The Urker men’s choir Hallelujah, between storm and silence (2010)

Directed by: Kees Brouwer | 85 minutes | music, documentary

During the premiere of the VPRO documentary about Het Urker Mannenkoor ‘Hallelujah’, ‘The Urker Mannenkoor Hallelujah, between storm and silence’, this dubious collaboration is discussed several times. “It is the first time that the Reformatorisch Dagblad reports on a television program,” says one of the choir members, who then gives a bible to the VPRO as a gift. A palpable love has arisen between the Urk men and broadcaster VPRO. This is all thanks to VPRO director Kees Brouwer, an Urk by origin. Brouwer, who previously made the documentary ‘Ton Sijbrands, dammer. With all the consequences of that director, has made a special film in which Urk and the VPRO are both respected.

‘The Urker Mannenkoor Hallelujah, between storm and silence’ is a real Dutch documentary about Urk and his men. To make the large choir of eighty people more personal, a few choir members are followed. Such as baritone soloist Henk Brouwer, Kees Brouwer’s nephew. The choir members talk about their relationship with the song, telling moving stories. ‘Between storm and calm’ is the main theme of the film. Storm and silence in music and in life. The singing of the Urker Mannenkoor is like a storm that waltzes over you. In the film one is witness to many songs that are played with full dedication. We hear subtle, whispering melodies change into loud, savage outbursts. The song tells life. Due to professional sound processing, the vocals sound even more impressive than in real life. Everyday life on Urk is also beautifully depicted as ‘storm and silence’. One of the choir members is getting married, another has sinned, an ex-member does not have long to live. Another choir member, a fisherman in everyday life, tells from his fishing boat about ‘storm at sea, followed by silence’. The theme is present in every shot and exquisitely worked out.

Cinematically, Brouwer emphasizes the small; the Dutch. We are spectators of a comic sequence ‘eating herring’. A detailed shot of a fish that is removed from the deep-fat fryer also shows the traditional, Dutch atmosphere of Urk well. The camera work is flawless and at times beautiful. It plays with sharpness in an artistic way. This emphasizes, for example, the distressed faces of the choir members, who are constantly brought into sharp focus during the singing against a blurred background. In addition to the faces, we also get to see a striking number of close-ups of hands. The men are made vulnerable with these close-ups. The filmmakers come very close and know how to capture the emotion of the song beautifully.

This documentary can be praised for its traditional Dutch atmosphere. After seeing the film, people yearn for more documentaries that take place close to home; films of high cultural value for the Netherlands. The men of the choir have certainly earned the publicity, because they can sing. The collaboration between VPRO and Het Urker Mannenkoor ‘Hallelujah’ has been absolutely successful and shows a powerful combination of Dutch film and singing.