The Movie Ball of Fire

The movie “Ball of Fire” is a comedy film that is released in the year 1941, which tells the story about a group of professors that have been working themselves for several years to finish an encyclopedia and depicts the story of the group’s encounter with a nightclub performer who provides her own profound source of unique knowledge (Ball of Fire-1941). As such, the film is also known as the “The Professor and the Burlesque Queen,” which presents early movie stars namely Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck for the lead role in the movie (Ball of Fire-1941).

For the supporting roles, movie artists like Oskar Homolka, Richard Haydn, Henry Travers, Dan Duryea, Elisha Cook Jr. and Dana Andrews have done an amazing participation in the overall positive outcome of the story (Ball of Fire-1941). Moreover, the movie tells the story of a group of eight mild-mannered professors who are working hard in compiling an encyclopedia. Their work is seen to be monotonous and boring but things are falling into place.

It is until the language expert “Professor Bertram Potts” realizes that his section on slang is seen to be outdated. In this regard, he decided to venture into the outside world to do his research. In the process he met a nightclub singer “Sugarpuss O’Shea” who has problems with her mobster boyfriend and needs a place to hide in. The professors allow Sugarpuss to live with them and have been effective in teaching the professors more than the slang language by livening up their academic lives with nylons and conga lines.

Professor Potts becomes obsessed with Sugarpuss but when the boyfriend of Sugarpass wants her back, things have started to become complicated. At the end of the movie, Professor Potts has outwitted the boyfriend of Sugarpass and pursue his love for Sugarpuss by proposing marriage to her. In light of the story of the movie, it can be said that being smart does not only mean being good at the teachings of the book. Hence, the characteristic of being smart and intelligent can never be learned in a secluded area, more specifically in the four corners of the class.

As such, the story of the movie has depicted these notions on the realizations of Professor Potts, that his knowledge in slang word is seen to be outdated and requires a need to venture in the real or outside world to be able to acquire new information. Likewise, it is seen that the purpose of receiving a formal education is to guide the person and empower an individual towards the achievement of his or her aspirations in the future. In thoughts, it is seen the formal education is essential to teach and render an individual with all the appropriate and needed knowledge that a person needs to acquire.

Hence, there is a need to balance the formal and informal knowledge that can never be acquired and taught in the classroom, which the personal life experiences can only edify. Likewise, the movie “Ball of Fire” has depicted that the learning that occurs in the school of hard knocks is as essential as that which is taught in the formal education that leads to a balance between the real-life education and the importance of knowledge that the book provides.

In the end, it can be said that the movie is set to provide a better understanding about the importance of knowledge that can be acquired in both real-life learning and formal education. As such, it can be seen that knowledge which can only be acquired in real life experiences is as essential as the education that can be learned from school. Hence, both these types of knowledge are essential factors towards the achievement of the person’s future career and personal goals in life. Works Cited Ball of Fire – 1941. IGN Entertainment, Inc. 27 October 2008 <http://www. rottentomatoes. com/m/ball_of_fire/#>