Even with last year’s 50th anniversary commemorations over, it’s worth adding a few points about the tragedy that befell the Czech and Slovak people’s – the country’s Hungarian, Roma, Rusyn and other minorities.
 
So I’m featuring a few shots from a late-August 1968 edition of Life, which capture both the air of freedom that preceded and the frustration and desperation that followed.
 
Please allow me to refer you to my posts from last year:
 
The Tanks of August  
 
The Invasion at 50 – which includes video of me performing my translation of Karel Kryl’s heartrending song Bratříčku, zavírej vrátka, as well as an embedded clip of the Moody Blues performing in Prague on the very eve of the invasion - 
 
50 Years Since the Tanks of August – with more pics and commentary –
 
Finally, the Moody Blues were not the only celebs caught in Czechoslovakia at the time. This post on Tres Bohemes covers the topic thoroughly (better than I can), so I’ll leave you to visit their site. Shirley Bassey was filming songs from Goldfinger, while Shirley Temple Black was doing charity work, and George Segal and other were filming The Bridge at Remagen.