For more information about this film see Blog or click on this link

Marta Kubišová is consider a Czech national heroine. She had already found a place in the hearts of Czechs in her twenties when she was a famous singer and television star. In 1977, when the communist party arrested the rock band Plastic People of Universe, a group of dissendents, including Vaclav Havel met secretly to draw up a written demand for the government to respect human rights. Marta Kubišová was there the whole time, working with Havel on the document as well. They called it Charter 77 and then they signed their names to it.

This one signature meant the effective end of her career at the time. The communitist party put out false stories and faked photographs to ruin her reputation. She lost her job in television and no one would hire her to act or sing.

In the video below, Marta sings the anthem of the Velvet Revolution in English.

A prayer of Marta

Let peace remain with this country!

 Let hatred, envy, grudge, fear

and strife cease! Let them cease!

Now, when your lost sovereignty is returning to you,

finally returning to you.

 The cloud drifts slowly away from the sky

and everybody reaps what he has sown.

Let my prayer speak

to hearts not burnt by the time of wrath,

like flowers by frost, like frost.

Let peace remain with this country!

 Let hatred, envy, grudge, fear, and strife cease!

Let them cease!

Now when your lost sovereignty is returning to you,

people, finally returning to you.