"Moravian Hellas" "(Notes about folklore)" "Commentary." "For uniformed ones." "The silver of the old photographs faded" "and nowadays folklore is somehow an anachronism." "Folk Celebrations, Strážnice, Moravian Hellas." "Strážnice 1963." "And today's folklore has also faded somewhat." "Truthful commentary is fast." "About the Strážnice festivities?" "During the festival, I'm in charge of the wall painters." "I wanted to graduate from the Academy of Arts, so in winter days I've made this picture to show how the village looked like in olden times." "Alarm-clock mechanism is there." "These watches are adjusted not to stop when so weighed down." "These silk threads have to be there using this wee pendulum to keep everything in motion." "To retain it as public heritage, as with age it always becomes clear that the picture has some worth even if created by an amateur." "August Rodin's Quote:" ""Strážnice is Moravian Hellas."" "There are four of us in the sewing and decorative school." "With the headmaster, lady teacher and school caretaker we are seven." "Don't move!" "I removed one of the girl pupils because, some things could be expressed better." "The state school wants to establish itself on the basis of traditional decorative sewing techniques with four girls as a start-off." "At first Headmistress forbid photographing girls outside." "A ban was put in place at a time when I questioned the girls work options after graduation." "Now they face reality." "What business is that of yours?" "And they sew..." "The school's intention is to retain tradition of decorative sewing because the parents don't want the girls to go into employment, that she is weak, so they send her to me to gain strength..." "One works at the Post Office." "They are seeking a better job for themselves." "If there's nothing in her line of work nearby she works in the State Farm or similar." "Everyone's taste differs and all get a good run for their money." "With a baby I'd have a home" "and I'd be painting cockerels." "Look you artist, leave your belly!" "When I graduate I'll be happy in the factory in Letovice." "My name is Oldøich Hekl." "I'm a deputy director in the State Company Tylex in Letovice." "If we'd accept for work girls from the sewing school in Strážnice, we could only employ them in the more menial jobs, taking into account that their apprenticeship is unsuitable here." "As part of the Strážnice Festival our school organizes an exhibition." "Americans always buy lots of our products." "Titles of embroidery patterns:" ""wee clover with a drop, clockwork, rosebuds from rosemarys, look at me little eyes"." "If only you'd rather say where my two nephews are, the twins." "No way!" "Only a little a word is altered and something worse sees the light of day than the person intended." "An unique collection owned by Mr. Potomák from Popovice." "A lovely collection!" "He creates a collection of everything." "And if someone told him that it's in bad taste, of no use, he'd get rid of it." "What would be of use to a museum..." "Kiss me!" "...and what not, throw it down a hole." "If you publish that he has in his care some religious figurines you could cause problems for him." "Not even from high up do they order these things to be thrown out." "These recent embroideries are broader, more colourful, more complicated, and more eye-pleasing than those from previous centuries." "But scientists and artists claim it has to remain in the original state, ease and simplicity the priority." "What does it want?" "A commentary." "Why did I co-operate on such work?" "Because I love my country and all that I know is beautiful in it." "Our mother-tongue, our folklore and artistic heritage." "Second:" "I saw how my parents, my ancestors, my family, as well as the whole village and nearly all wee Moravian Slovakia villages dressing-up in their costumes with respect and intent on protecting it." "That's why I wrote on the little memorial which I have built with great... difficulties:" "Retain our respect and love to the work of our ancestors." "The lads are laughing at the costumes but I like wearing it." "I am also a folk-tale narrator." "My name is Lebánek." "I'll take you to our land for a moment, to "Moravian Slovácko"." "My name is Zdenek Galuška and I perform Slovak-Moravian humour." "If the folk-tale narrators wouldn't tell just jokes they'd be invited to the Strážnice festival too." "Mr. Klásek met an old man in the village and said:" "Mattie, what did you feed your goat when it got ill last year?" "What?" "Turpentine." "What?" "Turpentine?" "I see, thanks then." "Bye." "And they met the following week and he threw at the old man:" "Crying out loud, Mattie, fine advice you gave me!" "The bloody goat died 'cos of that turpentine." "Old man's eyes glowed like lanterns and he said:" "So, what did you expect?" "Mine one died too!" "I heard on the radio once a joke about an uncle who gave a goat turpentine." "His neighbour advised him and the goat passed on." "So I just thought, my dears, it's the same as if I'd say that I walk through a village, meet uncle Francek, and he says:" "Listen, when I see you from a distance, you look a bit dumb to me." "But when I get closer, blimey, it's the truth." "Seems to me the same when one takes the mickey out of another, or makes fun of us Slovaks, right?" "It's Vašek Mlýnek, a folk story-teller, he's got the image, and a figure to go with it." "So, I won't tell you the one about turpentine and a goat." "That's Galuškas'." "Uncle Martin sat in an armchair reading the newspapers." "He says to Bìta:" "Here I read in the papers that the Americans manufacture the biggest pants in the world." "She says:" "Why you telling me this, I don't wear such pants anyway." "So I welcome you in our place." "Did you come to take a look?" "So I welcome you in our place." "Did you come to take a look?" "I am Mrs Sochorová." "From Strážnice." "I get up early as I have ten cockerels in the neighbourhood that wake me up." "I like the garden. I have ox-eye daisies, lilies and little roses out of which our ornament is created." "Over there we have an old pear tree, don't even know who planted it." "And a bird nest is in it too." "There are small birds there, always jumping on the branch and who are raising two generations of birds. I get pleasure from it." "Here we have an old painting... once in a while it gets and it's good as new again." "I'll show you it a little bit, but it's no easy matter." "Colours fade, have to be tested at first how they last out." "I'll show you how to paint on glass." "You cut a piece of soap and try..." "When some foreigners come, they can't believe that it's painted, so I show them that it's painted for sure." "These are little leafs, everything, how it grows." "There's an apron of mine here, a bike that helps me to be everywhere on time, to catch up with all my work." "There are some aprons, ribbons that I wear, jugs that were hidden during the war in a shelter, ribbons for the bride, relay for the Soviet Union, blankets, a painting for America we use to send as a greeting," "plates, but if someone wants the Strážnice ornament on it, he has to buy a plate at Horns, scratch it off and paint it with the Strážnice ornament." "Here I'll show you myself in the papers, our house and me painting, here are English newspaper... the house also, today we have the new ornament on it already." "And what should I tell you next about painting..." "You know, thousand hours I worked on folk art and I'm getting old, scared of ending up blind, losing my right hand what helps me to create all that beauty." "What it'll be like when we stop..." "No youngsters to take over." "I mean it's so rushed today, the youngsters have no patience for this work." "When you won't sit and paint patiently, you'll achieve nought." "But I take my leave, thank you nicely and come again." "How is it with the ladies here?" "Here we've got three girls in this village, they're like flowers ..." "But today they colour everýthing, imagine that!" "The girl has lovely hair, like flax, and suddenly comes out as black as a devil." "She makes up her lips, paws and all." "I'm not against modern things, I like everything nice, but where do we go from here?" "After ten years, all the folk-costumed girls will disappear." "I'll show you..." "I have this nice book, I'll show it to your mum to let her see how well l paint." "I have it from the Ministry of the Culture." "I'm painting the eggs here, on the ladder, in the little chapel." "It is a really nice book..." "The interview is finished." "It's not easy, Miss." "We respect Commenius, we have included him in our shield." "They make ads for soap too, and various things written on walls." "Are you Mrs. Adámková?" "Yes." "We are building this gate here." "We want to sell wine." "We had too much wine one year, so we said to ourselves," "Jesus Christ, if only we'd sell it all." "But we realised that we have bed-frames in, the loft, son in law prepared everything, I brought some paint, and by the evening the ad was ready." "We carried it out and you'd be amazed how many people came." "Everyone who went by." "We sold all the wine." "We put it there for three years and they come without any nudging." "You know, painting isn't easy-peasy." "Many times when you want to draw a circle, you even stop breathing, you breath irregularly until you manage it." "There're only three of us left, the ones who paint, and when we die, everything will perish with it." "It's the last Slovakian corner." "In fifteen years there's gonna be nothing at all." "This here is Jožka Severín." "I am Jožka Severín, over here with my daughter." "I like to sing our songs." "I like them myself and I think that all our people do, not only here in around Tvrdonice but I think that all our nation likes our folk songs." "I sing after my work and I'm happy even if one has to make sacrifices, coming home from a show or some other performance at night, and in the morning I have to go work per usual." "We'd like to keep the songs alive as long as possible, not only costumes, these songs to survive for the next generations." "I'm not sure but not every man is that loveable..." "Water runs off the maple, Aya Hey..." "Water runs off the maple Love is like my staple." "Aya Hey, my sweet soul..." "Such a popular singer and he doesn't do this for financial gain." "Canny daughter he has and he's taught her to sing too, making sure it remains in the clan." "But he's getting old, has to go to work, I really like him." "You singers are fine, nobody can take your talent away." "It's worse for us, the folk storytellers." "Recently many teachers and educated people have joined this business." "And they make themselves out to be the village yokels... I'm building a house, yours is really pretty, I'd love to have such a house as well." "Slávek Volavý from Strážnice has got the same kind of the house, but I have two cousins, they're twins." "One studied folklore, I think he'd like it too." "Who could give me some advice?" "Uncle Kružík." "If you want to build such a house in Moravian Slovakia I'd recommend a house with the terrace up front." "Not only because there's the painted picture over here..." "Moravian Slovakia is Moravian Hellas." "That recess saves the house from the wind, the rain." "Such a terraced house has to be painted every year," "Each year mummie or daughter must paint it with the ornaments extending the folk tradition in Moravian Slovakia from generation to generation." "Jožka Severín's daughter had painted this house, there sure is a bit of fine art in it, it depends on one's taste, but these small houses make the village more colourful." "But would it be so basic as it looks, that's not true." "The bosses from Prague were here looking at it and calling it... a earthen shack." "The shack is dug into the ground, this is above, covered by earth." "I was to be sent into a home in Žítkov but I didn't want to go." "Why?" "Because I am an ancient inhabitant here my ancestors founded the place." "Instead of sending me into a home... if everybody could give 25 hellers this would be a real help for me!" "One can't help all but all could help the one." "I'd just grab it and turn the monkey over... but the people from the cultural offices, they favour this, they don't think of the whole." "Better if the heritage officers take it away from here." "He could have a nice house, even had a wooden cottage built, but he has left it be for so long that the maple tree grew inside." "He didn't want to repair it or sell, so he lives with goats there..." "That's not folklore, that's so called... I'll tell you how it looks in our village, you'd be astonished." "I'll tell you how it looks in our village, you'd be astonished." "Here we have the houses, like here where we live, when I think about it, one bedroom after another..." "The house, still has old benches and... ln this row there's sixty street numbers approximately, and there are only four houses with benches as in the old times... I don't like it, not one bit." "What do they have in that room?" "Two boxes, a wardrobe, beds knocked together, a mirror, two carpets, don't even sleep there, just all for show." "A settee some buy for it, and a television, well, I like it too, but then they sleep in a stable." "The kitchen has to be all tarted up, plates taken off the walls, 'cos they feel embarrassed to eat off the stripy plates." "They need the china plates, pure white, I like the flowery ones, seems to me like in Paradise." "My name is Karel Andìl, a stonemason." "Could you tell me about those sculptures?" "I'm interested in them." "It was a lengthy job, maybe you'd be tired too if I tell you about it all, but the work is fascinating lovely un fact, pleases one when you can create something nice." "Except the cemetery jobs, the gravestones, I was keen on these Moravian Slovak sculptures." "And it became a regular demand." "This young dandy is leaning and holds a lime twig to give to those dead Romanians." "This was on order." "These things were demanded from me." "I had lots of contacts among folk artists and I started to compose songs." "I said to myself this was a way to get out into the world." "You're a good lad, join up and don't go mad." "Republic needs you..." "So how could you possibly like such a song?" "Not this particular one... I watched some songs from the front here, and I wasn't taken by the fact you composed them based on melodies of old established ones whether I was reading through or watched it," "really, the original songs with the old tunes and traditional refrains are..." "Regarding the song melodies, they are so alive that practically there's nothing..." "to paraphrase it is not really on." "That's the truth." "lt's a pity." "I was composing it on the basis of the old melodies." "But why?" "I come from a large family and in those days wasn't possible to attend the school as today, and I was unable to read notes, but at times a note came to my mind but I wasn't able to take it down." "So I thought I'd compose the song but using old notes." "And through that process I got to know people in the region and when I needed a pig-killing feast I asked them to arrange it for me somehow." "And when I begun to compose songs they invited me to attend meetings of composers-beginners." "There was also a Anežka Gorlová and she had composed 20 songs." "Se praised herself for it no end." "Claiming to be a pioneer of such socialistic songs." "So I said:" "Sometimes in the morning I compose even two songs." "And she answered: it's not from the heart when I did it so quickly." "But to sew shirts in the Šohaj factory in Strážnice..." "Would it be a jazz or what?" "To marry!" "You want one?" "02:19 Careful, we're recording here." "Look, today the Strážnice Festival takes place." "You can enjoy yourself decently." "Marry!" "What a pity!" "You'll see it soon enough, one Fascist God of his!" "Why did I come to Strážnice?" "Out of duty." "We have here..." "to show the nation..." "On 6th July there was a conference." "It had a sad ending, many failed." "Citizens!" "This we can say to ourselves, I, for example, am a Slovak..." "He's employed somewhere here, he's heavy but a good dancer." "He has a large figure but dances smoothly." "But only with foreign lassies." "Not with his own one." "He is keeping her saved." "With my wife he danced many times." "Your one is light on her feet." "lt's coming form that foxy house." "This dance is local." "I have no objection to it having sold our dances this fall to the Strážnice Museum." "05:15 You should know I was writing a history of Kopanice all winter." "I gave it to the Museum in Brod." "So from the year 1898 until the year 1945." "From that year of forty-five it carries on, but only to be read after my death." "Why?" "I'm still living. I don't want to be accused of anything." "Because I survived through terrible times, that's why this book has the title of "Cursed Golden Times"." "You've been just photographed." "Popular Scientific Movie." "Sociological research." "I smell smoke!" "Let's see!" "You've got it red!" "Where?" "There are very few people in that movie." "But if you'd walked through all cities you'd find things we don't even dream about." "If these things were published, then those films couldn't be screened over an entire evening as the number of culprits would be so many, not being ordinary folk, but people in high positions." "I'm Fojtík from Otrokovice, I'm here as a part-time waiter." "But I'm also a folk storyteller and many people know me very well." "As far as the Restaurants and Canteens State Company," "Strážnice is really a very profitable event." "There were I think over 2 days 60 000 people, and if I think we sold 40 to 50 thousand litres of wine." "It's really difficult to organize the Strážnice event. lt's massive." "Not to mention non-alcoholic drinks, desserts and sausages - it was awful, just terrible." "It's difficult to organize because as I remember three years ago we formed a special committee to walk around the park during the Festival and to stop folk making money here there and everywhere, to be frank, to stop people's taste being corrupted." "We've got our programme and they've got their own." "It didn't work out." "I really want to cry over it all." "So God Bless and off we went." "What about the Strážnice festivals?" "They're dead and gone." "What is there to say." "Have a go at them." "There are bosses there - their business to ensure it's all right, that most people enjoy it, to bring back sweet memories from there." "And we do what we think best." "Lassie, where have you been?" "What a sight!" "Here I introduce you Dr. Pavelèík, he's the head of the Museum in Uherský Brod." "With Uncle Lebánek we've known each other for ages, he helps to collect all sorts of things for our museum, we bought the cottage in Žítkov together for an open-air museum in Rožnov, although it's not built there yet." "It's like a theatre, it's not a real expression of folklore lt's like a theatre, it's not a real expression of folklore which is very difficult to find in real life any more." "I saw it in Moravská Nová Ves during their traditional fiesta, but if we'd want them to present it for us once again, they themselves wouldn't know how because it's part of them." "The ethnography is at its end, everything has perished, and only exceptionally we succeed in finding something like it... lt seems to me like some slowly dying cow, at the end of its tether and all jumping up on her" "to get a last drop of milk off her, and this poor animal is not even milk-giving but blood-shedding and with the last drop of its blood feeds us all, the filmmakers, the TV people, researchers," "professors and museum deputies and I don't know who else yet." "No more mum no more that raised me." "There's only mum, who gave me a son.." "We wanted to understand this." "For this movie - and I said a lot - so we'll get a right telling, orally or in writing, but we do speak the truth." "Uncle Lebánek, the last word is yours." "So today in my old age I'm bored by it." "I see it now as some kind of fever." "No more a kind of creativity, it's more for those people who wish to profit from it."