball

and I want it to be a kind of romantic event.

But not as one used to say,

more like "High Society", but we dance polonaise,

because I think that this should be an unforgettable event for me.

All women will look around at what whom is wearing

and how often they have already been wearing it and whether

they go with the same dress for two or three years.

No matter at what table, everybody comments.

In any case it's being discussed who flirts with whom.

Yes, after all, my business is specifically aimed at women

and I can imagine, that I, if I get a man to dance at the ball,

and the lady is sitting next to me,

and might be a customer of mine, she probably won't be too pleased.

Is it pleasing? Very subtle. Yes.

You only need to change the dress and you can go dancing. Thank you.

Song: "... Sentimental Journey ..."

Well, I like to go to the ball, so, because I, I go to the ball

because I like to have a chat, because I like to dance.

And I, so if I'm there, I dance with everyone,

so, who asks me. I don't care, whether I,

whether he's a child of a professor's or a doctor,

or whether he descends from a worker's family.

So, unlike others, I know some that say,

I'm not gonna dance with this or that guy,

so to me it doesn't matter. So, I want to just enjoy it.

And hope that I can dance, with whom asks me to,

I hope it's just a lot of dancing.

Song: "... Seven, that's the time we leave ..."

Yes, that is a fact that bothers me quite a bit at a ball.

One experiences, well actually you'll experience it anywhere, that...

that there are sometimes women, especially women,

who don't quite know how to actually dress for a festive ball.

There are those that race around in rags.

That are supposed to be something of a dress.

That is, thrown around towels,

and then, well, I think ladies should observe certain rules.

Well why I go to a ball.

I try to do at a ball what I like to do: namely dance.

And to meet friends. And to get to know them privately,

which is easily possible at the ball.

And above all I am very happy to go dancing.

While you're dancing you only have to watch out what you do,

what you say, how you go, how you stand,

and especially how long you dance with a particular person,

without somebody else seeing it.

It's impossible to dance all night with somebody you like to dance with,

because you meet the people from the ball all year through.

And, yes, you've got to stand it and it is not just pleasant,

if you hear that he dates her, well, still and again ...

And I try to solve this by dancing with other men also

And, uh, I nonetheless like to go to the ball, to dance;

also to dance with others.

Song: "Take my lips ..."

I go to the ball to dance,

since I can dance here with like-minded, with people who also like to dance.

And I love to dance,

that I may be a bit of an actor, a bit in the limelight,

to be as I want to be, which is very rare.

The climax of the ball is to me the polonaise,

because then I can be best actor, dance the most,

I'm very much in the limelight then.

A coat? 40 Austrian Schillings.

-Two, please! -2 adults? 160

- Do you have a tenner?

Well, I would not go alone to a ball, no. I'd never do that.

I don't know, it feels odd. I wouldn't know where to sit.

Almost everybody is in pairs. Even in circles, they are always 2,4,6,8

always double; one would feel superfluous,

to sit at a table as seventh or ninth, or as a fifth,

nobody's gonna pick you up. There must always be a couple to remain seated.

If you're a circle of five at a ball

there will never four of them be dancing at once, but only two.

The other two would not dare to, because they think

they need to remain seated, since they included me as a fifth person.

Well, I think that men also have opportunities

to shape their bodies and to manifest their inner expression.

There is the possibility to wear a vest or none.

And there is the possibility of a black or a red bow tie.

A very black or a rather dark gray one.

A pin-striped suit or none.

And there is the possibility of choosing the shirt.

- Keep still! - Scandale Grande!

- Cheese! - Smile, smile, baby.

Well, if I find somebody to push me right,

push me politically, then I might be able to...

enter the clique of the Opera Ball dancers.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you very warmly for your applause

for the opening by the committee of the bachelors and bachelorettes

and now ask the Director of the Federal Secondary Schools of Horner,

privy councilor Otto Meyer to open the ball.

Distinguished guests.

Dear youth. First, I'd like to express my joy

about this year's numerous followings of our invitation to our ball.

With exceptional pleasure I welcome the patrons of our ball,

the members of the Lower Austrian Landtag,

Kurt Puchinger and economist John Steinb�ck.

I also warmly welcome Dr. Wagner from the District Commission Horn,

who comes in place of the deputy district chief.

We are particularly pleased, that our dear Mr. Mayor, councilor

Hans Rasch, is in our midst today.

To you, and to you all, I wish a beautiful, fun ball night.

And to our organizer, the successful volleyball team

under the leadership of Professor Pavlicek, I not only thank,

but also wish a financially successful night.

In this sense and in the hope that all my wishes come true,

I open the the ball of the Horner Federal Secondary Schools of 1982.

And!

And!

The sound was good ... Hahaha!

So to me a ball is a success,

when I more or less danced with all the other polonaise ladies.

And then from midnight danced with all the ladies that lie in my heart.

Well, that's women who dance relatively well.

Or, ladies, I just know, who thereby are seated to other tables,

and they are invited to dance,

and then you chance it whether you dance in step.

And if the first dance passes off

more or less without complaint then you continue dancing some more.

If you'll give me the opportunity to address the questions asked,

I must first introduce myself: my name is Dr. Richard Straub,

lawyer by profession in Horn, in my political function,

I am vice-mayor.

I suppose this function is the primary reason for your visit.

Now to your questions: my comment on the ball happening in Horn,

respectively the importance of the ball in Horn.

This question I must answer from two viewpoints.

Once again from my position of vice-mayor,

and then the importance I personally attribute to the ball.

I consider the ball to be very essential for the town of Horn,

to be very important from the social point of view, from the cultural standpoint,

from an economic standpoint, etc.

Since television crept into the families,

and predominates leisure time at home,

social life in small towns faded into the background

So it is very welcome and beneficial, especially during carnival

but also throughout the year if any kind of social events take place.

To the ball itself -

Singing voice: "In the party. In the party. My father was in the party.

My mother was in the party. My brother was in the party,

my sister was in the party... "

It's always very embarrassing if a woman has to turn men down.

People then might say she's arrogant, or snooty, or something like that,

so it's easy for a man to relieve her from that choice,

to say "no" or "later" or "no, thanks".

These are decisions I have to relieve her from.

Since I'm supposed to know my partner

I should know which men she dislikes, might be interested in

for professional or business reasons,

or thinks to be completely uninteresting.

And relieve her from saying 'no',

thank God man can decide that.

I also tell myself that it was not the woman who turned me down,

but her partner, who thinks I'm too handsome.

But probably his lady would like me. It's not like the woman turns you down directly.

So, I repeat the announcement:

from half past ten cards, slips of paper are handed out with hearts on them.

Whoever has the most hearts and slips is queen of the ball.

There are ladies wearing bright red gloves and keeping their hands quite far up,

so they are particularly noticeable.

They of course engage a lot of attention.

The ball in a small town is a representative event.

And as a professor of the local school I enjoy that the youth is taking an active part.

The only danger is that, and I now speak as a psychologist,

that there may be a little "ball shock" with girls not being picked up for a while.

Lots of them come to the ball as couples already, and if a young man doesn't find somebody,

and in his solitude gets carried away a little, that could be a certain danger, no?

Apart from that the ball is always very well attended,

many graduates come, and then it's always very nice.

Song: "Let's dance Charleston ..."

Now you imagine, that it pleased us at that time in our youth,

to raise a lady's ball gown up to the ruff to potter around underneath it in this stuffy, hot atmosphere.

- Where it is probably as wet as out here. - Well, we didn't get that far back then.

Song: "He who was born in April, get up, get up ... drink up ... "

My name is Peter Berger.

I am a shareholder of the Printing Company Berger.

We employ 200 people. Incidentally, I am a councilor in Horn.

For me, a ball in the countryside is an ideal means of communication.

You get to know people you've only seen passing on the street.

You can participate in conversations in a relaxed atmosphere.

One gets to know people, their problems, their attitude.

And I personally go to Horner balls to get entertained.

To spend a harmonious evening with my wife

and if it ends different than planned, by making a new acquaintance,

then it is surely the end of a successful evening ball.

Song: "drink up, drink up, drink up ..."

My name is Dr. Robert Seiner. I am a notary by profession.

And the umpire of OEVP Balls.

Today as any year the ball of the �VP Horn takes place.

The ball of the �VP Horn is certainly of great importance to the city of Horn.

This ball is the highlight of the Horner Carnival.

At the ball all classes of population meet,

teachers as well as the medical profession,

civil servants, business, and of course dependent workers.

Moreover, this ball is visited by many foreign visitors.