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Good concept, poorly executed.

A lot of fun.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

With the Christmas and New Year holiday coming up I started looking round for movies that we could watch over the holiday.Talking to a DVD seller,I was pleased to discover that he had recently tracked down a Dutch music Drama,which led to me getting ready to go to the fare.The plot:Getting invited to a music contest where all the local brass bands in villages play for a big prize, musicians Geursen & Krijns fall out over what tune the town brass band should play,which leads to them splitting the band into 2 separate groups.As the contest gets closer,Geursen and Krijns spend more time trying to outwit each other than learning the music.View on the film:Taking place in a small village,co-writer/(along with Jan Blokker) co- editor/(along with Ralph Sheldon) director Bert Haanstra & cinematographer Eduard van der Enden give the title a delightful countryside atmosphere,as lingering shots of the wildlife and rivers build a sense of community in the movie.Along with the relaxing mood, Haanstra also displays a keen eye for sight-gags,which goes from instruments being hidden in a farm,to milk ruining one of the main rivers.Focusing on the rivalry between Geursen (played by a brash Hans Kaart) and Krijns (played by a wonderfully slimy Bernard Droog) the writers hilariously disrupt the quiet village by pulling everyone into taking sides in the feud,as a fanfare starts taking shape around Geursen and Krijns.

I had seen this movie years (like 30+) ago and thought it was excellent. Now that it's available on DVD it's a great addition to my (international) collection. I would even go as far as saying that this might be the best Dutch movie ever made, or at least the best comedy. The story is about a typical 50's village and it's inhabitants. Adding to the small town quarrels is the use of water. As most people will know a large part of the Netherlands is below sea level. So is this village. No roads but canals. Maximum use is made of this. Even the ducks play a part.The DVD comes with the Oscar-winning short film 'Glas'. And for those who don't master the Dutch language: The DVD provides English subtitles. !

This movie is about a brass band in the fictional place of Brederwiede. When they want to compete in a competition the band splits up in two, because the two lead men in the band can't agree on the music. Both of them go to the narrator, who is the most intelligent person in town. He composes two separate pieces of music which at the competition will become one piece of music. Very clever done! There is also a love story in this movie: the boy and girl are both children of one of the band leaders. Highlight of the movie is the competition itself when the two pieces of music are combined by a planned coincidence. I saw this film before the very funny Brassed Off. It has got similarities and makes watching these movies even more fun.

About ten Years ago when there was a Bert Haanstra special on the Dutch TV, I was only interested in the short film "Glas" because it was one of the first Dutch products to win an Academy award. "De Fanfare" was also shown, and besides I really hated fanfare-like music at that time (while being a member of a harmony myself), this was a must see. The story looks simple but effective. In a small village there is a fanfare preparing for a contest. A new director (a great performance by Albert Mol) wants to help them, but the fanfare of 25 men fall apart in two groups of twelve, leaving the triangle player in despair. As two groups on their own they rehearse for the contest, but the mayor of the small village only supports the biggest fanfare. That is why the leaders of the two groups constantly try to bribe the triangle player. He is the one who makes the difference between support or not. A lot of confusion takes place and when the contest is there at last, two groups go to the contest playing two different parts which, after all, sounds quite nice together. The fanfare(s) wins the contest, and the two rivals join together. What makes this movie really funny is the fact that the man with the triangle (the tiniest instrument of the all) plays the crucial part. He is the one what it's all about, even while you can't hear him at all. But after all: this is a movie which only could be made in The Netherlands. With "Karakter", "Turks fruit", "Abel" and "All Stars" one of the best Dutch pictures of all time.