Last year Finále focused on Czech underground, this year the festival, whose finale was first held in Pilsen 30 years ago - in 1981, presents festival Porta. Porta is a festival of folk, tramp and country music, which in the late 80s, at the time of his greatest glory was attended by up to thirty thousand people. "Since 1981 Porta was associated with Pilsen and it was here where it had its peak in 1989. The original intention of the director of festival Finále was given to the connection between Porta and Pilsen," says Robert, "Elva" Frouz, the script editor of section Phenomenon of Times: Porta.

The range of your section is wider in the end; why not remain only in connection Porta - Pilsen?

It turned out that the film material which was filmed in Pilsen only would not be enough for several days of programme section Phenomenon of Times.

So what is this section based on?

Porta has three roots - tramp music, country music and folk music, which flow in it just like the currents in the river of time. One evening will be dedicated to each of these roots or currents; we will also introduce the finale of Porta in Pilsen and the people around it.

Where did you look for the materials that reveal the roots of Porta phenomenon?

There is both official and amateur footage. Unfortunately, it turned out that the artistic and technical quality of the amateur film had no real value, so we looked mainly into the documents and archives of Short Film and Czechoslovakian (now Czech) Television. The earliest picture is from 1965; it is called "Potlach" (Gabfest) and was directed by Pavel Březina. In 1969 the same director also did a six-part almost-musical "Adventure of Six Tramps" based on the book of Vlastimil Radal and Jaroslav Žák. They feature well-known actors such as Rudolf Jelínek and Jan Skopeček, but Waldemar Matuška and Miki Ryvola also appear. It is also a valuable historical document, because it contains songs of at that time new generation of tramp bands Hoboes and Scarabeus, whose style of "tempo di train" was significantly different from pre-war "Askalona" and "Niagara".

We want to offer the audience auteur films by a renowned historian Jaroslav Čvančara, since the sixties the chief of "Taxmeni" country band, who documented events related to "cowboys", that is to the country music scene. The core of the entire section then consists of a selection from the Czech Television series "Legends of folk and country music", which was made thanks to director Jiří Vondrák in 2000. 

Visitors of Finále can in addition to films also enjoy discussions with guests ...

Our programming plans on that. Bohumil "Béďa Šedifka" Röhrich, a tramp and a musician, is coming to talk about tramping. For the debate on country music we want to invite someone from its founders, Jaroslav Čvančara or Marko Čermák, whose participation is still in negotiation. Folk music will be commented on by Pavel "Žalman" Lohonka and Jaroslav Hutka. And we are also preparing the final debate...

What will that be about?

I have mentioned that at Porta three currents mixed: tramp, country and folk music. As a result, since this festival was born in 1967 in Usti nad Labem the question of whose Porta actually is has been discussed. Representatives of particular currents felt that the other two stole Porta from them. A similar feeling was not only shared by musicians but also the audience, sometimes journalists or organizers, who were balancing between the allowed and the forbidden. This might even be one of the topics discussed at the end of section Porta Phenomenon by Jiří Tichota from Spirituál Quintet, music journalist Jiří Černý and philosopher Josef "Shorty" Štogr, who 1981 published at Porta three issues of samizdat journal, "Hurá!", because to him Porta seemed too friendly towards the "power" then.

And what do you think Porta was like?

I can only speak for myself. For many years, I have not taken part in Porta and I think it peaked in Pilsen in the summer of 1989. The final Porta had an incredible charge; most performers stopped worrying and just played and sang what they really felt.

Anyway, the viewers can see this for themselves at Finále - film records of Porta from 1989 are in the programme section The Phenomenon of Times ...

Hana Josefová