Blood, sweat and tears is a well-made, impressive movie about the life of Andre Hazes, singer of typical Amsterdam tearjerkers. If you have lived in Holland the last 30 years, you maybe know the guy (and this review doesn't contain spoilers). He has become even more famous after his dead.
Andre Hazes was addicted to alcohol, cigarettes, unhealthy food and in his younger years, girls. A typical pop star, sex & drugs & rock 'n roll kind of life. In the film he is depicted as a a depressive, lonely and very insecure man, like much entertainers and comedians. It is a sad story.
Blood, Sweat and Tears shows three moments/episodes of his life: 1960, when he was about 9 years old and lives a poor life in Amsterdam; 1980, during the period of his biggest success and 2004, a few weeks before his goodbye concert in the Arena for 50.000 people. These episodes are scrambled in the film.
All these episodes end dramatic. As a child his father let him sing for money in bars and on the market in Amsterdam, although he denied his talent. Andre is discovered by television star Johnny Kraaikamp. Together they made a record, that flopped. His father spends more and more time drinking in bars and subsequently becomes more and more aggressive. He beats up his wife regularly and in the end also beats up Andre...
In 1980 he meets Tim. He is a producer of a record label and becomes his (only) friend. They make a lot of records together. It is Andre's most successful time. Nevertheless he was drunken most of the times, was always late at concerts and recordings or never showed up. Tim fulfills his dream to perform in the Concertgebouw, the classical music hall of Amsterdam. There his father shows up suddenly. Tim lets him in against the will of Andre, who has declared his father dead for years. He literally sings him away with.
The friendship between Andre and Tim is under pressure, when Andre gets a relationship with a 15 year old girl (his later wife Rachel). They come back together, when the relationship (temporarely) ended. Unfortunately Tim dies in a car crash and Andre loses his one and only friend.
In 2004 his body and mind are end of life. His liver is enlarged, his heart is weak, he has diabetes and last but not least Andre has serious hearing problems. The last four weeks before his goodbye concert, we see Rachel taking care of him. In a scene she makes a lunch box with twee white sandwiches with meatballs. She puts a slice of lettuce between it, but takes it away again. Next to the sandwiches she puts two cans of beer and two plasters. Before Andre leaves to a concert, he becomes aggressive out of stress and insecurity and hurts his hands. In his car he has beer everywhere.
Yes, he made it to the concert. Yes, it was a success. A few days later he dies, 53 years young. In the ten years after he becomes more famous than he's ever been. His memorial service takes place in the Arena, a very successful musical about his life staged for years and now this movie. It is a little bit sourly. It is a thin line between tribute and exploitation.
I don't know if his life is depicted well in Blood, Sweat and Tears. The documentary 'Zij gelooft in mij' is maybe better. The movie seems very balanced. Like I said, I'm not a fan of Andre Hazes and I don't know either if this movie is interesting for people outside The Netherlands. Nevertheless I would recommend it everyone, fans and non-fans, Dutch or non Dutch.
Andre Hazes was addicted to alcohol, cigarettes, unhealthy food and in his younger years, girls. A typical pop star, sex & drugs & rock 'n roll kind of life. In the film he is depicted as a a depressive, lonely and very insecure man, like much entertainers and comedians. It is a sad story.
Blood, Sweat and Tears shows three moments/episodes of his life: 1960, when he was about 9 years old and lives a poor life in Amsterdam; 1980, during the period of his biggest success and 2004, a few weeks before his goodbye concert in the Arena for 50.000 people. These episodes are scrambled in the film.
All these episodes end dramatic. As a child his father let him sing for money in bars and on the market in Amsterdam, although he denied his talent. Andre is discovered by television star Johnny Kraaikamp. Together they made a record, that flopped. His father spends more and more time drinking in bars and subsequently becomes more and more aggressive. He beats up his wife regularly and in the end also beats up Andre...
In 1980 he meets Tim. He is a producer of a record label and becomes his (only) friend. They make a lot of records together. It is Andre's most successful time. Nevertheless he was drunken most of the times, was always late at concerts and recordings or never showed up. Tim fulfills his dream to perform in the Concertgebouw, the classical music hall of Amsterdam. There his father shows up suddenly. Tim lets him in against the will of Andre, who has declared his father dead for years. He literally sings him away with.
The friendship between Andre and Tim is under pressure, when Andre gets a relationship with a 15 year old girl (his later wife Rachel). They come back together, when the relationship (temporarely) ended. Unfortunately Tim dies in a car crash and Andre loses his one and only friend.
In 2004 his body and mind are end of life. His liver is enlarged, his heart is weak, he has diabetes and last but not least Andre has serious hearing problems. The last four weeks before his goodbye concert, we see Rachel taking care of him. In a scene she makes a lunch box with twee white sandwiches with meatballs. She puts a slice of lettuce between it, but takes it away again. Next to the sandwiches she puts two cans of beer and two plasters. Before Andre leaves to a concert, he becomes aggressive out of stress and insecurity and hurts his hands. In his car he has beer everywhere.
Yes, he made it to the concert. Yes, it was a success. A few days later he dies, 53 years young. In the ten years after he becomes more famous than he's ever been. His memorial service takes place in the Arena, a very successful musical about his life staged for years and now this movie. It is a little bit sourly. It is a thin line between tribute and exploitation.
I don't know if his life is depicted well in Blood, Sweat and Tears. The documentary 'Zij gelooft in mij' is maybe better. The movie seems very balanced. Like I said, I'm not a fan of Andre Hazes and I don't know either if this movie is interesting for people outside The Netherlands. Nevertheless I would recommend it everyone, fans and non-fans, Dutch or non Dutch.
