Toon Hermans: De Kleuren van een Clown (2005)
Genre: Documentary / Biography
Duration: 50 minuten
Country:
Netherlands
Directed by: Coen Verbraak
Stars: Toon Hermans, Paul de Leeuw and Youp van 't Hek
Releasedate: 23 April 2005
This movie is not available on US streaming services.
Reviews & comments
Chainsaw
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- 8845 messages
- 3576 votes
Beautiful portrait and intimate document about a fantastic comedian. The usual comedians of today and images from his theater shows are passed by perfunctorily, but it is especially the stories of the band members about the real Toon Hermans that are interesting. The personal stories in which this apparently cheerful clown also turns out to be angry, perfectionist, brutal and sad. It's nice that this portrait is not just filled with "Toon was great" quotes. You really get to see a person. Partly because of this interesting person, it is striking how short the film actually is. It seems that only a few facets could be highlighted in this portrait, but there was much more to tell. In any case, I think the film could have been a lot longer.
3.5 stars.
Translated from Dutch · View original
tommykonijn
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- 5153 messages
- 2366 votes
Toon Hermans was a comedian like no other. The humor was simple, yet sophisticated and certainly effective. In addition, his shows felt very personal. I will never be a big fan of his songs, but it is nice to see that he put his heart and soul into them. I can sometimes watch it for hours and it never gets boring. And of course Toon still lives in the region where I grew up, not far from Sittard. When I went for a walk last night, I soon passed a house where, yes, Toon Hermans was being admired on a large TV screen.
The Colors of a Clown is a very nice documentary, because you get a clear picture of Toon's youth, his first steps, his heyday and of course the last years. It's nice that both his children and his band members have their say and indeed, as rightly mentioned above, give an open and honest picture of him. It is not just one big trumpet of praise and that of course makes it a lot more real. I could do a little less with the contributions of, for example, Paul de Leeuw and Youp van 't Hek, but I am happy to accept them. I did regret that the documentary was a bit on the short side in my opinion. The last phase of his life in particular felt condensed, which in my opinion ended quite 'suddenly'. Ultimately not a major disaster, but it does make this feel a bit more like a separate TV broadcast than I had actually hoped.
Nevertheless, it is clear that this is recommended for anyone who enjoys the work of Toon Hermans. The film gives a clear picture of what the man was like and also offers interesting images of what went on behind the scenes, both during rehearsals and just before he was due to perform.
3*
Translated from Dutch · View original
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