A new documentary about Bassie & Adriaan will be released this week, which can be seen exclusively in Pathé cinemas. In ‘A treasure of memories’ the iconic duo and acquaintances look back on the brilliant career of the clown and acrobat. Director Jelmar Hoekstra from Enkhuizen has pored over countless hours of material. “I’ve gained more respect for them.”
‘A Treasure of Memories’ is produced by Hoekstra’s Playback Images and Mountain Road Entertainment. The viewer not only gets to see never-before-seen images of the duo. As a basis, Hoekstra uses an interview that Aad and Bas van Toor recorded about twelve years ago. We also look back on the rich oeuvre with some key players from that time and other Dutch celebrities.
For example, Hans Beijer, who played B100 in the series, talks about the many details that Bas van Toor took into account while making the series. Mart Hoogkamer, Paul de Leeuw and the Flemish Gert Verhulst can also be seen in the documentary. “And through the archive you can look back on the career of the two gentlemen, the most famous clown and acrobat in the Netherlands,” Hoekstra said at WEEFF.
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Hoekstra admits that he was not a big fan of the duo in the past. “I knew them from the past. I also gained more respect for them during the making of the documentary,” he says. “For what these gentlemen have done and the impact they have on Dutch culture.”
Aad and Bas are closely involved in the production process
The now 81-year-old Aad van Toor – just like the 88-year-old Bas van Toor and his family – was closely involved in the process of the new documentary. “We also shot at Aad’s in Spain,” Hoekstra explains. “He has had throat cancer, so his voice has deteriorated. But we were able to record beautiful quotes with him. Bas’s health is even less good. He is in a wheelchair, and I think he can only use the lever of his moving the chair. We communicated remotely with him and his family.”
Hoekstra says that this contact has been very valuable, because the icon is grateful for the project. “The same goes for Aad,” the director continues. “They have always been able to give their input and opinion in versions. But we also had the freedom to make this.”
In addition to the two main characters themselves, Martijn Passchier also played a major role. He manages the Bassie & Adriaan archive. “If we were looking for a specific fragment, he knew exactly where it was and how we could get it,” says director Hoekstra. “Because you can imagine how much material there is. We also worked with Beeld & Geluid, of course. But luckily they have most of it under their own management, so it was actually only available through them. But you have to know exactly where what lies.”
Engaged with fans to this day
Next Thursday is the premiere of ‘Bassie & Adriaan: a treasure of memories’. Not inside your eyes, but in a Pathé cinema. Aad van Toor will attend two screenings of the documentary. On Saturday Adriaan is at the cinema in Schiedam, and a day later in Rotterdam.
“You notice that they are still involved with their fans to this day,” says Hoekstra. “Aad also says that someone once drove to Spain with a copy of Bassie and Adriaan’s car, and stood at his door to show that car. There are famous Dutch people who have no need for it, and fans a little But Aad is charmed by that. They really care about the fans.”