In 1958 the film Fanfare by director Bert Haanstra premiered. 65 years later there is a theater spectacle with the same name. Again Giethoorn forms the backdrop.
First, a girl playing a horn behind a haystack. Then a cow that seems to float through the meadow. Moments later another cow, floating backwards. And then two cows floating past each other.
The opening images of Fanfare are memorable, the movie itself is totally unforgettable. After the premiere 65 years ago, 2.3 million people came to the cinema for – after Turkish fruit it is the most visited film in the Netherlands.
International tourist attraction
In Giethoorn, the village that served as the backdrop for a comical story about two rival music bands, they have not forgotten it yet. After Fanfare directed by Bert Haanstra based on a script by Jan Blokker, the watery village grew into the international tourist attraction it is today, with far-reaching consequences for the local economy and population.
They still can’t get enough of it. As of June 21 Fanfare again the tone in Giethoorn, now as a theater spectacle directed by Anne de Blok from a script by Louis van Beek.
Reviving the marching band
This time it is told how the grandson of the deceased conductor of Art & Friendship returns to the village to revive the brass band. He bumps into a childhood friend, with whom he was in love as a 7-year-old. Now she is the conductor of Art & Friendship. But just like 65 years ago, conflict arises.
Known as a movie Fanfare afterwards a star cast with Albert Mol, Wim van den Heuvel, Herbert Joeks, Ton Lutz and Riek Schagen. Now the most important roles are played by Mattias van de Vijver, Peter van Heeringen, Fabian Jansen, Hilke Bierman, Wendy Briggeman and Christiaan Koetsier. Just like in the past, musicians from the region are called upon for the music.
The cows float past again
That something can be expected from the theater spectacle is evident from the involvement of various theaters in Overijssel. Those in Steenwijk, Zwolle and Enschede commissioned a performance in the open air with a decor of ditches, bridges and thatched roofs. And the cows also float past again.
Fanfare not only lives on in Giethoorn. In Gasselte, the open-air game is currently being held Fanfare on the Hondsrug played, loosely inspired by Haanstra’s film. And in Friesland, the Tryater theater company is preparing a project about the hafabra world. Not the story, but the visual language is based on the film, because competing bands in one village are a rarity these days.
Theater spectacle Fanfare will be performed in Gieten from 21 June to 15 July. See also https://theaterspektakelfanfare.nl/