NL 2002 (70′)- Dir.: Pieter Fleury. With Ramses Shaffy, Joop Admiraal, Liesbeth List. Official site (in Dutch)
Ramses Shaffy can be considered the Dutch Serge Gainsbourg. He is a singer who was one of the biggest selling artists in The Netherlands in the 60’s and 70’s. But he paid a high price for his success: he became an alcoholic which caused him many health problems. Ramses is 69 years old now, and lives in a home for elderly people in Amsterdam. Shaffy has written beautiful lyrics, that are among the best in Dutch language. The documentary as a whole is not very strong; it has not a clear line or point of view. But the life and songs of Ramses Shaffy are so touching and impressive, that it is hard not to get emotional while seeing this film…
“Ramses” won a Golden Calf (The Dutch Oscar) for Best Documentary on the recent Dutch Filmfestival.
